I live in a small house with no garage. All the beach trash in in the back driveway. There are lots of salvagers and pickers in our alley. Normally I do not mind if they take something from the piles of beach toys, shoes, sandy clothes and towels and other miscellaneous items. If they can use any of the free stuff.. go for it. What I do mind is when they actually enter the gates and take stuff. That mean someone has invaded my personal space.
I found Volleyball court straps in the trash at the South Mission Beach jetty. At the time I did not know what it was. If I thought about it, would have pulled it out and replaced it in the right volleyball court at the time. After coming home and looking at it, realized it wasn’t broken and needed to go back. I forgot about it and someone took it.
Over the years, people have left many coolers on the beach. This one was in great shape ie not broken and was like new. Again, left in the back and voila.. it disappeared.
Glass Bottles: Since there is no room and very few pickers take glass bottles, I have a trash can of the glass bottles in the driveway. This is somewhat hidden and in a trash can that is not sitting in the alley. I will say I usually give the glass to one of the recyclers (Maria), but when someone actually comes into my property and looks through the trash right by my door… I do not like that.
Trucking 15 pounds of heavy glass bottles, sandy towels and stuff through sand in a little wagon, glass (not a money maker) when someone takes about 100 bottles (about $5.00)… it is a little irritating. But they must have needed it.
In January, found a black winter coat from Kohls ($49.95 online). Coat was great but so full of sand, one would have had to cut the seam to empty about a pound of sand. Thinking could reuse it in some way, I left it on the side of my house. Meaning someone would have had to open the front gate and enter the property and go to the side of the house. That I do not like.
Shoes (2 pair), Boogie boards (2 ripped off) and beach chair (1 ripped off) I can live with. Several of the pickers check out my ‘FREE’ area and I do not have a problem with that. I do not have a problem with things being gone…
Coming close and entering my personal space… I have a problem with. What do you think?
As in my last comment…no respect for the law, for other people, private property nor their world..it is really a shame! And what a violation, especially when your whole life’s work is about making a better world.
How are you going to handle this?
I am actually OK with it, since I was attacked on the beach several years ago, am much more cautious about safety and space. Just need to make sure doors and windows are locked and lights work. Considering putting a camera, but the reality is most everything was savaged off the beach. Will be much more careful and try to meet the ‘pickers’ so they understand what they can take and what they cannot. It was mainly the jacket that freaked me out a little bit.