The Rise of Can Poaching

If you live in the SF Bay Area, chances are you've seen them. They wander the streets (or even your backyard) with their plastic bags and shopping carts. They may be homeless, they may be unemployed, or maybe they're just looking for additional income. They all have one thing in common--they are recycle thieves and they are cashing in at the state's expense. The CRV (California Refund Value) program, which boasts 85% recycling of bottles and cans, has become central to an underground economy that has created a life for thieves in recent years (source).

I first became aware of this trend around 2 years ago while I was attending college. Having lived the college party life, I had purchased my fair share of 30 packs of beer and the cases of plastic water bottles for those morning afters. Having paid crv tax on every purchase, I saved all my cans and bottles to receive my tax back at the nearby recycle center. I would "cash out" about once or twice a semester with about 1 or 2 trash bags. However, everytime I went to the recycle center I waited around 30-45 minutes to cash my cans. The issue? There were atleast 3 people in line ahead of me with about 5-10 trash bags EACH full of cans/bottles. I was trying to utilize the recycle center as they were intended to be used, and there before me where these can hoarders with their 50-100 dollars worth of recyclables. There was no way these bags were full of recyclables from personal use. They had been poached from nearby college apartment complexes and dormitories. However, I will acknowledge that there is some chance that some of their collectibles came as litter from off the street.


Are these recycling thieves helping or hurting our society? On one side of the argument, you can stress that these can thieves who extract recyclables from trash bins or off the streets help make the world a cleaner and better place. That is a benefit to these so called "recyclers." On the other hand, the can/bottle thieves often rummage through personal or city property and in turn, are taking money from the state and the recycling programs. The California law states: the moment cans are placed in a recycling bin, they become the property of the city; thus, anyone who takes from them is guilty of theft.

In December 2009 alone, San Francisco received more than 1,500 complaints from residents of people rummaging through their garbage, making noise and stealing recyclables in the early hours of the morning (source). What bothers me the most is the possibility that all these people are working together. It's been uncovered before. Potential so called "recycle families." Where each team member has a certain quota to meet everyday and sticks it to the state one can at a time. According to San Francisco police and recycling officials, the illegal gathering has been estimated to collect between $2 million and $5 million worth of recyclables a year.

Famous Can Poaching Lady. Have you seen her?

Can theft seems to be a low priority on the police department's watch list. There are too many poachers out on the streets not to notice. Granted there are more important crimes to worry about, but these thieves are significantly putting a dent into the state's budget. Recycled bottles and cans with California redemption value labels on them can fetch about 5 or 10 cents each if taken to a state redemption center. My 2 full bags of cans and bottles gave me about 10-15 dollars cash. Imagine what these poachers can bring in on a given haul. Although according to this article, the police has manage to bust some big time poachers.

RECYCLING BY THE NUMBERS
5 cents:	Minimum deposit required for cans and bottles covered by the California Redemption Value, or CRV, program
21.9 billion:	CRV bottles and cans purchased statewide in 2008
$1.2 billion:	Annual CRV money collected by the state
Sources: California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery; state Department of Finance; TOMRA Pacific

The issue is much deeper than what I am touching on here. Poaching from personal/public property is one thing. How about the extreme poachers that come from out-of-state with their cans to redeem at CA value. Shady recycle centers don't follow all the California redemption regulations are also contributing to the problem.

The bottle bill "Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act" that was enacted in 1987 had a few main goals.

• 80% Recycling Rate
• Reduce Litter
• Increase landfill diversion                  

Final Points:

Like most of my arguments, I don't really know how to pose a viable solution to this. Although I will say, if there are real homeless people out there that use recycling of bottles and cans and bottles to get by, more power to them. My grind is that most of the people I witness are far from homeless. They are part of an efficient business that probably hauls in a good 400-600 dollars a day. All is takes is a couple schools and/or restaurant recycle bins and you have yourself a solid 10 bags of recyclables. In the end, as a California citizen that pays for CRV, I'd like to go cash in my recycables comfortably and efficiently, just the way the program was originally meant to run like.

Sources and Additional Articles:

http://www.bottlebill.org/news/articles/2010/CA-5-7-CaliforniaNabs31.htm

http://blog.recology.com/tag/california-refund-value/

http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/Recycling-thieves-create-quite-a-mess-42945897.html

http://www.eastbayexpress.com/gyrobase/recycling-and-anxiety-in-berkeley/Content?oid=1813895&showFullText=true

My guess for people that take over the city next?: Portable Churro Vendors...these people are showing up everywhere!

The City by the Bay

Well I have been living and working in arguably the best city in the world for about 2 months now. Think I am a bit overdue for a recap. It has been an action packed 2 months: from crazy weekend nights and day parties, to free concerts in the park and a world series championship.

Working Life

Working up here has been great. We have an exceptional office location and I am just a 20-30 minute 3 mile bus ride away. I have always loved public transport and not having a car has yet to be an issue for me.

The SF Muni bus system has been stellar. Thanks to NextBus I have pretty much never missed a bus. I am definitely a back-of-the-bus sort of guy. I like the transport, and the certain encounters the bus offers, but other than that, I try to tune everything else out. The kids talking, the array of languages, the shuffling of newspapers. I can assure you my iPod is on and rockin loud. One of my biggest annoyances is when you get stuck with an aisle seat on a full bus. You are then smothered with people around you, occassionally getting their ass or crotch level with your head, not the most ideal of situations. However, when the bus is at capacity, seeing the faces of people at the bus stops as the bus goes by is priceless. I've always been a big people watcher, and with my iPod blaring, I'm all eyes and no ears. I constantly see women who lack time management putting their makeup on before work. Must require some skill because I haven't had too many smooth drivers, pretty sudden stop-and-go in my opinion. On almost any ride, either before or after work (not counting the homeless and drug dealers) 85% of people on the bus are consumed with their smartphones. Then there are those people that read books on the bus, the worst is when they are standing up and reading. As the bus passes thru Chinatown, it is almost like a New Years celebration as a sea of red plastic bags fill the seats. Can't say I blame them, I scope out the prices thru the bus window and I must say they are quite competitive.

Life outside the Cubicle

Not gonna lie, work nights are rough. By the time I get home and eat dinner, I am pretty shot. When the weather was warm and there was still daylight, I was pretty active after work. Recently in the rain and the new daylight savings, I find myself lacking major motivation. That is why when the weekends come around, it is time to shine. The weekends have been full of "back in college" days. Meeting up with old friends and having a great day/night of drinking. The scene, as I previously knew, is one of the best. Young, working/unemployed folk all looking to have a good time. Attractive looking crowd out there for sure. I think the local Safeway is a testament to that, named one of the best pick up spots in the Bay Area.

Anyhow, upcoming plans are to explore parts of this city I have never explored. It is so large, and with my unlimited bus ride pass, the possibilities are endless. I need to develop a game plan and purchase a new camera, but this will be achieved sooner than later. There is a reason why this city is one of the world's most heavily visited tourist destinations.

Big Events

The past two month will most likely rank as the best 2 months of the year for San Francisco. With the end of summer festivities and the Giants winning the World Series for the first time in San Francisco, it will be a time to remember.

I attended a few free concerts in Golden Gate park. The Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival and the Power to the Peaceful festival. They may have been free, but the all-star lineups may have justified a 40-80 dollar ticket fee. But I think a free day out in the park is what makes it half the fun, in the addition to the BYOB.

Fleet Week was about a month ago, and for me, it is my favorite weekend of the year in the city. Hearin the Blue Angels roar by gets the adrenaline pumping. Coupled with beautiful weather and day drinking on top of apartment roofs, I don't believe there is a better combination.

The baseball season has finally came to an end, but the last 2 months seemed to always have something to do with the Giants. It may seem like a blur now, but the end of the regular season and the entire playoff series was an experience never to forget. Not being able to afford playoff tickets, I was lucky I worked so close to the ballpark. I was still able to feel the the energy and excitement of this special season. It was an expensive post season due to the my increase in bar attendance, but it was all worth it. I will never forget the times spent at Pedro's Cantina across from the park cheering on the Giants, or watching them win the series at City Hall. I will never forget the after party in the streets with champagne or the victory parade. Thank you Giants, that was an entertaining ride.

The city was full of Black and Orange and I was loving it. One of the nearby landmarks, Coit Tower, was lit up in special playoff colors in support for the home team.

Coming Up

- Troy Smith leads the San Francisco 49ers to the playoffs

Music Tuesdays - UnderOath

My most anticipated album of the year is finally here. Today, UnderOath released "Ø (Disambiguation)," their 7th studio album. You've heard it before on here, they are the heaviest band in my music library and are one of my favorites. I don't often go for deep screams and heavy metal riffs but something about this band has always captured me. They are a Christian band with religious beliefs tied into their lyrics, but for me, the lyrics get pushed aside, I let the crushing breakdowns and thunderous screams take me away. Once their music is on, it's time to rock out. The mosh pit gets going and the adrenaline gets pumping. This album is their darkest and heaviest to date, and it's flawless. It is amazing to see this band deliver album after an album. They have yet to stop progressing and this album may be my favorite yet. 


Below is the music video for the single "In Division"





Click the link below to preview and download UnderOath's "Ø (Disambiguation)"

Best Fails October 2010

World Series Champions

I had a feeling going into Game 5 that the Giants were going to show up and be victorious. I knew Lincecum was gonna have a solid game but was not sure offensively who was gonna deliver. Edgar Renteria answered in the top of the 7th and the Giants were on there way to clinching their first world series title in San Francisco. The long ball became a big part of the Giants postseason success. Win after win, a new player seemed to step up and be a hero for the Giants. I think much of the success can trace back to manager Bruce Bochy in making some phenomenal game plans. Some I questioned, but with winning results, it makes it a bit tougher to state my case.

The party back in San Francisco was something that I was truly honored to be a part of. It will go down as one of the most memorable nights in my life. I wish I had a counter for the number of high fives I gave out. Counting of the drinks I consumed is also a bit unclear. I can tell you though, that the night did start with a few bottles of champagne.

The drinks never tasted so good as the entire night was essentially a tribute to a team that provided so much entertainment over the years. The team was due, and so were the city and its fans. It was a night never to forget, and yes Brian Wilson, we raged, we raged hard.

Here's to you San Francisco Giants - World Champions 2010!