Funk n Junk - From Dumpster Diving To High-End Hauling

Hello all, and welcome to the first post of many about the dark and dirty world of garbage and recycling. When we see a person rooting through the dredges of a dumpster, many negative connotations may apply. We may feel sorry for or disgusted by such a behaviour. What a low life. Such a person must be a thief. Or beggar. We do not think: "there must be treasure in there" or "what an admirable recycling effort". Well, the grimy rag-picker, thigh-deep in the rubbish bin used to be me! Free-cycler. Urban-forager. These are the euphemistic terms for the garbage-picker I was. I knew the good dumpsters in town. Behind the grocery store for barely-expired goodies. Behind the thrift store for more abused second-hand items. In the scrap metal bin for building supplies. I had no shame. I had little need for conventional "stores". I was not a thief, rather a gift-giver. I was the pied-piper of free living, an old rusty, trusty bicycle my steed. My life changed the day I met my soulmate and he said, "If you get your license, I will give you a van."

My first vehicle: "The Dog".

Needless to say, the 1976 1-ton Dodge camper van was a game-changer. Our territory was expanded. We could now transport much larger items. The local classified's "free" section became our shopping mall. Pickup some person's trashy items, fix them up and sell it back to them. The realm of salvage and refurbishment became our world. We bought an old truck with a "blown up" motor. A new distributor and spark plugs later, our beast roared to life. By no standards would we be considered rich, but at heart, we were golden!

My first truck, "Uncle Jesse".

Having a truck we another game-changer. We dabbled in racing, building our first Hit2Pass car and hauling it to the track ourselves. We began refurbishing anything with wheels and/or motor. Bicycles, cars, atvs, motorcycles, tractors, and trailers. We became like the Midas of the mechanical world, vintage machines praying for our touch.

At the racetrack, with the boys!

Then again, it was time for another change. We had been happily residing (renting) in an old orchard for many years when the news came. The land had sold and the entire property was to be demolished to make way for high-density housing. Our upcycling nursery was about to become uprooted. Upon further investigation, we found that our unconventional method of earning a living was not going to be lucrative enough to pay for the exceptionally expensive rent in our booming city. Something drastic had to happen. We needed money more now than ever and with a spotty work history for the last ten years, getting "real jobs" beyond minimum wage was out of the question. So we decided to create our own job pertaining to the one thing we were experts at: garbage.

The new, old company truck.

So, we acquired the old, derelict work truck from the former landlord as he had no intention of reviving or removing it from the property. It had been abandoned for years in the back '40. It had been used as a canvas in an art installation. It was a junky rust bucket. It was our dream haul truck. We spent many, many blood, sweat and beers on it. Not to mention the new parts bill. Long story short, it had an insurance mandated Motor Vehicle Inspection put on it...and we passed! The Funk n Junk was born!

Fast forward to the present. I now run a small business, specializing in the removal and responsible disposal of the average citizen's garbage. The struggle is still real. Money is always tight. But the flame of my passion for garbage has been fanned. No more recycling shalt enter the landfill, and every reusable item will be given a second chance. I am so proud to have the opportunity to actually make and impact in the Disposal industry. With the creation of this blog, I intend to share my experiences and opinions about waste, document repairs and projects, and open a forum for discussion of key issues and solutions. Garbage is an endless problem, with endless possibilities!