Ellington

Every once in a while, I get the urge to talk about something dirty.

In the world we're living in, there are lots of dirty things I could talk about, but the one that's been on my mind lately is trash. (Oh the disappointment.) I know, Earth Day has already been here, but the simple fact that Earth Day is over doesn't mean the trash problem in our world is over too.

There is a ton of trash in the world. North America is the trashiest, in terms of amount produced each year. But where does it all come from?

It starts as junk. The stuff we "need" at one moment and then realize after we have it that we never really needed it in the first place.

I must say I have been guilty of this practice in the past. When I was a kid and Troll dolls were big, I had to have one. I remember that when I went off the diving board for the first time, as a reward, I got my first Troll. I was so proud. I also fell subject to the Beanie Baby craze. I had the mood ring, the collection of Furbies from McDonalds and even the Britney Spears-inspired plaid-skirt-with-tall-socks ensemble.

However, as much as I would like to say that I have matured and grown out of the stage where I purchase unnecessary needs, that's just not true. While I no longer buy into as many of the fads as I used to, I still have much more than I could ever need. I look around my room as I begin to pack up and head home for the summer, and I am amazed by the amount of "junk"- for lack of a better term - that I have collected once again.

Knowing myself, I know where this junk will end up. After I stash it away in my room for a few more months, I will get rid of it. First I will try to pawn it off on other people. Then I will consider donating it to a thrift store, but upon realizing how lazy I am I will simply throw it away. At least that's how things would have been a few weeks ago, but not anymore.

I cannot say that the reason for my change is some sort of "Earth Day enlightenment." I actually had a change of heart when I was at work in the University Admissions Office one day last week. While there, I noticed that one of my fellow UAAs had scheduled a day of dumpster diving on our calendar. While I knew he did so as a joke, I was curious about the legality of the practice, so I did what any critically thinking college student would do. I Googled it.

That was where my point of enlightenment came in. Up until that point, I did not realize that dumpster diving, or sifting through other people's trash, is increasingly popular and seen as a great resource to some people. I'm not completely ignorant; I know that some people, mostly of the homeless variety, dig through trash as a way to survive. I've seen it happen. However, I didn't know that others enjoyed the sport as well. Googling dumpster diving, I even found tips on how to dumpster dive most efficiently.

Not only was this news disturbing to me, it was also terribly sad. I can't imagine having to sift through dumpsters to find my necessities, and I sincerely hope that I never have to. But the fact is, that is the way of life for some people. It is our duty to help those who are less fortunate. However, that is the reason we have organizations like the Salvation Army and Goodwill - organizations designed to ensure that people will not have to get their needs met in a dumpster.

When I head home for the summer, I know what I am going to do with that stuff I don't need. There's a Goodwill store located at 2200 W. 31st St. and a Salvation Army building located at 1818 Massachusetts St. in Lawrence. Not only will donating to these two worthy organizations take care of our junk problem, but also, we won't simply be throwing stuff away, so it will reduce the amount of trash in the world as well.