Herlan 1
Alexandra Herlan
Composition 1
Writing project 1
Word Count: 1009
01/24/2018
One Man’s Trash
In the essay “On Dumpster Diving” by Eighner Eighner, the author explains the “correct”
way to scavenge for food and everyday items in a dumpster, which is something he has been
doing often; And how living on the streets has made him a more appreciative and smarter person
than he used to be. Eighner explains how and his dog, Lizabeth, and him survive by picking out
the right things out of a dumpster to consume and which things not to eat. He also explains the
different type of people who will scavenge for specific things, such as the people who scrounge
cans of food use them for money in order to support their drug habit. Eighner looks down on
these specific people because they are always mixing up the contents of his dumpsters and
littering the area. Even though he has had a tough time creating a life of living off the streets,
Eighner knows how to survive in his situation and make the best of it, which is why he can
remain strong and survive.
Even though Eighner thinks he’s lucky to somehow get a scrap of food for the day, we
city dwellers are not so appreciative of a thrown-out pizza box with a stale piece still left inside.
It is human nature to want what we cannot have. We humans are always searching for something
better, whether that be materialistic items or even a significant other; humans seem to never be
satisfied. Eighner finds everything he needs in dumpsters to be satisfied and is content knowing
he’s finding value in something that is valueless to someone else.
Herlan 2
“This I think is a healthy state of mind. Almost everything I have now has already been
cast out at least once, proving that what I own is valueless to someone.” (Eighner 63) By saying
this Eighner is implying that when he finds something that once held value to someone else, he is
happy with himself. It is quite easy for us humans to get caught up in the everyday life pattern
and not recognize that some people may not be as fortunate as us. Eighner helps the reader
understand what it is like to have to live on the streets and eat out of dumpsters and it gives us a
whole different perspective on life.
This essay makes us think about how fortunate we are to not have to be doing the things
we are reading about. However, when all is said and done, Eighner is always satisfied with his
progress of finding food and sometimes items he considers to be valuable. Eighner tries to look
