Dalton Bagley

Mr. Neuburger

Composition 102

28 January 2011

Reading Response

Dumpsters Become Dinner

Lars Eighner’s “On Dumpster Diving” brings a new perspective to the very common idea

of being homeless. While describing the art of Dumpster Diving, Eighner details the

wastefulness of the everyday consumer. Eighner explains various eating scenarios; from diving

dumpsters behind pizza parlors, to diving dumpster’s outside student apartments. From these

diving experiences, Eighner gives examples of how wasteful the everyday consumer is. He

writes, “In the case of discards from student apartments, the answer may be that the item was

discarded through carelessness, ignorance, or wastefulness” (Eighner 361). Eighner examines the

wasted food and offers insight to why the food was tossed out. For example, “Yogurt is often

discarded, still sealed, only because the expiration date on the carton has passed. This is one of

my favorite finds because yogurt will keep for several days, even in warm weather” (Eighner

361). Eighner uses his experiences with dumpster diving to give the reader a good understanding

of what Dumpster Diving is. To the normal consumer, Dumpster Diving is disgusting, but

Eighner persuades the reader to understand that being wasteful is just as disgusting. By applying

his knowledge of Dumpster Diving with the very common idea of being homeless, Eighner gives

the reader useable knowledge on how to decrease wastefulness.

Eighner, Lars. "On Dumpster Diving." Pearson Publishing. New York: Pearson Custom

Publishing, 2009. 357-69. Print.