Oh the things you find in a community collection bin

I am truly interested in humans. I mean, really, most of them. As a result I am never bored. I have spent 26 hours on a train from Shanghai to Xi-an, hard seat and not even an actual seat, for any of you who traveled in China in the 90’s and know what that means. My mandarin was not good at that time and still I was not bored for a moment. A little weary, sure. A little dehydrated from chewing the gum and teeth tinting betel nut I was offered. Bored? No. When I was very young I read all nine of the Little House on the Prairie books by Laura Ingalls Wilder and even tried to implement some of the agriculture methods therein described - I recall hauling some expired milk to pour onto a pumpkin plant I was attempting to cultivate when I was 8 or 9. Not bored. I am frequently the person who is joined at a table in a cafe by a talker or a knitter. Maybe a ‘Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ type. People are flawed and interesting and complex None of us are who we seem. This is also apparent when you tell a community ‘feel free to drop your crap here,’ and later learn what anthropology course you were actually embarking upon...

I wrote in my last segment about the feelings of shame and odd liberation which some people displayed when asking me to allow them to drop off, or inviting me to pick up stuff from their homes. These were the ‘in person’ or ‘live’ collection experiences. I’m writing here about some of what appeared anonymously in the bins which I mentioned were publicly available for three full years.

Weighted vests - Oh I bet there are more of those coming. Slimming waist contraptions - Did this one not work? Did they find a better one? Did they cultivate a different relationship with their body and body image? If so good for them! Multiples of medical professional uniforms - Did the person decide to leave the medical field because of the soul breaking experiences they had during Covid? Had they just gained or lost weight or found a brand they liked better? Saris - Was this a sari purchased by a traveler to India who had been invited to a wedding and now feared accusations of cultural appropriation? Multiples of well-worn pants with an elasticated waist. And matching tops - I know this person because I am them in some ways - Once I identify something I really like - in my case I am embarrassed to admit it might be fleece pants from Brandy Melville - I know, I know, but this writing is about…not judging…I wear and wear and wear them. Compression sleeves for running - Probably right after the Columbus Marathon. Did this runner finish? Did she run a full or a half? Period stained underpants and Period stained denim cut-off shorts - Teen-agers experience so much anguish related to their periods. During the school day they are often bureaucratically prevented from going to the bathroom when they really need to. It is incredibly stressful to be a teen-aged girl, have your period, and go to high school. Fuck. Sorry you have to go through all of that. Boy Scout uniforms - For this to end up in my possession instead of back with the scouts signifies something. Did the family just get overwhelmed or did something bigger happen? Did the scout abruptly exit? Are the grandparents suddenly caring for this scout? Is he OK? Expensive swimwear with the tags on - Did the trip get cancelled? Was there some horribly epic 5 day flight issue and they never even got to Atlantis even after they pre-paid for everything?

One collection which I found so complex and beautiful that I just stared at it on the table for a while…. A large zip lock bag which contained 28 condoms, a rosary, and a pride flag. If this does not exemplify the complexity of the human condition I am not sure what does. Why did this person no longer need these supplies? The fact that the whole bag was dropped in a bin gave me pause. If the person had been sent to conversion therapy camp they would undoubtedly have kept the rosary. I want so badly to meet that human and learn their story. And probably hug them.

We adorn ourselves as dictated by necessity. By fantasy. By passion. By our secret or public truth. And we are changing all the time. Our station in life changes. Our bodies change. Our jobs change. Our relationships change. We need to shed some things as we pick up new ones. For the person who gave me 17 pairs of those socks they issue you when you have a colonoscopy I need to ask - Did you steal those? Did you yourself have all 17 colonoscopies, and if so what compelled you to keep ALL of the socks they gave you? Or did you buy them? They are grippy. I will give you that much….

Sorting through the ‘consumption pickle’ is one thing. Building a repeatable, safe, and scalable system to handle the physical reality of 11,000 items in a garage is another. For those who want to see the actual mechanics of the hyper-local collection—from quarantine protocols to the Costco table setup—read on.