Community Corner

Dumpster Diving for the Greater Good (VIDEO)

Larry Fisher rescues items that others have prematurely deemed to be trash, and he repurposes them for people in need.

I saw a reality TV show with my wife last night called Picker Sisters, in which two attractive designers go off in search of old items to renovate and repurpose in clever ways.

Larry Fisher does a real-life version of that – but not because he’s on a quest for retro furniture or shabby chic accents in his condo. He does it because the repurposed items would otherwise . He finds that both sad and unnecessary.

“Dumpster diving” is not the most flattering term, and I almost didn’t use it as the headline for this article. But I think it effectively relays the first part of what Fisher does: He rescues and revives things that have prematurely been deemed trash. As Fisher says in this video, “we need a whole new lexicon” for recycling.

Find out what's happening in Daviswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

For example: Recycling a glass jar typically means throwing it in a bin, having it shipped to a plant, scrubbed of its label, melted down and then poured into a new mold.

What if it just got thrown in the cupboard for future use instead? Our grandparents reused the exact same type of jar over and over again for decades.

Find out what's happening in Daviswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Fisher is not as fashionable as the girls on Picker Sisters, but he’s passionate and worth listening to. He encourages craftiness and personal action as ways of “going green.”

So next time a retailer tells you about their new “green” initiative, think about this quote:

“We keep hearing that Walmart has these great green programs. When Walmart makes a wheelbarrow that I can buy just one in my lifetime, then they’ve done something green. Until then, they are not a green company in any way shape or form.”


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here