Scavenging in America: back to the future?

摘要

The informal recovery of recyclables in the US has been carried out by scavengers since soon after the arrival of the European settlers. This paper analyzes scavenging activities in America from the 17th century to the present. It argues that throughout this period scavenging has been an important survival strategy to mostly poor and immigrant individuals. Scavenging continued to exist even in the booming economy of the 1990s due to industrial demand for inexpensive raw materials and the persistence of poverty. The paper also argues that, in the event of a downturn in the US economy and if the safety net for the poor were severely curtailed, scavenging could increase significantly.