Thursday, March 03, 2005

UBUs for all binners

A UBC design student is getting lots of publicity for creating a design for binners (formerly known as Dumpster Divers) called a UBU (Urban Binning Unit)
These UBUs will be quiet so as not to wake us fortunate people from our sugar plum dreams and warm and cozy beds.
Will the UBU go the way of the 'cardboard houses' for the homeless that some bright enterprising person 'invented' a few years ago? That inventor didn't take into account that certain people, police, authorities etc, didn't WANT cardboard boxes set up on every street corner or even every alleyway. (I think the price was $700.!)
So the UBU might have rubber tires? (perhaps those new pneumatic inflateables) Built in storage for personal possessions? Bottle collecting attachment bins? Perhaps a small ladder so the binner doesn't have to climb into the bin? Maybe an umbrella? What will these Urban Binning Units cost? $3000 dollars? $1000? $500? I guess these poor people will be able to get that money if they don't have to pay the fines for begging a buck on the streets. Where DO binners get money anyway?
Oh yes, from collecting bottles and stuff. I brought a huge trunk load of bottles and cans to a depot recently; I got $5.40. How many miles would I have had to walk to collect them if I was a binner? I'm giving them away from now on.
Personally, when I am tucked into my bed, and I hear a binner passing in the night, it reminds me that there are many people in this city who are far less fortunate than I am. For whatever reasons. What are we trying to do? Hide them from our awareness?
Why not just make a special 'invisible potion' that we could give to binners (dumpster divers) to make them invisible.
Then we could get back to sleep and get on with life without thinking of them.
Meanwhile, that rattle you hear at 3 am should be a reminder that not everyone gets their fair share of sugar plums.

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