"A tragic death due to over demand and under capacity"

What's wrong with taking stuff from a skip? It's called recycling. I do not count it as stealing. If you wanted it, it would not be in your skip, would it?

I taught literacy and numeracy to adults as well, ethel, at one time. One thing it taught me to do was not to make sweeping statements about whole groups of people.

But you mentioned people who empty the rubbish, clean windows, djen - people who work hard for a living, are respectable and responsible adults (one presumes) who will bring their children up to be the same.

ethel is talking about the irresponsible, the workshy and drug addicts as neighbours whose children know no better - and I have friends who have attempted to teach these children and have been threatened (and thumped on at least one occasion) by their parents if they dared to suggest their child could be a problem in school.

And yes, mine all went to very 'mixed' schools as there is no choice in our area. So I have seen it from the point of view of a parent and from the point of view of teachers who were my close friends.

And twice, in different areas of the country, we have experience of travellers parking themselves next to DGC's schools and the mess was indescribable. Their children were urinating and defecating in the hedge between the waste ground and the infant school.

There are different types of travellers, but I am sure you know that!

Speaking as someone who has 'upcycled' from skips, yes, apparently it is stealing unless you ask first. If you can find anyone to ask!

Technically it may be stealing but it seems to me to be a bit churlish to object to someone removing something that you obviously don't want yourself. Actually, if people remove something - it leaves more room for your own rubbish.

I think it is very much more annoying when people start throwing stuff INTO your very expensive skip. The elderly gentleman down the road came over in broad daylight and was attempting to put something into our skip but, because of its height, was having some difficulty. My husband went out and threw it in for him - which made me laugh.

If upcycling from skips is stealing, perhaps we need skips to have disclaimer notices on them? I'm sure most people don't mind someone else taking discards away from their skip.

Then the only time it would be stealing is if the renter of the skip specifies, by hiring a skip that has no disclaimer, that they don't want anyone to take stuff (though why they wouldn't is beyond me).

TBH, I think we should assume the presence of a disclaimer.

My daughter stopped her car beside a skip the other day as we were driving past, and asked me to hop out and grab a small scale brightly painted wooden boat. When I asked her why? she said it had some life left in it yet and we must honour the fact that it was "handmade" by "saving" it from the skip. It looks home made and as if it was specially made for someone - a grandchild perhaps? Anyway it has made a very nice planter.

I got a very old but serviceable typewriter years ago which we then swapped for a portable; a couple of nice books filched from a neighbour's skip and saw some quite nice furniture wrecked and soaked by rain after being thrown into the same skip (family throwing out when she went into a home - why didn't they just put things in the garage for neighbours to help themselves?).

I think you are supposed to ask but .....

My daughter used to live in a different part of town - all she could afford in rent at the time and not the most salubrious of areas, though she had lovely neighbours and actually really enjoyed her time there. If she was throwing anything out she would put it in the service lane, just outside her back gate and it would be gone in next to no time. Items like an old coffee table (badly stained), a printer (needed attention), a TV/DVD unit (nothing wrong with it, but too cheap to be worth selling). There were numerous other things too, which I forget. Much quicker and cheaper than taking it to the local tip and she liked to think that her cast offs were actually being used and maybe enjoyed by others.
She misses this recycling facility now she has moved to a better area

ana I only took the most basic qualification for literacy tutors, its not recognised nowadays, therefore I only ever worked as a volunteer. I think its something you never get away from. Its not like teaching in a school as the clients (I wont call them pupils) all want to be helped and they almost all feel embarrassed so it has to be confidential. I found time to help my neighbour for years, informally helping him to understand official forms, bank statements etc. I worked in a centre for literacy tuition until it was closed and now literacy work is done as part of the local college, disguised as 'basic skill' or 'lifeskills' but all the tutors have to have a degree or a 'cert ed' which I have never been able to afford. I also think that everyone should be able to read and write well and I have been very happy to work for nothing.

Someone I worked with did this as a volunteer and found it very satisfying.

That sounds very worthwhile ethel, what a pity that sometimes bureaucracy stands in the way of people who just want to help others.

Coming back to recycling unwanted household items, some friends from Australia visited us recently and were telling us about a scheme in Perth whereby twice a year, everyone puts stuff outside their houses and anyone us free to help themselves. At the end of the day the council come round and take away anything that's still there, recycle anything that can be recycled and dispose of anything that can't.

My DD has a pink doll's pushchair which was in skip by her house. As was inevitable on their windy hill top, it blew off the skip and landed on the path outside her front gate so she took it in for DGS.

My friend who now lives in Vancouver says it is quite usual there to put out things they do not need, for anyone to take. This is good in theory but could just be regarded as fly tipping.

Coincidentally, we visited friends yesterday who said one of their neighbours had a skip and was having a big clearout.
All the neighbours are keeping a keen eye out for anything worthwhile

It can't be fly tipping if you just put things out on your own lawn for others to take if they want to, Nellie.