From two to four o'clock in the morning we stood under the windows of our house with a baby in our arms while firefighters flooded the neighbor's apartment from the fifth floor. Then firefighters said that the neighbor and her white dog suffocated in the smoke: they could not get out of the apartment, cluttered with rubbish. Then workers removed several containers of charred garbage from her apartment. Some newspaper wrote about this case and called the neighbor a “worm man”: they say, he lives by gnawing passages in his home.

She wasn't a worm. She seemed to be a retired nurse.

She lived alone. I often met her on the street - she walked, accompanied by a once white, but now pink, lapdog, balding with age, and dragged home another treasure from the trash heap: the back of a chair, a torn pillow, a green woolen scarf.

Plyushkin syndrome

Plyushkin. Artist A. Laptev. Image from literaturus.ru

It seems that Gogol was the first in world literature to describe such a case with clinical clarity, talking about Plyushkin, who turned from a husband, father and thrifty landowner into “a hole in humanity.” Plyushkin’s wife died, one daughter ran away, his son left for St. Petersburg... “Finally, the last daughter who remained with him in the house died, and the old man found himself alone as a watchman, guardian and owner of his wealth. Lonely life has given satisfying food to stinginess, which, as you know, has a ravenous hunger and the more it devours, the more insatiable it becomes; human feelings, which were not deep in him anyway, became shallow every minute, and every day something was lost in this worn-out ruin. they ask for money for uniforms, like a son-officer... Things are clear, predictable and reliable.

It’s amazing: in the Russian language there is not even a suitable word for this problem - except perhaps “Plyushkin syndrome” and the humorous “hamster”, but there is little funny here. In English there is a word for hoarders, and the problem of hoarding itself is called hoarding; the term seems to be slowly taking root in Russian.

There are many reasons for hording, and it is difficult to name one specific one. Scientists say that the disorder is transmitted genetically, that it has biological prerequisites associated with difficulty making decisions, difficulties with organization and planning (there are even studies showing that Horders have reduced activity in those areas of the brain that are responsible for concentrating, making decisions, decisions and organization of their actions). This may be why hoarding is often associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (in which issues of will, organization, and planning play a key role) and anxiety disorders, including obsessive-compulsive disorder (in which hoarding helps cope with anxiety and fear). .

Hording can be either an independent disorder or a consequence of traumatic brain injuries, problems with cerebral vessels, loss of strength in depression, delusions in schizophrenia, cognitive deficits in dementia, special interests in autism spectrum disorders, etc.

Someone buys new ones because it’s nice to buy, because buying things is almost the only thing that still brings pleasure. Some people don’t throw anything away because so much has already been lost that it’s simply impossible to lose any more; because you don’t want to leave the house; because it's scary; because the accumulated mountain is already such that it is impossible to cope alone.

Someone drags things home from the trash heap - because they are still good, they can be useful (and this may be due not so much to the consequences of living with a constant shortage of goods, but to another problem of thinking: it is difficult for a person to assess the likelihood of where, how, when this thing can be useful - ideas about this turn out to be the most vague or fantastic).

Chording often begins in childhood and is usually accompanied by serious psychological or psychiatric problems: there are studies linking this behavior to childhood psychological trauma. The Horders themselves say that they began collecting things somewhere between the ages of 11 and 20. But in the vast majority of cases, hording becomes noticeable to others only after forty years - and very often begins with mental trauma associated with the loss of a loved one. Partly because there are no longer loved ones and loving people who restore order - or for whom this order needs to be restored. Partly because now it doesn’t matter whether the house is tidy or disordered: it hurts so much that you simply don’t think about it.

“I’ll tell you how it happens,” said a colleague when she found out what I was writing about. – At first you don’t care. You live in a fog, and you don’t care at all whether there is something extra on your table or not, whether the trash is taken out or not. And then it turns out that you simply don’t have the strength or health to do anything about it. And you can’t invite anyone, because it’s a shame to let a stranger home.”

Another mechanism of hording, described by psychologists, is the creation of a secondary problem (order in the house) in order not to think about the main one (loss, mental pain, loneliness, mental trauma).

Behind every story of a khorder there is usually some heartache. A lot, a lot of mental pain - both his own and those around him.

Things and people

Hording can be triggered not only by the death of a mother or the disability of a child, but also by a painful divorce or even the removal of older children: the resulting void is filled with things. This is such a speech cliche: things fill the emptiness. But this is how it is: with things and animals everything is simple and clear. This is difficult and painful with people. And things are true, things are predictable, things are associated with sentimental memories. Things will not deceive, will not change, will not go away. Things can be controlled.

We ourselves are stored in things: we, happy ones, are in the past; our departed friends and loved ones; our touching, then still small, children. They contain failed versions of ourselves: good housewives with cookbooks, craftswomen with started knitting, home craftsmen with wires, nails and boards. Throwing away this started knitting means abandoning yourself as a craftswoman, tearing off a part of yourself. Distribute, throw away, take out the things of your late mother - betray her memory, throw your mother out of your life. At first you don't care. And then it turns out that you simply don’t have the strength or health to do anything about it

Gradually, things isolate a person from the world of people - from children who have already grown up, who can no longer come to visit, sleep in their own bed, or sit at the table with their parents. From friends who cannot be invited. From colleagues from whom you hide your shameful secret. And the late mother probably didn’t want her child to live in a trash heap.

It becomes more and more difficult to return to the world of people, more and more ashamed, more and more painful. Maybe that’s why hording doesn’t go away on its own: it gets worse over the years. And the usual methods of family or friendly pressure do not help: pull yourself together, throw it away, stop!

The lion's share of these stories involve shame and guilt. And the worst thing you can do here is to shame and blame the border guard, who immediately goes on the defensive. Demand that he throw out the trash. For him, this is not rubbish - these are useful things. They can come in handy, they were bought cheaply, they are a memory, they are a part of him. He himself is a successful businessman, a happy buyer, a skillful owner. He is an artist, gardener, antiques dealer, home craftsman; Now they want to throw away this beautiful “I” of his, along with all the unpainted paintings and half-assembled bicycles.

These are his treasures - sticks and tablets he saved from the cruel world, which were destined for death in the trash heap, and now they are saved and await a better fate. In one of the TV shows about khorders, a woman, whom the owners promised to evict from a rented apartment, where she had created a real garbage dump, brought home some kind of wheel from a child’s bicycle, found on the street. “I saved him,” she told the crew. “It was lying there no one needed, and I saved it.”

Every unfortunate wheel, every stuffed animal fished out of a puddle, every mangy cat dragged home is also part of the vulnerable, suffering soul of the Horder. After all, they are not so much saving the abandoned wheels as they are saving themselves - not noticing that, relying on things and not on people, they are erecting a barrier between themselves and people, which is becoming increasingly difficult to overcome. But when loved ones begin - with the best intentions, of course - to scream, make trouble, throw things away, break this barrier - it seems to the Horders that it is their arms and legs that are being broken, that part of themselves is being thrown into the trash.

Things make it difficult to access electrical networks, water supply, sewerage, and clutter sinks and kitchen surfaces. It becomes impossible to fix what is broken - and usually the corder does not have the strength, time, or desire to do this. He is gradually losing his refrigerator, stove, toilet, and kitchen table. His living space is reduced to a bed or chair where he sits, sleeps, and eats. Mold, dust, rust, cobwebs eat up his wealth. If he doesn't throw out the trash, insects and rodents infest the house. Unsanitary conditions in a Horder's home can become life-threatening.

Cat concentration camp

A special form of hording is the gathering of animals. There is a fine line between horse breeders and people who professionally deal with animals: shelter owners and breeders. This line is due care for animals and critical perception. A good shelter owner or breeder has animals, no matter how many there are, who live in decent conditions, sterilized, fed, vaccinated, healthy, and they are taken care of, even if there are a hundred or a thousand of them. The Horder has too many animals gathered in a small area; they mate uncontrollably, give birth to new ones, and sometimes devour each other. They are malnourished and sick. There are too many of them for the Horder to have the strength and money to feed them, but he is not aware of this. It seems to him that no one else can love these animals the way he does, no one will take care of them the way he does. He really is very attached to them.

According to foreign statistics, hording affects from 2 to 5% of the population; men and women equally, but in 70% of cases single (usually widowed or divorced) women come to the attention of the authorities. Animals are collected by 40% of the Horders; 80% of horders who collect animals have sick, dying or already dead animals at home.

Someone else's experience

In Russia, experience with corders is rather limited: cording usually becomes a problem for relatives, neighbors, activists and volunteers of charitable organizations. Sometimes - law enforcement agencies (recently, for example, in Moscow, in the rubble of a small apartment, the mummified corpse of its owner was found, who had been listed as missing for several years).

In other countries, there are proven solutions to the problem, although they are not enough. But perhaps instead of reinventing our own wheels, we can borrow something.

In the American diagnostic and statistical manual DSM-IV (this is a classification of mental illnesses), animal collecting is considered within the framework of obsessive-compulsive disorder and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder; a significant proportion of cases of cording are also associated with these diagnoses (although cording as such appeared in the DSM-V diagnostic and statistical manual only in 2013; the problem remains poorly understood).

Existing research shows that the most effective treatment in these cases is cognitive behavioral (CBT) therapy. Without the serious and constant work of a psychotherapist, any efforts to declutter the Horder's home are doomed to failure: medical statistics show that without treatment, 100% of Horder, even if their home is put in order, return to their previous behavior.

In two US states (Illinois and Hawaii), the assistance of a psychotherapist in cases of animal collecting is compulsory.

Horders who collect animals may be accused of cruelty to animals. A major animal welfare organization, the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), has an entire animal control division; Their task is to convince the Horders to keep a reasonable number of animals.

The second area of ​​assistance is working with professional organizers; This is a completely new profession for Russia, and in Russian these specialists are called “professional space organizers.” There are very few of them - clearly much less than corders, and they usually make a living by creating convenient places to store things and documents for individuals and organizations. Here is still an unplowed field for professionals, an untapped service market.

How do you know if you have become a khorder?

Both in order to help khorders and in order to bring them to administrative or criminal liability, it is necessary to clearly define who can be considered a khorder and who cannot.

And if you don’t like and don’t know how to put things in order in your apartment, when can you be considered a horder? When is it no longer a character trait, but a disease? Where is the line?

Modern psychiatry believes that the line is where the disorder causes serious harm to people's daily lives, their work and their relationships with others.

DSM-V considers that we can talk about hoarding as a disorder when a person accumulates things at home in such quantities that the room becomes impossible to use for its intended purpose, and cleaning the room is possible only with the help of other people (family members, authorities, invited professionals); when the horder experiences serious problems in social, professional and family life, unable to maintain normal sanitary conditions at home for himself and others.

In order to talk about collecting animals, certain criteria are also needed; They are usually different for each state, but, as a rule, they agree on the following points:

- animals are treated inhumanely and do not receive adequate care;

- animals are in unsanitary conditions that pose a threat to the health of animals and people;

— animal corpses are not disposed of in accordance with sanitary requirements.

The critical number of animals can be defined in different ways; in Hawaii, for example, this is more than fifteen cats and/or dogs living in unsuitable conditions (probably fifteen is too many for our small apartments).

Professional organizers have their own scale that allows them to assess the degree of chaos in the house (this is not for medical diagnosis or criminal prosecution, but in order to understand how to work with it and what precautions to take). This scale has five levels: green (low anxiety), blue (vigilance needed), yellow (high), orange (high) and red (extreme). The assessment is carried out according to four parameters:

— structure and zoning;

- animals and insects;

— functionality;

- safety for health.

In accordance with the assessment, workers in space management services receive recommendations (in some cases, gloves are needed, in others, a respirator, in others, chemical protective suits). This scale is very large and detailed.

At the lowest level of problems, all systems in the house (ventilation, air conditioning, electricity, sewerage) work normally, all doors and windows are accessible, there are no insects or rodents in the house, there are few pets, they are well-groomed, they have no behavioral problems , all rooms in the house are used for their intended purpose, appliances work, broken things are repaired, there are no foreign odors, medications are not expired and there are not very many of them.

As problems grow, some devices and systems break down, uncleaned puddles and piles left by pets appear, insects and rodents become noticeable, odors appear, trash clutters living spaces and blocks exits. What is broken is not fixed, dishes are not washed, garbage is not taken out, laundry is not washed; There is mold in the bathroom and kitchen; there are expired medications lying around the house, often without packaging.

The third level, yellow - these are cobwebs, animal excrement, smelly aquariums; one of the rooms is not used for its intended purpose; it is difficult to get to the bed, some household appliances do not work, there are dangerous substances (broken glass, spilled chemicals).

Problems of the fourth level are already structural damage to the building that has not been repaired for more than six months; flooded floors, damaged walls, broken windows, drainage problems. There are so many cockroaches, spiders, and rodents that they catch your eye. It is difficult to get into the living rooms, the rooms are so cluttered that they cannot be used for their intended purpose, exits are blocked by rubbish, appliances are used for other purposes, food is rotting in the house, there is no bed linen and cutlery, mold, standing water.

The fifth level is already a real garbage dump. The water supply and sewerage do not work, windows and doors are broken, walls are broken, sewage is leaking, there are uncontrollably many animals (including mice, rats, and even snakes) in the house, appliances do not work, rooms are littered with rubbish, lit by candles and kerosene lamps. There is no bed, no plates or cutlery, no toilet (but there is feces and urine in the house)… the reader’s imagination will fill in the rest, as writers in the nineteenth century used to say.

A frightened TV viewer can sometimes observe such houses in TV programs dedicated to hording. There are several of them on different TV channels in different countries; The most famous is probably the program of the American channel TLC Noahrding:BuriedAlive, “Buried Alive”, in Russia it goes under the title “Captive of unnecessary things”. The program not only scares the viewer with wild pictures of domestic garbage dumps, but also helps to understand how to help the border guard.

How to help

Horder needs help in several directions.

The first, as mentioned, is cognitive behavioral therapy. This is a long process, requiring several months. The psychotherapist helps the horder:

- find out why he collects things;

— learn to sort things out and decide what can be thrown away;

- learn to make decisions;

- start decluttering your home;

- learn to cope with emotional stress.

Sometimes hospitalization is necessary. Sometimes a Horder needs to see a therapist regularly for several years.

We need the help of professional organizers who can help sort things (keep - donate - sell - throw away) and organize storage systems.

We need the help of loved ones: warmth, love and care, which can help the borderer understand that it is human warmth, and not things, that is worth cherishing. At the same time, it is important to understand that quarrels, ultimatums, scandals and forced throwing away of things do not help, but only harm: the horder goes on the defensive, refuses to acknowledge the problem and moves even further away from people.

Physical help is also needed, because sorting through things, throwing out trash, repairing a house, housing animals, and treating them is long and hard work. Here you need to either pay for the help of professionals (and someone should be close to the leader, support him, help him make decisions - and not put pressure), or look for volunteers. And someone has to pay for the therapist’s many months of help. And social solutions are needed because the burden that falls on the Horder family is often too much for them to bear.

Andrey made an appointment at the Sportivnaya metro station, warning in advance that he would come not alone, but with his wife Anna and friend Artem. The location was not chosen by chance: the Petrogradsky district in the Northern capital is considered one of the most prestigious. Only very wealthy people can buy an apartment here.

The higher a person's income, the more often he gets rid of things. I have repeatedly found branded clothing here in very good condition. For example, the Italian coat Pal Zileri. I don't know why they decided to get rid of him. Apparently, I’m just tired,” Andrey suggested. - By the way, what I’m wearing now, I also found in the trash. Made in Belarus. In general, I have a whole collection of coats at home.

Andrey took the first thing from the trash heap about 10 years ago. The resettlement of a large communal apartment has begun in the historical part of St. Petersburg. People were moving, and someone took the complete works of Mayakovsky to the trash can. Twelve bright red volumes.

I took the books for myself and already at home I noticed that they had not even been read. Many pages were uncut. Later, from the same dump, I rescued a set of antique dishes that could have ended their life in a landfill. And so I saved part of the history,” says Andrey.

Our hero met his future wife Anna while already an adherent of the idea of ​​reasonable consumption. Before this, the girl had never taken things from garbage dumps, but on the whole she shared the views of her chosen one. Soon she kept Andrei company.

Mostly freegans search for food, but I focus on things. But if I come across some food, I take it. Somehow we found with Anya several packages of milk, the expiration date of which had expired a couple of days ago. They took it and used it to make pancakes,” the interlocutor recalls.

In trash cans you can find not only clothes and food, but also household appliances. It can be thrown away even if it is fully functional. This is how a microwave oven and a coffee maker appeared in the house of Andrei and Anna.

I never look for any specific thing purposefully. It's useless. I remember once specifically looking for sneakers, but I couldn’t find them. More precisely, I found it, but by that time I was already desperate and bought it in a store,” says Andrey.

Andrey carefully washes every item he finds. Fortunately, St. Petersburg residents do not mix clothes with other waste. As a rule, it is left near containers or placed on special shelves with which many garbage dumps are equipped. Sweatshirts and shirts are sometimes even hung on hangers. After all, it is a cultural capital.

- The busiest day for finding things is Sunday. I don’t know why this is so, but the fact has been proven over the years.

Perhaps on weekdays people do not have the desire or time to revise their wardrobe. They do this on Saturday, and on Sunday they take what they don’t need to the trash cans,” Andrey shares his observations. - Sometimes you can find forgotten valuables in discarded things. I remember how, when examining the bag I found, I found two subway tokens in the pocket. Good too!

“Shopping” in the trash, like going to regular stores, is sometimes not without disagreements. At one of the points, Andrei notices a stack of Fashion magazines from 1989 and is already preparing to put them in his backpack, but Anya protests:

You won't take it. We don't need them.

No, I'll take it. You have to give in to me after the dinosaur incident.

The girl obediently gives in and says that she once took a dinosaur head made of foam plastic from one of the garbage dumps. Andrei was categorically against it, but Anya managed to persuade him. Since then, the husband has the right to take whatever he likes.

The head was so huge that it took up the entire back deck of the bus. Now it hangs on the wall in our workshop. Once during an exhibition, we hid a speaker in the monster’s mouth and turned on the roar. It turned out quite funny,” Anya shares her memories.

When asked if there are any clashes with homeless people in garbage dumps, Andrei answers in the negative.

We don't compete with such people. There was not a single case of sharing anything.

If we see homeless people in a garbage dump, we just pass by. For them, unlike us, these things are a vital necessity,” he explains.

Freegans also do not compete with rodents, which over time capture more and more of the once good points.

Cafes open in houses and workers throw away leftover food. This causes the appearance of rats,” says Andrey. - As soon as this happens, we immediately stop going to this garbage dump. I won't take anything that has been riddled with rodents, no matter how attractive it may be.

Andrey admits that he doesn’t walk through garbage dumps out of poverty:

- Our family can easily afford to buy new clothes and fresh food. For me, garbage dumps are just an alternative option, which sometimes gives the same thing as a store, only for free. And, of course, I enjoy finding things.

In a two-hour walk around Petrogradka we go around about 10 points. Andrey's backpack contains a vest, a cap, pants, a stack of magazines and a ballpoint pen. Artyom's catch is a wooden box in which, apparently, paints were previously stored.

We are already planning to complete our hike, when suddenly in one of the courtyards of Kolpinsky Lane we find two large bags of bread. The assortment is impressive: loaves, baguettes, loaves and even fougasse with olives, wrapped in the branded packaging of the Korzhov bakery. By the way, not the cheapest in St. Petersburg. The guys taste what they find and agree: we should take it.

Quite fresh. Sometimes supermarkets sell worse. We’ll eat some like this, and some we’ll make into crackers,” says Andrey.

According to him, it is impossible to die of hunger in St. Petersburg. If desired, food can be found not only in garbage dumps, but also in food courts in shopping centers.

We return to the Sportivnaya metro station. Along the way, Andrey talks about his dream of opening a concept online store and selling some of his finds. He has no doubt: there will be demand.

I have a friend who travels to flea markets in different countries, where she looks for vintage clothes for her second-hand store. “I once gave her a couple of interesting things,” he says. - I don’t have enough time for my own trading platform yet: working in a carpentry workshop requires a lot of effort.

Previously, Andrey led tours of St. Petersburg garbage dumps as part of the Open Map project. He does not rule out the possibility that he will take it up again someday: there is a demand for such walks.

If you see such a tour on the schedule, be sure to sign up. This is really interesting. Tested from my own experience.

In order not to acquire illnesses, failures and adversities along with the found thing, you should know which forgotten objects cannot be picked up. The joy gained from them will be short-lived, but solving problems will take a very long time.

There are a few reasons, for which it is sometimes better to ignore the find and pass by:

• Personal items absorb the energy of the owner. Diseases, negative thoughts and problems that haunted the previous owner will pass to the new owner.
• The item could have been left on the street in order to get rid of damage or the evil eye. Often, damage is caused with the help of some objects, and during the ritual to get rid of the negative impact, a person takes such an object away from his home and “forgets” it on the street. Therefore, the found object will be saturated with dark energy; by picking it up, you will inflict an energy blow on yourself - the damage will pass to you.
• Some objects are thrown specifically with the expectation that some person will pick them up: this is how people try to get rid of failures or illnesses by passing them on to someone else. By picking up such an object, you will take away other people's misfortunes.

Finds that should not be picked up

Some items are most often used for evil purposes, which means that their acquisition will certainly bring problems into the life of the new owner. To maintain your health and not attract bad luck, you should walk past such finds without touching them.

Iron money. A metal coin easily absorbs any energy, both positive and negative. Positive energy turns the coin into a talisman - but the talisman is unlikely to be left on the street. It is much more likely that negativity was poured into the coin and then thrown away in order to get rid of this destructive energy. In addition, our ancestors noticed that found money never promises enrichment: soon after finding a small amount of money, you risk losing much more.

Gold jewelry. Precious metal easily lends itself to magical influence, so jewelry made of gold or silver is often used in love spells, when inducing damage and the evil eye. Rings, especially wedding rings, are left on the street to say goodbye to problems in your personal life. “Trying on” a found piece of jewelry will lead to negative consequences even if the previous owner lost it by accident. The metal interacts with the owner’s energy field and knows a lot about his life. Wearing someone else's jewelry will change your own biofield, cause discomfort and interfere with your self-realization.

Homemade things: dolls, figurines, soft toys. Such things are most often taken out of the house in order to get rid of damage. The likelihood that an item is saturated with negative energy is especially high if you find it at a crossroads or in places that are not popular with people. Such a find can bring discord, illness and financial problems into your home.

Needles and pins. Sharp metal objects are easily charged with negative energy, so they rarely end up on the street by accident. It is likely that someone used a needle or pin as a talisman and then lost it. Such an item is saturated with negative energy, because, while protecting its owner, it takes energy attacks on itself. Touching the found needle will lead to the fact that all the negativity that ill-wishers intended for the previous owner will become yours.

Pectoral cross. The cross is closely connected with the fate of a person. He remembers all a person’s actions, good and bad. By trying on someone else’s cross, a person “puts on” someone else’s destiny together with it. It is believed that even a light touch of a found cross will lead to the person taking on the sins of others.

Keys. In rituals, the key is often used to "lock" the misfortune and then thrown away. The person who finds the object will “open” a closed door and attract adversity into his life. The find is especially dangerous if the key was found in a body of water.

Thread bracelets. They are often used as amulets and protect the owner by absorbing negative energy. Usually, such bracelets are not lost by accident: they tear and fall from the owner’s hand at the moment when the saturation with negativity has reached its peak and the amulet can no longer perform a protective function. By touching such a thing, you will expose yourself to a strong negative impact.

Watch. It is known that at the moment when a person leaves the other world, his wristwatch also stops. This item has the closest connection with the human biofield. Therefore, by picking up such a find, you violate the integrity of your energy field and risk taking over the illnesses and problems of the previous owner.

By ignoring questionable items, you will protect your health and well-being. Remember that an unexpected find can lead to losses in other areas of life. Therefore, be vigilant, take care of yourself and do not forget to press the buttons and

I am quite a wealthy person and always look with hostility and even contempt at people who rummage through garbage cans. But one day fate played a cruel joke on me. One day before the New Year, leaving the house, I saw that there was a huge TV near our entrance next to the garbage chute. Someone threw it away as unnecessary.

Nearby, an empty box from a new TV was thrown away - with an even wider diagonal and flat (something like a home theater). Like, admire how cool we live: we bought a new one, we use up the old one!

I was in a hurry to get to a meeting, and it’s not my style to pick up discarded things from the trash heap, so I proudly walked past, was about to get into the car and leave, when suddenly a worm of doubt crept into my soul. The TV was really good. Wide diagonal, practically brand new. Can I take it for myself?

I also have a good TV at home, I’m not complaining. But it’s somehow a pity that he was thrown away. After all, someone will take it anyway, so why not do it yourself?

I returned to the entrance, and there were already local children, seven or eight years old, who were playing in the yard, surrounding the TV. Seeing me, they began to disperse, but remained close and all looked towards the garbage chute and talked about something. They, too, were apparently amazed that such a cool TV was sitting unattended in the trash.

I got embarrassed and walked past. It’s somehow humiliating to take something from a garbage dump, and even in front of living witnesses, even if they are young children.

I’m walking, and all my thoughts are about this TV. Automatically he walked around the house and, while he was making a circle, he finally decided to pick up this TV. The children were still playing nearby. I opened the door to the entrance, and in order to leave it open, I turned off the beeping of the intercom. Then he went to his apartment, opened the vestibule door and the front door to his home so that he could freely carry the “loot.”

My wife was surprised by my return, because I was so late. When she asked what happened, I joked that I would now bring a New Year's gift. He asked not to close the doors, since the gift was large and heavy, and ran down the stairs. She, naturally, did not understand anything, but there was no time to go into details.

I go out into the yard. The TV is still standing. The children, too, are still playing nearby. I tried to lift the TV, but it was heavy, and I started to sweat. The first thought is that I won’t be able to carry it, it’s too huge and too heavy to lift. Then he gathered his will into a fist, found where to grab a comfortable grip, picked him up and dragged him to the elevator (the building was nine stories high).

My wife was very surprised by this New Year's gift. Like, what have we come to, like in America or Rublyovka, people throw good things in the trash. Previously, we only read about this or saw it in humorous programs, but now, here it is, happening in our own city. I inserted all the wires, turned it on - it works great, the image is pleasing to the eye, and, as it turned out, the diagonal is wider than ours. It’s just that there is no remote control, but it doesn’t matter, buying a remote control is not a problem. Moreover, the main TV remote control is a remote control for a rented TV set-top box.

Have you ever picked up discarded things? How do you feel about this?

Last week's news - the landfill in Balashikha was finally closed. Local residents have long been tired of the terrible sight and disgusting smell. The landfill was rotting, smoking, stinking, but, oddly enough, it brought some citizens a good income.

ON THIS TOPIC

30% of the garbage at the landfill is food waste. And it’s unpleasant to poke around in them. But it may happen that your efforts will be rewarded handsomely. You can dig up some pretty interesting things in discarded things. And individual items can bring good income.

Of course, rarities are rare. There is a lot of old Soviet furniture in the trash heap. Few of the former owners know that it is made of solid oak or walnut. Because she looks like junk. If you collect a lot of such fragments, you can sell them well. A cubic meter of solid oak sells for 30 thousand rubles, and a cubic meter of solid oak sells for 60 thousand.

There is a lot of broken equipment at the training grounds. People throw away computers and TVs that don't work. And enterprising citizens collect discarded monitors and system units, disassemble them piece by piece and take them to a buyer. You can find old clothes and broken dishes. And, most importantly, among all this rubbish it’s possible to find very interesting, and sometimes not at all cheap, things. Almost all more or less decent finds from garbage dumps are sold at flea markets such as Saltykovka.

the site asked flea regulars how much you can earn from garbage

Andrei Anatolyevich, a free trader and junk dealer, is glad that the garbage dump in Balashikha will be closed: “At least it will be possible to travel freely.” He is generally sure that now it is almost impossible to find anything valuable in garbage dumps. This is rare and very lucky. About seven years ago, he went to the waste paper collection point as if he were going to work. A week I found 3-4 antique books in good condition, not tattered (when there is no cover or pages). Now he doesn't walk. The main more or less normal product is collected by janitors when they dismantle apartments when moving. Everything found is brought into the basement and then sold in bulk. He buys from them.

“But, of course, you can walk on your own,” says the seller, “but firstly, you need to understand well, and secondly, have time to get ahead of your competitors. Now, for example, a team has arrived from Kyrgyzstan, and their children even rake out candy wrappers - everything goes to waste paper. I used to go to big garbage dumps - in the same Kuzminki - to buy packaging. They throw boxes out of stores - that’s how you could find them, but now that’s not even possible. Is it a profitable business? Well, I don’t know. Sometimes, of course, you come across it. Here , for example, look what they throw away."

Andrey takes out two watches from the bins. Both dials are Swiss. Moreover, one watch is a reward one. With a memorable inscription - “to the officer... for long service.” “It’s a shame,” he says, “they gave it after the war. The person deserved it, but the relatives don’t care at all. They throw everything away. This is not possible.” But nevertheless, since it was thrown away and no one needs it, it can be sold. Such watches cost about 5,000 rubles.

Almost everything Andrey sells comes from the trash heap. He doesn't really understand the product. Just sorts it into boxes. Badges - with badges. Beads - with beads. Clock - with a clock. His personal hobby is old books. But everything has to be sold. Among the piles of small items there are also real rarities. Buyers, knowing this, come to Andrey regularly. The morning is open only on Saturdays and Sundays - and not close. Once a week they come to look for wealth. It is unknown where the goods purchased here end up next. Maybe to antique shops. Maybe for personal collections. The only thing Andrei Anatolyevich advises is: “Everything you buy, treat it first with at least vodka, otherwise you’ll find it in the trash.”

Here, at the flea site, many people wear gloves. Not so as to avoid damaging the value of the exhibit, as in a museum, but so as not to get dirty or, even worse, to get infected with something. Natalya Ivanovna has only porcelain. Different quality and different times. Mostly my own, from home. But it happens, and she buys from the one who brings it. She's not even sure it's from a landfill.

“I don’t ask. If some old woman comes up, or sometimes a young guy, is it necessary? If the price suits me, I take it. The law of the market, if I know that I’ll sell it, of course I’ll take it,” she says.

I ask an elderly man who has quite decent old kerosene lamps, samovars and other tin utensils on his bedspread - is it possible to make money from “garbage collections”? Uncle Borya, as he introduces himself, is offended: “First of all, I don’t go through garbage dumps myself. Who told you this? How about making money? Do you see a lot of millionaires here? God forbid you scrape together enough bread! All this trade is not from a good life. in the USSR, my pension would have been 132 rubles, today it’s 86 thousand - good money, would I really trade? Otherwise, the grandmother stood there all day today - but no one bought anything. We donated to her, whoever could, so that a week until the next the market had something to eat..."

This is what business is like. Unreliable…

But there are real “sharks” here too. These are not lonely old men, and not rogue traders. They arrive in Gazelles, chock-full of junk. These include old clothes and worn household items. The seller asked not to be named, but said that all this is collected by teams at landfills and sent to a transshipment point, and traders come and take it in bulk - by weight.

There were people who tried to make the “dumpster business” civilized. And they suggested that residents of several cities at once should not throw away unnecessary things, but call them. They will come, pick up everything and take it away absolutely free. And old furniture, and household trash, and dishes. They named their project accordingly – “Dump”.

Citizens get rid of all unnecessary items without ever going to the trash heap. And the exported items are collected in a warehouse, where everything is disassembled, washed, disinfected with quartz, and then sold. "Svalka" employee Irina is sure that people often do not understand at all what they are throwing away and giving away, for example, "Kuznetsov" antique cups or other rarities. True, she is convinced that now this happens extremely rarely. But the law is the same - what is trash for some is valuable for others.

Oddly enough, a lot of young people come to buy old things. They buy vinyl records and look for cool clothes. Older people come for books. Young parents are looking for toys. Everything is sold, and every item finds its owner. But since the purpose of the project is charitable, this is not a very profitable business. But, according to Irina, it is interesting and pleasant: “People come and are happy, they say how interesting it is here. There are so many different things. And the buyers are unusual, extraordinary people. It’s always interesting to talk with them.”

As it turns out, not everything in the trash is trash. But by evening, even at the flea market there are many things left that have never found an owner. And all the rubbish is again dumped into containers nearby. It would seem - garbage from garbage... But no! And here, indefatigable citizens still manage to find something valuable. Mostly books. Which no one needs at all today... Such is the cycle of garbage in nature.