Dubai : One man's trash is another man's treasure. Nowhere does this hold more true than in Dubai where municipality street dumpsters can be a gold mine of useable belongings such as old furniture or electrical appliances.
Sure enough, not just unathorised scrap dealers, even some well-heeled residents routinely rummage through trash bins for what they call the best deals in town. A Karama resident recently picked up a sofa set, another walked away with a baby stroller, while a third was seen mulling over a suitcase and bedroom cabinet. Some residents throw out unwanted household items instead of selling them to "avoid the hassle" of finding buyers and negotiating prices.
Computer junk
Ali Rashid, a 31-year-old Emirati engineer, said: "I've thrown away many computer devices like keyboards, speakers and even an old desktop computer.
"No one wants to buy them if they're a little faulty and it takes money to fix them."
A father-of-two from India added: "I usually throw away my kids' toys after they stop playing with them — what else am I supposed to do?" he said.
The abandoned items are quickly snapped up by other residents for personal use or underground trade.
But authorities have warned that dumping household items on streets damages the environment and creates an eyesore.
The habit, a Dubai Municipality official had earlier told XPRESS, also attracts "unauthorised" scrap dealers. Yaqoob Mohammad Al Ali, Head of Dubai Municipality's Specialised Cleaning Section, said residents should instead call the free service for the purpose (800 900). His team collected 150 electrical appliances in the first half of this year; it also picks up old furniture on request.
The discarded items are then auctioned off to recycling and scrap companies.
