A D.C. resident's security camera has caught a woman stealing a bucket of compost from in front of his house.
We all want to go green. Every ounce of waste that can be recycled or reused and kept out of a landfill is only a benefit. That is why many homes have shifted to composting. Not for their own gardens, mind you, but just to keep food waste out of the landfills. A number of services have been operational in Washington, D.C., that allow residents to put their food waste to the curb to benefit local community gardens. The result is that some houses have three different bins out by the street on trash day: trash, recycling, and a compost bucket. We all also know how dangerous it is to leave valuable packages on your doorstep for hours on end. Given enough time, some porch pirate will try to steal your Amazon goodies right off your stoop if you aren't careful.
And thanks to one D.C. resident's security camera, we now know at least one person is willing to steal your compost. Apparently, a bucket of rotting banana peels isn't worth what I would expect because thieves are now targeting homes specifically to steal their compost buckets.
A video posted to YouTube by Greg Kourosh shows footage captured by a night vision security camera set up in front of a D.C. home. Almost immediately into the clip, a passenger vehicle pulls up and stops in front of the home. The driver is seen exiting the vehicle and moving right toward the compost bucket before putting it into her trunk and driving away.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=6&v=IVV35ivus-k
Props to Greg Kourosh for setting up the security camera in front of his house. While it's unlikely that he bought and installed a security camera just to catch this compost crook, I like to believe he did it just to protect his produce scraps.
What is remarkable is that the female thief actually puts her vehicle's hazard lights on before running for the compost. Can't have another car crash into her while she's stealing something ...
Mr. Kourosh, who posted the video to Reddit, told other commenters that this is the second time his compost bucket has been stolen from out in front of his house.
While this might seem like a victimless crime, these compost buckets are apparently pretty pricey and cost $18 to replace.
Other than that, it seems pretty strange for someone to not once, but twice steal someone's composting fruit and vegetable scraps. While I am sure there is someone out there looking for extra compost for their garden, it seems like a pretty stupid thing to commit a crime over.
Is there an underground fertilizer manufacturer looking to save a little margin off the top? Is it a disgruntled neighbor who's tired of seeing a bucket of rotting food waste on the sidewalk? Or is it the compost pick-up company itself, looking to force customers to keep buying their overpriced $18 buckets? (Okay, that last one is super far-fetched).
The jury is still out on why someone keeps stealing this man's compost buckets, but Kourosh says that if it happens again, he'll probably quit composting altogether (rather than having to keep buying buckets).
But the video proves that if you have something, there is someone out there willing to steal it ... even if that "something" is rotting food.
This is usually the part of the article where we implore the public to contact the proper authorities if they have information on the crime. But in this case, if you know who's stealing compost, please just tell them to stop and bring the bucket back.
What is the worst thing you've had stolen from the front of your house? Tell us in the comment section below!
