The strange absence of abundance

So I get it, scarcity is supposed to be a thing. All that's "left" should be trash.

So why isn't there more trash loot? As it happens, everything does have a trader value, even if the value is only a few hundred rubles per slot. But when I open a container and it's worthless, what that literally means is the container is empty, not that it is filled with items of zero value.

And firearms too; somehow, every scav has a rifle but there are no piles of trash rifles to pick through. When you're on Reserve and see a rack for ten rifles, all empty, that just seems like a missed opportunity to have the rack filled or half-filled with low durability AKs, or even a few high durability AKs.

The game runs into a weird paradox, "Good things aren't present because the areas have been picked clean."

"So then why are we going to these places? And why are we still finding high-value items, but fewer low-value items?"

Whatever the lowest tier of loot is, that needs to be dialed up to eleven.