Dumpster Diving. Do you do that? Where? Tell us about some of your best finds.

-- Francine (me@thatplace.net), March 01, 2002

Answers

When I first got married my husband made 500.00 a month and we lived in military base housing. 150.00 a month went to car insurance for his bad driving record. We had our 1st baby 14 months later and to make extra money we would go to the dumpsters by the barriks and retreeve soda can's. The military guys up there are not alloud to have food so the dumpsters were mostly paper and such, not gross, but there is a soda mess so there were alot of cans. We could fill the back of our little pickup truck in about 2 hrs. take them home and start again. We did this every sunday after the guys had been there all weekend. That is when you get the most soda cans. Well we made anywhere from 300.oo to 500.oo a month just in cans. We did this for about 2 years till he picked up the next rank and got a raise. LOL I have not thought about that in years!! I lost that child when she was 17 years old. She would have been 21 today. She was the first grandchild born on my dads birthday! He had a write up in the paper on this. On March 1st 1981 his new car came in that he ordered he got a promotion at the bank he worked at and was now manager, it was his birthday and his first grandchild was born. He said it was like winning the lotto. LOL It was a good year.

-- Teresa (c3ranch@socket.net), March 01, 2002.

I love dumpster diving and have done it for years. I probably have found everything from antique furniture to computers. Department store chains are the best. A few years ago just after Easter I hit the jackpot! They threw out everything from stuffed animals to baskets. Needless to say, I still have Easter basket stuffings.

-- DAVID Constantin In Wisconsin (cajundavid@hotmail.com), March 01, 2002.

I have three words for dumpster diving: 1) nasty 2) degrading 3) illegal (unless you have owner's permission)

The only people I have ever seen doing this are the homeless people in Dallas. Sorry, just can't go there.

-- SteveD(TX) (smdann@swbell.net), March 01, 2002.

You should get out more Steve. Homeless people aren't the only ones doing this. I know a few people who make a good living doing this recycling. I pull stuff out of dumpsters from time to time. It doesn't degrade me. It's not nasty, it's not like I've ever jumped in and wallowed in the trash.

Upscale apartment/condo complexes and college campuses certain at the end of semester are 2 great places to go. I've found a like-new $200 tv, high end stereo tuner, brand new lamps, garden tools, brand new childrens games and a $50 kids computer still in the box and many many other things of value in good condition. Some of which I put right up on Ebay and made good money for hardly any effort at all.

alt.dumpster.diving is a fairly active Usenet group.

-- Dave (multiplierx9@hotmail.com), March 01, 2002.

also, in most areas and circumstances it is not illegal.

-- Dave (multiplierx9@hotmail.com), March 01, 2002.

LOL.......Steve, my husband would beg to differ with you. So what is nasty or degrading about pulling stuff out of the dumpster that is perfectly good, just discarded. IMO, dumpsters have just taken the place of the town dump and can be just every bit as interesting.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), March 01, 2002.

Well, since we live in the country, there are no dumpsters to dive in!

BUT we do go "canning" as it's called around here.

Although there is recycling here in PA, there is no deposit on cans like in NY or MI (to name a couple) so people don't seem to bother with recycling too much unfortunately.

So when we "can" we are doing the world a favor (picking up litter) and ourselves a favor (sometimes aluminum sells for 50 cents a lb.)

It doesn't pay for much except dinner out once in a while. ;) Plus, I think my husband enjoys stomping on cans in the garage - ha!

-- heather (h.m.metheny@att.net), March 01, 2002.

God bless you all.I thought I was the only one.I raise chickens,rabbits,goats,gp dogs and horses.any help with their food Iwill take.Last week I pulled 2 hams and 10ibs of pork trimmings,bakery bread ect. A man once told me that he always left the area just a little cleaner than he found it. I try to always follow in his foot steps.sw,mo

-- snow white (gawmonk@misn.com), March 01, 2002.

Hello Folks,

There are several "advantages" of dumpster diving. Recycling is probably one of the better reasons to do it. Having seen a couple of landfills in my time, I have always been amazed at what people throw away. From A to Z you can find good useable stuff that others deemed unworthy. By removing these items from the dumpsters you can bet that you are doing your part on "helping" the ecology.

Those things that you find that are of no use to yourself can be donated to thrift shops for others to use. If you are poor like I am you could sell them. There was a period of several years that I would go around neigboorhoods on a Monday and collect the cast offs of middle and upper class families that had a yardsale over the weekend. I would fill up my truck or stationwagon several times with their cast offs. After sorting through them, I would a) keep the things that I could use, b) store the things that I could sell at the flea market or c) take a lot of it to the auction for him to sell for me. Each time I profited more than if I had worked several weeks at a regular job.

One time I was driving through a neigboorhood and someone had thrown our there yardsale leftovers. I stopped and loaded my truck compeltely full of furniture, two air conditioners, a lawn mover, a large rug and several boxes of household goods and books. I drover straight to the auctioner with that load. On the following Saturday I attended the auction and watch "my stuff" go on the block. You know after I deducted the auctioners expenses, I walked away with $275.00! Not bad, for just loading and unloading my truck!

There my be a stigma among certain people about doing this type of salvaging, recycling or what have you but, if many people would just consider it an opportunity to make some extra money they would not think of it as being too wrong.

Around here in the country there are few dumpsters and if you see one it is usually locked so others will not put their garbage in it. Though I do not miss living in the cities anymore, I do miss the opportunity to make a little extra money with the "finds" that others deem as garbage.

Sincerely,

Ernest

-- http://communities.msn.com/livingoffthelandintheozarks (espresso42@hotmail.com), March 01, 2002.

I was visiting my sis in Warsaw, IL (very small town) and they have this "trash day" activity. Everyone sets stuff out near the street and the whole town swaps. I think it happens on TH and whatever left on Mon. the city takes to the dump. People call each other and let them know what they saw. I was amazed but it was quite fun...and talk about recycling!

-- DW in CO (djwallace@sotc.net), March 01, 2002.

As a retired judge with a career in law enforcement (I spent 9 years as a beat cop and 12 years as a practiciny attorney before being elected to the bench), let me tell you that it is illegal to salvage through dumpster bins in most municipalities. I have had the privilege and duty to impose fines upon people for doing it. Personally, I would never do it, but do see how it benefits poor folks. But don't kid yourself about it being legal before you check with local authorities. The property belongs to whoever owns or leases the dumpster until the trash truck carries it off.

-- CRS in a southern state (prefertobeleftalone@retiredgov.net), March 01, 2002.