Who Dumpster Dives - Stories Please

[scrava]

Re: Who Dumpster Dives - Stories Please

I bet this will be v.interesting! I do remember allt he junk that went out at the end of the year! If you live close by, you could probably furnish a few apartments with all that stuff, nicely!!

Contrary to popular perception, most dumpsters aren't gross and filled with rabies-laden rodents and rotting food. Some are, for sure, but those aren't the dumpsters that people dumpster dive in.

My college housemates are hardcore dumpster divers. They'd go every week, and bring their haul back to the house. They even teach a workshop on how to dumpster dive. They don't do it out of tightwaddery, but rather as a way to reduce waste and show the cool stuff that people throw out.

Also, at the end of the school year, the dumpsters become FILLED with useful stuff that students just throw out, probably because it's too heavy to bring on their flight home. During that time, they dumpster dive every day. I would have gone as well, if I had a car to lug stuff home in. I did nab a nice set of dishes, however.

My housemates are actually filming a documentary on dumpster diving on college campuses. Pretty cool stuff.

~mimi

[geneandmegan]

Re: Who Dumpster Dives - Stories Please

Okay, so we're not hardcore dumpster divers, and most of the stuff we have gotten out of the dumpsters have been gotten by leaning over the side and picking things up (not climbing into them, at least I don't think so).

Hall of Fame from the dumpster:

-My all-time favorite: My Prada backpack and briefcase. Real Prada, real nice. Perfect condition. No scuffs, marks, stains, or anything. Just dust b/c I think they hadn't ever used them. Thrown away seconds before by a young Asian couple moving out of their apartment near us.

-Second favorite: a nice compact GPX (I think) stereo. Again, perfect condition, thrown away by college students.

-Third favorite: Text books (again, college students, gotta love 'em). Took the books to a great used bookstore, got about $100 bucks for the lot.

My husband and I have also gathered a bookcase (which I love b/c it matches other furniture perfectly), but that was from beside the dumpster, so I'm not sure it counts.

When I was young, my dad would dumpster dive alot and brought home many nice things. I remember furniture, etc. Also, the first flowers I ever got (as weird as this is) were from my best friend when we were probably 6 or 7 and he had found them in the dumpster. Huge bouquet, very beautiful, neighborhood old couple thought it was adorable and took pictures of us. Anyway, point is that for me, I've never been uncomfortable with dumpster diving as long as A) it's not gross in the dumpster and B) the thing gotten is clean. To each his own, I guess.

[GrimJack]

Re: Who Dumpster Dives - Stories Please

Is it even "legal" to dumpster dive? If someone were dumpster diving behind a retail store, grocery store, etc could they get charged for that or some other offense such as trespassing?
And, do people actually get into the dumpsters? What about the risk of getting stuck with a needle, broken glass, rodents, etc?

Here in Seattle there was a dd up on Capital hill who hit the dumpsters of the grocery stores (they throw away a lot of good veggies for 'blemishes'). Well, they dropped the lid on him, locked it and called the police. Turns out, once it is in the garbage you lose control of it and the guy had broken no laws. He sued for unlawful imprisonment and so on and won - all he wanted was a promise that they would never ever again deny anyone access to the dumpsters.

Dumpster diving is legal in Seattle.

GrimJack
(hi! DW)

[LuxLiving]

Re: Who Dumpster Dives - Stories Please

Go dumpster prisoner!! WELL DONE!!

[shelbylovesmelby]

Re: Who Dumpster Dives - Stories Please

OH I just wanted to comment on something on the line of the legalites thing.

I was picking up my dd from school last week & I saw a guy on a bike w/ a huge lawn bag full of cans. HE WAS PICKING THEM FROM THE BLUE RECYCLING BINS! Around here once they are in those bins they become property of the city. I wanted to say something but I didn't want to start anything. But frankly if I knew I could get away with it I'd be out there too but in the wee hrs to suppliment our income too. I"m just afraid to get into trouble KWIM? Plus if I would of called the cops on the guy he would of played dumb ect as people often do around here when it comes to getting out of trouble & he would of been long gone anyways.

[kealina]

Re: Who Dumpster Dives - Stories Please

we were out going to garage sales this morning and saw a huge pile near the trashcans outside the house of someone who had moved... we picked up a grill for my brother, a laundry basket, a plastic trash can, some clothes (pants for SIL, pants and 2 shirts for me, and 3 shorts for BIL) we found plus some more and some shoes we will pass on to others... round plastic table for MIL... half full bottles of several assorted household cleaners... some of the items had price tags so i looked as if they had some yard sales and then dumped what they couldn't sell when they had to leave... too bad... i think they didn't sell because the items were priced very high... i would have rather sold the item cheap (hey, money is money) or given it away to a friend or neighbor than thrown it away...

[shelbylovesmelby]

Re: Who Dumpster Dives - Stories Please

we were out going to garage sales this morning and saw a huge pile near the trashcans outside the house of someone who had moved... we picked up a grill for my brother, a laundry basket, a plastic trash can, some clothes (pants for SIL, pants and 2 shirts for me, and 3 shorts for BIL) we found plus some more and some shoes we will pass on to others... round plastic table for MIL... half full bottles of several assorted household cleaners... some of the items had price tags so i looked as if they had some yard sales and then dumped what they couldn't sell when they had to leave... too bad... i think they didn't sell because the items were priced very high... i would have rather sold the item cheap (hey, money is money) or given it away to a friend or neighbor than thrown it away...

What a great find! You know the street my dd's school is adjacent too has alot of good pickings, but I'm afraid that one of the other moms would see me do it. though I did get a cool pitcher that was someones art project over summer. It's sitting on a septic lift in my back yard. It looks nice & adds some interest to my yard beyond the flowers of course

[naturallyadiva]

Re: Who Dumpster Dives - Stories Please

I am not a dumpster diver but I will pick up something on the side of the street and behind a store! I always ask first though!

[fairy74]

Re: Who Dumpster Dives - Stories Please

I briefly lived in an apartment complex that was full of well to do college students. These kids would literally throw away brand new microwaves, computers, bookshelves, etc... to avoid toting them home for summer vacation. It seemed such a waste to me, and I did pick up a few things (dining room table and brand new books--some still in the wrapper). Mainly I felt bad for the kids' parents wasting all that money

[simple987]

I live back to back with an elementary school, which means easy access to dumpsters approx 50ft from our back fence. I couldn't begin to tell the goldmine treasures that have come out of the brown dumpsters and recycling dumpsters.

When I was little we used to find fun school supply stuff and books to play with that the school had discarded.

Also, the people in my neighborhood will use those dumps for large trash, so I have scored a wide range of goods, including cameras, tools, antiques, kid stuff, and furniture. After years of putting it on ebay I have profited thousands (no exaggeration), and most of the books we find can be taken to Half Price Books for a few dollars here and there.

[Snave]

I certainly dont dumpster dive, but I have stopped and picked up furniture on the street ready to be thrown away. I know others do the same. In my dad's neighborhood anything we put out to be tossed was taken in at least 15 minutes

We were at my in-laws one evening when I helped my father-in-law take an old bench out to the corner for the trash the next day. We noticed it was gone about 30 minutes later. Then, when we pulled out of the neighborhood, we saw the bench down the street on someone elses curb. I guess they had a better piece of trash and the person decided to "trade up" and left my in-laws bench behind.

[m3racer]

I have never even been tempted to dumpster dive!! ugh!!

What she said.

[Tortoise]

The little girl I use to coparent had to stand in front of her elementary school class and tell about what she did over the summer. She told about how we dumpster dived. The teacher thought her hippie stories were cute.

Long ago, my (now ex) wife had booth in a coop store. She intended to sell beaded jewelry and sold very little of it. What did sell well was wooden furniture and old windows and doors. The furniture was usually bought by people that were going to refinish it. I am told the old windows and doors were used as interior design elements. I never really got that, but it paid the bills.

The best stuff is usually around residential dumpsters. Either it would have been hard to get it into the dumpster or the people intentially left it out so that it would be picked up and reused.

[gambler2075]

I've never dumpster-dived myself but I have always thought about it on moving-out day at the dorms... The amount of stuff that college students throw out is just staggering. Of course they procrastinate trying to sell it, and never end up selling it, but since they have to move out they throw it out.

I am sure that the hardcore divers would probably get mad at me for posting this 'tip' but hehe, it's saving the environment!

g

[briandownie]

This is the whole reason I own a pick up truck.

I never thought of it as dumpster diving but I love a good garbage bin if it's construction waste and that kind of thing, not regular household waste like kitchen trash.

I'm a maintenance mechanic and work in an industrial area. I mostly look for firewood, things like packing crates or old wooden pallets. You never know what you might find that can be fixed and reused.

For the most part the companies pay to have their waste removed and are more than happy to let you have it. Some times they'll just pile it beside the bin so you get a chance at it before it hits the bin.

It's great, I can heat my house most winter evenings with recycled wood, there's a never ending supply if you know where to look.

Brian