Dumpster Diving
July 2nd, 2008 by justchickenfeed
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9:30 pm. Dusk has fallen. A red Suburban pulls up near the dumpsters at the local home improvement warehouse. Husband, dressed in black, even though Wife repeatedly told him there would be no illegal activity, jumps out and stealthily creeps toward dumpsters, hand signals flailing. Wife hesitates, then follows slowly, looking around in part apprehension, part embarrassment, part disgust. Husband spots a potential prize, grabs it and heads toward the truck.
"Hey, what are you guys doing?," a voice breaks the silence.
"Looking for boxes," Husband states confidently, using the standard diver response. "With stuff in them," Wife mumbles, trying to make a true but deceptive statement more of the former.
"Cool. Have fun!," the store employee winks.
According to Wikipedia, "Dumpster Diving is the practice of sifting through commercial or residential trash to find items that have been discarded by their owners, but which may be useful to the dumpster diver." Sounds disgusting, right? But, believe it or not, Dumpster Diving has become a popular and lucrative practice (sport?). And in this tightening economy, it seems almost wrong not to take advantage of the excess and waste.
What can you score?
I have several friends who have been Dumpster Diving on a regular basis for years. I am regularly astounded by how much great stuff they manage to find. Some examples:
- a wrought iron patio set with a scratch on one leg of one chair
- 8 boxes of perfect condition children’s costumes and dress-up clothing
- a huge outdoor party tent in perfect condition
- 11 large planter pots
Other commonly mentioned finds are computers, tools, bicycles, toys and books. Expired or nearly expired food products are also readily available, if you are willing to take them.
Is it legal?
Dumpster Diving is legal is most US cities and towns, but you may want to check with your local law enforcement to be sure. Rule of thumb says to only dive in unlocked or open areas. If you need to climb a fence or bring bolt cutters, you’re outside the legal boundaries (much to Husband’s chagrin!). If a store employee asks you to leave, you should politely and respectfully leave. But most employees will either ignore you or cheer you on.
Do you really dive in?
NO! Getting into a dumpster is rather stupid and dangerous. Some dumpsters can close by themselves. Most divers use a long pole with a hook on it to get items out of a dumpster. The friends I know who dive say that many good finds are left on the ground near the dumpsters and no extra tools are needed.
How do I start?
If you know that diving is legal in your area and are willing to give it a try, find a buddy. Diving with someone else is best. A friend can help with heavy lifting (my friend missed getting a floor model super-expensive gas grill because he didn’t have the help to lift it), and provide an extra set of eyes. This is especially important if you are going to dive after dark. A single woman diving at 10:30 pm is not the wisest choice. Get a diving buddy and make it a date.
Where shoud I dive?
It depends on what kind of stuff you want or need. Many people swear that apartment buildings and residential dumpsters are the best. Personally, I would rather hit the retail dumpsters. Home improvement centers, book stores, specialty stores, electronics warehouses, and toy stores are all great places to dive.
What do I do with all the stuff?
Sometimes you can see exactly what you are getting and choose, on the spot, whether or not to take it. But some boxes are sealed and, if you take them home, you may end up with twenty-five copies of the same bad novel. There are several things you can do with any extra or unwanted items.
Sell them. There are people who actually make a living selling dumpster treasures! Ebay or Craigslist them and make a few bucks.
Donate them. Offer your extra items on Freecycle or take them to a local charity. Either way, the items are better off than in your landfill.
When should I dive?
Because it’s usually legal, you can dive whenever is convenient for you. But most people prefer to dive before or after store hours. Just be sure to bring a flashlight if you are going to dive after dark.
Dumpster Diving may sound gross and it may be embarassing. But if you can get past your apprehension, and get out of the car, you may be surprised at what amazing and exciting (and free) things you can find!
And if you’re driving through Western Maryland and see a chick with a slightly guilty look hauling boxes from a dumpster into a red Suburban, honk and wave!
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July 2nd, 2008 at 8:54 am
This is hilarious. I’m always up for an adventure….I’ll have to see if I can talk DH into coming with me….
July 2nd, 2008 at 9:31 am
I love it. My office is within a strip mall and we have 2 large dumpsters out back. Monday when I came in, I noticed a large shelf. The heavy plastic ones you would use in a garage or shop. It was sitting beside the dumpster so I pulled it up to my back door and called the hubby to come get it. When he did he found 2 new metal folding chairs at the back of the dumpster. I will have to try the retail stores. Thanks for the info.
July 2nd, 2008 at 9:49 am
I was going to do a post on this but you beat me to it. I still might, and link over here.
Great info. I think it’s actually a pretty cool way to “reduce, reuse, recycle.” A big part of it is knowing where to go and what you might be looking for.
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:12 am
I have yet to try my hand at dumpster diving. I need to hit the local University after school lets out. I hear you can find some good stuff then. Perhaps I will drive around and see what I can find.
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:35 am
I love the pic. I think diving is a great idea too, and have some friends who have tried it, but I’ve never gotten up the courage. We live close to a college campus, and Tiffany’s suggestion (above) is a great one!
http://psychmamma.wordpress.com
July 2nd, 2008 at 2:19 pm
My husband worked at Home Depot and we scored a few things. :0) One of them was a brand new washer. The people who bought it said it didn’t work, so the managers put it outside to be used for the metal. My hubby asked about it, and they said it was broken. Hubby then asked if he could take it home and they said yes. Now we have a wonderful top of the line washing machine that we got for free!! :0) It works fine, btw.
Hubby did tell the boss that it worked and he just shurgged and told hubby that he got a good deal. ;0)
July 2nd, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Read a book on this once.
Not sure I’d dumpster dive for food.
July 2nd, 2008 at 4:28 pm
I’ve practically furnished my entire apartment on dumpster diving. Whenever my boyfriend and I are driving around, if we see something out on the street or by a dumpster, we yell out “FREE STUFF!!!” and immediately slam on the brakes. It’s amazing the stuff that people will throw away. Especially if they are moving out. We’ve found lots of great furniture (usually IKEA furniture that might be missing one screw), glass ware, dishes, books, and even a few antiques! We even have a really amazing leather sofa that we found on the freeway!
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:01 pm
Love this posting! Love dumpster diving! I don’t go often enough, but now after reading this post, that may change! My Brother actually made himself a handy dandy tool to dig out items from the dumpster. I think my Mother was appauled!
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:50 pm
we live in an apartment so i am always keeping my eye out for things thrown out when people move. there are some great things.
i scored a new pergo highchair that was sitting by the dumpster. nothing wrong with it at all. just scrubbed it down real well.
great article.
July 3rd, 2008 at 11:54 am
My dad is a dumpster diver superhero. He used to manage strip shopping centers and our very best find ever is from TJMAXX…every Tuesday they’d throw out their leftover LEFT shoes. Then on THURSDAY they’d throw out the RIGHTs. NICE. I got so many cute shoes that way…and purses, jackets and more!
(The worst though, was Sports Authority, or one of those sports warehouse type places. They threw away boots, sleeping bags and rollerblades, but they’d slash them with razor blades and spraypaint them first so you wouldn’t take them. That’s sick! Think of the homeless people that could have used that stuff!)
July 6th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
My sister’s preacher goes dumpster diving. She told me that he has “scored” a professional sized kitchen mixer, that couldn’t be used in the church, so itwas traded for landscaping. We jokingly call dumpster diving as “Let’s Go Pickering”, since he last name is Picker.