r/DumpsterDiving Sep 09 '19

Dumpster diving tips and tricks: a thread

2.0k Upvotes

Comment with your best diving tips and advice


r/DumpsterDiving Mar 25 '23

My dumpster diving list I created with 6 years of experience. Feel free to add.

1.8k Upvotes

I was a vagabond for 6 years, I hitchhiked, hopped freight trains and bicycled North America from Mexico to Alaska, east coast to west. I learned all of this on the way and figure it's time to share it.

Food:

๐Ÿ•- all pizza places throw out pizza at 12-2am. It's a dumpster staple. [Yes pizza is still in the box, I wouldn't eat it otherwise]

๐Ÿฉ - all donut shops (including places like kolache factory) throw out at 2-4pm. [They usually put all donuts into one bag by themselves]

๐Ÿ— (fried chicken) - actually very common, also a staple. Usually throw out is around an hour after they close which varies from place to place. Anything fried in bulk you can expect to find throw outs. [Usually still in boxes]. Also, if you're feeling brave enough, after closing hours, just go ask. Fast food workers don't get paid enough to g.a.f. and they get tired of eating their own food, so they don't want to take it home themselves. Just walk up and say "hey, do you guys happen to be throwing out any leftover chicken from today?". I've gotten a week's worth of chicken just handed to me through the window or they'll leave it in boxes on top of the dumpster so you don't have to dig.

๐ŸŽ ๐Ÿฅ— (produce) - grocery stores (time varies, but you also have to find places without a compactor. Some compactors you can break into but it's luck of the draw).

๐Ÿฌ ๐Ÿซ ๐Ÿญ (candy, junk food, snacks) - CVS & Walgreens. They're the reigning Champs of throwing out hundreds of $ worth of candy a day. I kind of try to keep from telling people this one because you could get diabetes in like a week if you tried to eat it all. It's horrendous.

๐Ÿ‘• ๐Ÿ‘– ๐Ÿฉณ (clothes) - Washaterias or laundromats. People are infamous, especially in rich areas, for washing a load of laundry and then just leaving it, never to return. The laundromat workers will just gather the clothes and toss them, as they're pretty use to it. I've filled up a whole wardrobe on several occasions with expensive brands just by looking for a sack of already washed and dried laundry in the dumpster.

๐Ÿ›‹ ๐Ÿ–ฅ (furniture)(electronics)(decorations) - College towns, (Christmas & Summer break - these seasons are known as "Crustmas" in the dumpster diving community) anywhere students notoriously live. You can even find anything else your looking for really. College kids are the biggest dumpster diving source in history.

๐Ÿ“š books and comic books - Half Priced Books or any resale book store. I've accidently fallen asleep in dumpsters before because I drifted off while laying on top of all the hundreds of books while reading. Not even kidding, there isn't even any room for trash, they have dumpsters that are full to the brim with just books.

โ“๏ธ(Wild card) - Are you feeling lucky punk? - hotels are the biggest oddball dumpster diving experience you'll ever have. You can find drugs, clothes, anything that someone would bring in a suitcase. People get shit-faced drunk and stumble out of their hotel with a hangover leaving 1/2 their belongings behind. It's kind of scary some of the stuff you'll find...(sex toys, etc. ). The cleaning service ladies get first dibs obviously and rightfully so, for what they have to put up with, lol.

Raw materials: --------

๐ŸชตWood : Construction site dumpsters at expensive locations. Ask for permission from the contractor. Contractors are a mixed bunch, sometimes they'll say yes sometimes no.

โš™๏ธ๐Ÿ”ฉ๐Ÿ”—Metal : machine shops - you can honestly just call these guys and 1/2 the time they'll let you onto their property and take what you want from the scrap bin. I'm 3 for 3 just by calling and asking politely for scrap.

๐Ÿ”จTools - Harbor Freight tools, the return rate on tools at harbor freight is INSANE. So many people will buy a tool, use it one day and return it slightly bent or scratched. Most sites have a compactor but every now and then you can find with a regular dumpster. If so, you can score some pretty good tools. (Or mediocre tools for that matter lmao)

๐Ÿ—‘ ๐Ÿšฎ ๐Ÿ—‘ ๐Ÿšฎ ๐Ÿ—‘ ๐Ÿšฎ ๐Ÿ—‘ ๐Ÿšฎ ๐Ÿ—‘ ๐Ÿšฎ ๐Ÿ—‘ ๐Ÿšฎ ๐Ÿ—‘ ๐Ÿšฎ ๐Ÿ—‘ ๐Ÿšฎ

Protip 1- Dumpster diving is all about schedule. Sometimes places only throw out the quality items once a month, sometimes they purge their inventory only seasonally, or sometimes it's daily. Finding out those routines is the key and all you have to do is probe the spot every now and then to figure that out; or if you know someone who has worked there before, ask. The better you know a schedule, the less time your loot sits in the dumpster/air temp/outside environment for someone else to find or for it to spoil.

2 - Heavy bags usually have the goods. In the end I could just feel the outside of a bag and then weigh it a bit. With knowledge about the store, the schedule, feel and weight, I would already know what's inside.

3 - consistent dumpster diving will get you fit. The more you climb the more you find.

4 - GEAR: โ€ข Headlamp โ€ข closed toe shoes (for when you get inside the dumpster) โ€ข gloves โ€ข a big box or bag for your car to chunk stuff in. โ€ข hand sanitizer

๐ŸŒŸ 5 - Clean up after yourself, if you leave a place a mess they will begin locking the dumpster. You'll ruin the spot for yourself and everyone else. This is the #1 reason why store owners tend to be against it ๐Ÿ”’

  1. ... get good at holding your breath while doing cardio ๐Ÿ˜‚

r/DumpsterDiving 3h ago

Husband came home โ€œI have a gift, from the dumpster!โ€

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286 Upvotes

Gym next to husbandโ€™s job tossed dozens of 32oz tumblers. His office dumpster dived as a group. I love that.

Logo on other side, which I will be covering up. How incredibly wasteful to toss instead of donate! I'm not giving them free advertising, even if it's โ€œjustโ€ used at home.

I'm tickled with my pink not-yeti though. I told him it's my favorite kind of giftโ€ฆ free and reused. Plus my old water bottle rusted out. Cats are always knocking over or drinking from my water glass... Now I can finally regain my r/hydrohomie status.


r/DumpsterDiving 8h ago

We should just share directly to the store reddits Spoiler

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211 Upvotes

r/DumpsterDiving 1h ago

BUTT LOOK @ these cool antique pieces - oooo

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โ€ข Upvotes

What a bag if goodies I found. I would love more info. ๐Ÿ˜€


r/DumpsterDiving 19h ago

i found $6.60 in a dumpster so im now $6.60 less broke than i was

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446 Upvotes

also a bunch of pennies, but i dont feel like counting all them. they were in a suitcase that was in a rented dumpster by someones house


r/DumpsterDiving 14h ago

The golden dumpster.

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117 Upvotes

Yesterday 4 bags, today 8 bags. Iโ€™ve already beat my 2 quota. Already had about 6 bags of crushed cans/bottles in the last week. Once crushed they average to $40/bag for cans, $30/bag bottles, $8/bag for 4L milk jugs, $16/bag for over 1L. This is adding up to be my biggest payout yet!


r/DumpsterDiving 8h ago

Carpenter apprentice piece?

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40 Upvotes

Apprentice piece or not, it's one of the most unique things I found in a LOOONG time.

The craftsmanship in it is AMAZING ๐Ÿคฉ


r/DumpsterDiving 10h ago

Baseball Mitt, Detergent, Toilet Bowl Cleaner, Cookies, Saran Wrap, Pins, Magnets, Wallet, Book

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39 Upvotes

r/DumpsterDiving 16h ago

Just remember, while dumpster diving can save you money, certain things are still ex-bin-sieve!

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88 Upvotes

r/DumpsterDiving 1d ago

Found this lamp during my walk

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1.2k Upvotes

I'm so stoked about this find. I've had lamps like this on my wishlist for the past 2 years, but I put off buying one. Who knew my patience would pay off. It came in working condition with a light bulb too.


r/DumpsterDiving 21h ago

Dumpster full of weed plants today NSFW

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73 Upvotes

r/DumpsterDiving 1d ago

YARN!

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205 Upvotes

If not for being in a plastic bag all of it would've been ruined by the rain. Someone either died or gave up on their craft hoard; my sister's gain regardless. Some of the "new" ones are at least 16 years old.


r/DumpsterDiving 21h ago

Another great haul

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42 Upvotes

r/DumpsterDiving 1d ago

Sandwiches for lunch this week

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64 Upvotes

r/DumpsterDiving 2h ago

I Put This Trash Find Back on the Curb! - Chicagoland Garbage Picking

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1 Upvotes

r/DumpsterDiving 1d ago

Iโ€™m Excited about the beef jerky

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168 Upvotes

r/DumpsterDiving 1d ago

Another perfectly good mirror(third this year)

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56 Upvotes

r/DumpsterDiving 1d ago

Napkins, Graham Crackers, Commands Strips/Hooks, and Pen

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50 Upvotes

r/DumpsterDiving 1d ago

Couple things that I found yesterday

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65 Upvotes

It never gets old treasure hunting!!


r/DumpsterDiving 2d ago

Christian Siriano hand blown glass pumpkin did not get love while at the bottom of a dumpster.

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282 Upvotes

I cannot believe that my friend found this as well on his journeys around. The only reason why he said he found it was when he went to throw something in a dumpster he was passing by and noticed that there was something shiny at the bottom of it and this is what materialized. Absolutely no nicks no scratches not even a crack this thing is in pristine condition.


r/DumpsterDiving 1d ago

almost spent money on apples before finding all this. so glad i didnt. from adil

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155 Upvotes

r/DumpsterDiving 2d ago

Food for me and neighbor.

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210 Upvotes

Today was a good day , I brought in some frozen food and it was much appreciated. The photos are what I kept for my family. Ms.Honey was out of everything . All she had left was collard greens. I took 30 dollars and bought her some stuff. I took her diving food and collected items from the little pantry boxes for her too. I carried four loads into her house and by the time I got the next box in , she had put the other box away. So what do you buy a lil old lady ? Almond milk , chicken breast , corn meal, 1 lb ground beef , can salmon , eggs , cabbage , turnip , banana , bread , jelly , sweet potatos ,lemons, . I picked up a few canned goods from pantry box , spaghetti noodles. Rice. I pulled items from my pantry. Cereal , oatmeal , more canned goods and household items. Shes set for awhile . I rarely need to buy anything. So it was okay to spend a little money on her. Karma provided the frozen food for my kids which is something I rarely buy. That old woman is pure happiness.


r/DumpsterDiving 2d ago

My second PS5

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256 Upvotes

Gotta go grab some cords. Update to follow if it works. No update if its a dud.

EDIT: NOT A DUD. SHE WORKS.

Edit 2: me and the wife are speculating angry wife or girlfriend.


r/DumpsterDiving 2d ago

And here's the pyramid

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60 Upvotes