dumpster diving...

[LoveBWVVBR]

feel free to do all the mental gymnastics you'd like to not believe me. i don't really care. OP can either take my advice and spend 5 minutes on google to cover their behind OR can decide that it's all made up and would never happen to them. no, there's not really a whole lot more to the story thus why they couldn't prove my 14 yo brother was some computer theft ring mastermind. it really was that stupid.

That does sound insanely stupid then, and would have made for a great news story that would have been very embarrassing to the cops and the municipality. There was a story a while back about a freegan who was prosecuted for diving even though the actual store owner said it was trash and didn't want him prosecuted. It was the municipality that insisted on prosecution, and it was because there actually was an ordinance in that area. It's not the norm in the US to have ordinances against diving but they do exist here and there which is why you should check with the cops if you are unsure.

Just search youtube for "dumpster diving cops" and tons of videos will come up where cops affirm that it's legal, ask if they found anything good, etc.

 

[pixxi]

These are dumpster by retail area without food in the dumpster. They have found clothes with tags still in, shoes, boots, t.v., display toys, ultra products in boxes, sun glasses, speakers...all kinds of stuff! Kids love it!

 

[smadath]

Some of the people at my college (way back when) fed themselves this way. The local restaurants didn't stay open 24 hrs, so they figured out what time the remaining food got dumped, and "dove" shortly thereafter! McDonald's was a popular choice.

I don't know if this was pre-Supreme Court decision, or a local ordinance, but it was definitely illegal. There were many entertaining tales of escape through the woods!

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

Some of the people at my college (way back when) fed themselves this way. The local restaurants didn't stay open 24 hrs, so they figured out what time the remaining food got dumped, and "dove" shortly thereafter! McDonald's was a popular choice.

I don't know if this was pre-Supreme Court decision, or a local ordinance, but it was definitely illegal. There were many entertaining tales of escape through the woods!

Oh yuuuck! I have no issues with diving and even the freegan thing doesn't normally freak me out (to each their own), but dumpster McDonalds is a whole other level of gross lol. A friend once told me that she and her college roommate used to go to the donut shop after closing and eat dumpster donuts so maybe it's common crazy college behavior or something!

 

[WDWNY]

Here people go through bags of recycling on the street for bottles. They have strollers or stopping carts full of bags with empty bottles and go get 5 cents a bottle.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

I am pretty frugal, but taking something in or sitting next to a dumpster, is not something I'd ever consider. My main concern would be roaches. Even if you don't see a live bug, there is a decent chance there could be eggs in/on/around that item you are grabbing. Not to mention any other number of critters, mold, bacteria.

That's why you don't bring anything straight into your house, whether it's from a dumpster, thrift store, garage sale etc. Fortunately, roach eggs are not invisible and mold and bacteria are easy to smell. However, there's also lice, scabies and bedbugs to worry about these days. Everything should be washed in hot water and/or dried in a tumble drier on hot or quarantined in black trash bags for a week or so before being brought inside.

 

[Sunnywho]

OP you are 100% sure they are dumpster diving and not shop-lifting?

 

[nickle831]

OP you are 100% sure they are dumpster diving and not shop-lifting?

Not the OP, but there are several facebook pages dedicated to dumpster diving the retail stores, and they do throw out perfectly good itmes with tags and everything attached.

 

[Dashzap]

I'm too paranoid about bugs.

I try to donate/freecycle anything useable rather than add to landfills. In our area, scavengers drive around before trash pickup to take any metal. I'm glad to see it.

Is there any place that will accept rags? I have more than I can use, so when clothing or linens wear out I am not sure what to do with the fabric. We tend to wear stuff until it is falling apart, so no other repurposing option other than rags.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

In our neighborhood, everyone puts things that they don't want, but think might still be useful out on the curb a day or two before the garbage man. Generally, it's gone by garbage day. If it really is a piece of junk, it's still there. I got a breakfast table and chairs from curbside recycling once and then 5 years later, put it out for curbside recycling! (It was gone in an hour.) I guess that's dumpster diving in a suburban sort of way.

Anything that doesn't make it to the landfill but continues to be used is good in my books.

In my area we have two websites set up.

1 is strictly for our neighborhood. The other is Nextdoor which is a website used around the nation. Visible to me are 23 other neighborhoods besides my own on the website (each area will have different neighborhoods visible to them) plus my City's Police Department is on it and the County's government is on it.

Anywho people post all the time about free stuff on both websites. It's actually really helpful and acts like a networking site. In my city (as well as other cities around us) have free large trash pick up days every now and then throughout the year. Outside of those days you have to pay to have something picked up like a couch or large grill or table. Typically in my neighborhood people will put out those items maybe a day or two earlier with a "free sign" up prior to the free large pick up days.

I do agree with the landfill part. It may not be true dumpster diving in the traditional sense but at least it's reusing someone's "done with" goods.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Here people go through bags of recycling on the street for bottles. They have strollers or stopping carts full of bags with empty bottles and go get 5 cents a bottle.

I saw often in Oahu when I was there especially along the scenic routes that take you high up to overlook Honolulu. Every penny counts in my book so no shame for me in what they were doing.

 

[crazelion]

I didn't dive in dumpster. I got awesome office chair that I love sitting by the dumpster and I brought home. I love that chair.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

OP you are 100% sure they are dumpster diving and not shop-lifting?

If you go to youtube and search for dumpster diving videos you will find a ton. Not the OP, but I'm confident that they're finding what they say they're finding in dumpsters. Stores really do throw brand new stuff out all the time sadly I'm on the board of a recycling nonprofit. Needless to say, this problem is huge and not at all limited to any particular store or chain. It seems incredible, so I can see where you'd question it. Really, look up those videos...you'll be shocked at what is thrown away

 

[Our 2 Princesses]

I am pretty frugal, but taking something in or sitting next to a dumpster, is not something I'd ever consider. My main concern would be roaches. Even if you don't see a live bug, there is a decent chance there could be eggs in/on/around that item you are grabbing. Not to mention any other number of critters, mold, bacteria.

Bed bugs!!!

 

[Mizzoufan]

I have been known to side walk shop. I can't bring myself to dumpster dive. More power to those that do

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

Bed bugs!!!

I saw the cutest chaise lounge next to a dumpster right before Hurricane Matthew, but I could NOT bring myself to grab it for fear of bed bugs. It was in perfect condition. Someone was probably just redecorating, but you never know...DH thinks I worry ridiculously about bed bugs but that is something I never want to have to deal with. I already stress out enough about them because we travel so frequently!

 

[Caskett616]

If you find great stuff, more power to you. It turns me off. The stuff might be fine, but the Dumpsters aren't. And I keep thinking of 2 different TV shows & dumpster diving - Penny's chair with the "whatever" in it on The Big Bang Theory and the body in the rug on Castle. It's not for me.

 

[Sagginit]

These are dumpster by retail area without food in the dumpster. They have found clothes with tags still in, shoes, boots, t.v., display toys, ultra products in boxes, sun glasses, speakers...all kinds of stuff! Kids love it!

I used to work in retail and I would be very careful. I am sure there are people who do this but many companies have policies in place for disposal to ensure this doesn't happen and malls are considered private property so in theory that is trespassing in many instances. I worked at a chain store and beauty products that went out were often beyond their date of use and could not even be sold at a discount. We also tossed items that were returned as "damages" which we needed to destroy first to ensure this didn't happen. Even packaging and signage needed to be destroyed as shoplifters wanted these items to set up fake stores. I know this is is not the most environmentally friendly policy (some of our window "props" were perfectly good items like astro turf and fake flowers) but I would absolutely consider what you or your children will do when they get caught and if you are within the legal limits of where they are dumpster diving. If shoplifting at that mall is a problem (which you may never know) the police might not buy the story of they are just rummaging around randomly as they may think they were sent back for props or signage as that is something they look for. Also I worked at a 7-11 and we had this problem with couponers. Items in the dumpsters were still our property until picked up by the trash company so when we saw people back there we asked them to leave or we would have to call the police. As a store our owner wanted nothing to do with this, I mean we threw out the items and cut a loss as we couldn't sell them so why people thought they get then scoop them up for free was beyond me. As for waste we counted everything we didn't sell and adjusted numbers each week on our orders to cut down on loss.

 

[angierae]

We have guys in trucks that come through the neighborhood the night before Garbage Day picking up anything from the curb that can be cleaned up and resold. I've grabbed things from the curb before, but never once it was actually in a dumpster and mixed in with actual trash.

 

[Pooh2]

We put large items out on the roadside and they are usually gone within an hour. Especially on Saturday mornings!