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Any fellow trash pickers out there? What great things have you found on trash day? Share your stories!
I'll start. Over the years, I've found:
1. A small box with 10 sterling silver bread and butter plates in their individual cloth bags.
2. A box of desk items that had a pair of 14k gold cuff links in their original presentation box.
3. In a box of kitchen goods, a like new Marimekko fabric apron. New, their aprons cost $47.
4. A Bang & Olufsen 4002 tangential turntable. The rest of the stereo must have been great, but it was already taken. This was back in the '90's when turntables were undesirable. But I knew that it was special, having been a stereo buff in the 1970's.
Various furniture items of course. Some great bookcases. Some nice stereo speakers. A cool box of photo slides of local rock bands from the 1980's.
Oh ain't it the truth though. I pick through scrap yards. I have found pieces of material that I consider to be invaluable that have been tossed as superfluous. I make knives and such and finding stuff like old files, leaf springs, pieces of high quality carbon steel, brass, copper, bronze etc tossed as garbage makes me light up and see pieces of art. This is also true of finding things at the landfill. It's truly amazing what people just throw away. Even things made of very quality hardwoods and even exotic wood I have come across. Just have to know what your looking at and see past the facade of a bit (or more than a bit) of wear and tear. But this is nothing a bit of elbow grease won't cure.
I totally keep my eyes peeled at what people toss out. When one knows what they're looking at trash does indeed become treasure.
Well it's very ecologically responsible to reuse and recycle as much as we can and not add to our mountains of landfill garbage! And those who are quick to toss away what they no longer need or find useful would accuse us of being hoarders. There doesn't seem to be much middle ground.
And I have to add that it drives me crazy at work how my co-workers and the guests are unable to sort correctly into the recycle, compost and trash bins. So much goes into the wrong bins. I correct their mistakes as much as I can, it's sooo frustrating!!!
It's been years since I dumpster dived.
When I had my truck I would go to the commercial areas that had those big construction dumpsters and score big time. There was this company that cleaned out houses after fires and floods and they would throw everything in their big dumpster. Here is a list of some of the things I remember finding:
1. Power tools, I found a dozen drills, a couple of circular saws, a portable band saw, a case of drill bits, and a Craftsman toolbox loaded with wrenches and sockets.
2. An old trunk filled with baseball/football cards from the 60s thru the early 80s. I got a Mike Schmidt rookie card, a Joe Montana rookie card, and a bunch of others.
3. A hunting bow with a bunch of broadhead arrows. I ended up losing all the arrows.
4. A box of old cast iron toys from the 1890s to 1910. There was also another box filled with Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars which I gave to my nephew. He sold them all to a collector and made some $$$
5. There was another place that threw out old books/magazines/records. I got a lot of stuff from there but the only things I still have are my Ripley's Believe It Or Not paperbacks and comic books.
6. Most of the stuff I found I ended up giving away to friends and relatives. They would call me every night to see if I was going scavenging and if I would take them with me.
I would recommend dumpster diving to anyone that likes to treasure hunt, word of advice..stay out of garbage dumpsters and avoid places that have "NO TRESSPASSING SIGNS."
I would recommend dumpster diving to anyone that likes to treasure hunt, word of advice..stay out of garbage dumpsters and avoid places that have "NO TRESSPASSING SIGNS."
I would also like to add... don't make a mess of the garbage pile!! Leave it as neat as you found it.
I would also like to add... don't make a mess of the garbage pile!! Leave it as neat as you found it.
There were a number of places I quit going to because too many people found out about them and there would always be a crowd there throwing crap all over the parking lot. There was a company that filled their dumpster with bottles of shampoo, sun tan lotion, soap, deodorant, and stuff like that, but soon after I discovered it the crowds showed up. Someone told me about a dumpster that threw away Tupperware and cooking utensils, I managed to get some large bowls and a bunch of steak knives before the place got mad at the people dumping crap all over and ended up putting a lock and chain on the dumpster.
I can't speak for every store but Best Buy in my location has a policy of tossing "returns " of small items. Ear buds, mice, keyboards, also discontinued models, or items that are no longer in warranty. The end of the month is good.
Dollar stores.... broken packages, and out of season items....Christmas stuff in July. summer stuff in November.
WalMart. Seasonal goods. returns that have smashed packaging.
I can't speak for every store but Best Buy in my location has a policy of tossing "returns " of small items. Ear buds, mice, keyboards, also discontinued models, or items that are no longer in warranty. The end of the month is good.
Dollar stores.... broken packages, and out of season items....Christmas stuff in July. summer stuff in November.
WalMart. Seasonal goods. returns that have smashed packaging.
xxx.
I think most stores where I live have compactors, that's why I seldom went to store dumpsters.
I was on my way to work one day, and saw two large pedestal type concrete urns in someone's trash. One of them had some damage, but I knew it could be fixed. I asked the owner if he minded if I took them and he said no, they weighed like 90 pounds each and he had to help me load them in my car trunk, but I got them.
Turns out they had stood at the entrance of an old cemetery in town and were about 100 years old. VERY cool, and I saved them from the dumpster and almost certain destruction. Twenty years later, one of them still graces my porch, as one of my favorite possessions. The other one, unfortunately, met it's end at the back of my then husband's truck as he was unloading mulch in front of the porch one year. Ya can't fix crumbs.
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Ya can't fix crumbs.
