One person's trash can be the next person's treasure.

It all depends on your point of view.

 

As a long time peruser of other people's garbage, I have noticed that recently things have taken a turn for the worse. Even the Goodwill and Salvation Army stores have a lot less quality stuff to choose from. And there are more and more people looking through the stuff. I have to head over to the rich people's neighborhoods to find anything decent.

I think it's a sign of the times. Get your good garbage while you can. It seems like the glory days of garbage picking are fading.

Az

 

I don't dumpster dive, wouldn't know where exactly to look. But when I walk my dog, I see what the neighbors are throwing out. After Hurricane Irene, I got a lot of firewood, and lately I got a nice set of shelves and a nice small kitchenette style table. I wish I could find construction materials, I'd like to build a whole room of shelves for our preps!

 

I have seen a lot of things being tossed out lately, I have scored 6 20lb propane tanks and some extra grille parts just this week since every store has end of season sales on new ones, my son found a compound bow w/case yesterday, I have also been finding a lot of building material also and even some power tools tossed in the big construction dumpsters that just need new power cords, some people are wasteful

 

I have also been finding a lot of building material also and even some power tools tossed in the big construction dumpsters that just need new power cords, some people are wasteful

In many cases construction companies do not reuse material on a site.
if they take a part or full sheet of plywood to tack over a door or use wood 2x4s to shore up something they rarely use the wood later on a wall or anyplace in a home.
this has to do with liability laws.

Power tools are bought by many bigger companies and are added to the bid price. its cheaper then repair the cord and be subject to liability if a employee got hurt by a unsafely repaired tool.(it does not mater that a expert repaired the tool a lawyer will make a expert look like a moron.)

every company i have ever worked for as a industrial construction electrician has cut the cord off any power tools they junk for any reason.

it goes like this

injured persons lawyer:; did you find a skill saw in a dumpster
injured person:yes
injured persons lawyer: what did you do with the saw.
injured persons: i took it home and sawed some wood with it and also sawed two fingers off.

injured persons lawyer: judge i would like to enter into evidence a skill saw and records from a supply company that it was sold to ****** construction company.
judge:saw and records will be entered into evidence.

injured persons lawyer: i have no father questions for this person at this time.

company lawyer: question did you find this saw in a runnable condition.

if the injured person answers: yes the company lawyer will bring out a company document that orders all damaged or junked tools will have the cord cut off.
the company lawyer will then come back with the response that because this tool still had a cord it must be stolen as all disposed of tools (thrown away)must have the cord cut off.

"or if it goes the other way"

company lawyer: question did you find this saw in a runnable condition.

if the injured person answers: No the cord was cut off.

the company lawyer: how did you get it to run if the cord was cut off.

injured person i put a new cord on it.

company lawyer so you modified it by putting a new cord on it.

injured person yes i put a new cord on it.

company lawyer: do you understand the company through away the saw because it was unsafe and to mark it as unsafe they cut the cord off.

injured person: no i did not know they cut the cord off because it was unsafe.

jury: company is not responsible for the saw

 

Been doing the trash thing for years........the night before trash pickup in the 'burbs, you'd be surprised what folks set on the side of the road........especially the upper crust neighborhoods.......furniture, clothes, tools, appliances, electronics, etc,,,,, even found jewelry, money( coin sets), guns, golf club sets, etc. Now, folks set stuff out for different reasons, divorce, eviction clean out, moving, etc......most of the time, if, with a matching washer and dryer, one of them goes bad, they set both of them and get new matching.....meaning there's nothing wrong with one of them, at all.

 

with a matching washer and dryer, one of them goes bad, they set both of them and get new matching.....meaning there's nothing wrong with one of them, at all.

Sometimes, even the "broken" one is not really all that broken. I've scored a drier that simply had a siezed idler wheel... didn't even need a new one, just some grease and it worked great. And another washer that leaked about 4 ozs of water when run... turned out to be a cracked 45 degree plastic coupler on the drain hose. $2 part, and it could be reached from underneath. Didn't even need to take anything apart.

It's amazing really. Americans will just throw stuff out rather than even try to diagnose what could be a simple problem.

Az

 

We live in a disposable society. I believe it's one of our biggest problems.

 

Americans:xeye: We have become too spoiled. I spent time out of the country dont think they even had dumpsters.: NOTHING was thrown away in Mexico City. I had plastic wrapping that was taken to line some ones roof. Pallets that the wood was taken to build some ones house. Trash was pretty much doo doo paper, thats its. Take a look at how frugal this guy is ::: We might see these days soon.:

 

It's cheaper for most people to simply throw it out.
What you don't see much of anymore.
Shoe cobbler
Appliance repair
Sewing repair (some specialty shops but not common sewing)
Computer repair (Used to be cheaper to repair than replace)
Car repair (I've bought several vehicles because the upfront cost of repair made it non affordable and buying a new vehicle only required a good credit rating and a signature.)

The expense of disposal is causing people to discard items like tires in the local creeks, rivers and lakes.
A good thing is the local scrap yard started paying for old batteries. It isn't much but it keeps them out of the environment.

Everything I buy now is used 100% and this includes my clothes. (okay food and toiletries are excluded) It saves me money and puts more of what I spend into the American economy and not the chinese economy.

 

Just this morning I found a perfectly fine mircowave cart. It has a butcher block top and drop down leaves that could be used as a small kitchen table. It is about to become a work station for my portable sewing machine.

 

I can’t believe how many people are on meth going through trash to find 'gems' to resale at antique stores. It’s this huge underground (not literally) world that I had to help rescue a family member from a few years ago.

You can tell who they are, they look a lot older than they really are, like to talk, missing teeth, one always finds some item related to Hitler.... and worth a lot of money. Sound familiar to any of you?

 

What do you guys do with all this stuff?

 

I only take things that I have an immediate use for. I don't snag stuff just because it looks good. Sometimes I simply strip parts. Recently I was able to find some very nice brass hardware on a old set of bath cabinets. They were used to finish a cedar storage unit.

 

It is amazing what people are throwing away. This morning one of my new neighbors was throwing away a 3 year old John Deere riding mower/tractor, the only thing wrong with it was a flat tire. I only had to tow it home, slap a patch on it and it was good to go, I was practically celebrating until the cops showed up. Make certain what you spot are actually items they intend to throw away. I hope this message makes sense....I'm writing it in crayon to hand to the jailer to type and post for me, they don't allow sharp things in here, they're afraid we might poke others...or oursleves. :

 

oh and a tarp i used to cover my cardboard recycling to keep it from getting wet in the rain was also taken.

 

I have dumpster dived for many years....20+ and have found to many things to list. When I was 19 my appt was completely furnished in about 4 months from dumpsters. :thumb:

Just a few days ago I found a small chest freezer in the dumpster. It was completely clean, and looked almost new (no major dents or scratches). Took it home and plugged it in, and nothing. A little tinkering, and it works like a charm!

It's going to Mountain(buddy on here) in a few days when I go up to hunt on his land! Ya gotta love free!:thumb:

 

I know there was a similar thread here about dumpster diving. Me and hubby do this too (we also find it amazing what people toss!!) My question is, are there any laws against it? I think I remember that if it is at the curb it is public. Does anyone know for sure. Anyone every had a problem besides the Admiral?

 

We stopped again on Friday and hit the jack pot again. Some one had tossed a bunch of NEW vinyl fencing away. I would guess at least $500 worth. There are three complete sections of wind break type sections, plus enough small pieces to make a walkway.
In the same dumpsters we pulled out @600 lbs of steel and aluminum. That's about $50 at the scrapyard.
I have a farm so construction materials can all be used. Here's a tip for you. If you find fiberglass garage doors they work great for garden wind breaks. They are just the right height and let some light through as well. Even my wife with a bad back can handle a 16 ft section easily. By next year we will have enough for our entire garden.

 

BTW, I told my wife I had found enough tin, 2x4's, and plywood to make a nice hunting shack. Let's just say the answer was no.

 

Did you tell her she was wrong?

I mean... come on. We got the tools AND the inclination.

 

I have picked up dressers and stuff from the garbage, but I have noticed that there has been less "good stuff" and more people out looking. I guess it depends on what area you live in.

 

I have seen guys repairing and refinishing dumpster furniture in the back of their pickup in the shade right by the dumpster.

 

we are part owners of a storage facility here in town and it never ceases to amaze me what people leave behind or just loose to back rent...

we have gotten more tools, and power tools along with furniture and everything from A to Z...

most we donate to charity , such things as furniture and appliances and clothing....

worst thing we ever got was 50 bags of garbage (real bad) and the best thing was 1600 rounds of 9mm ammo, and a 12 guage pump shotgun...

 

You don't hold a auction every month????
All the local storage places where i live do and its a open the door and take bids type auction where the bidders bid on what they see and can not sourt through the meterial in the storage place.

You could have even gotten bids on the 50 bags of garbage.::::::

The 12 guage pump shotgun may be a problem.
one it could be stolen, many thieves keep stolen property that can be tracked in storage units and not where they live.

If they get busted they don't tell the cops about the storage unit and the cops rarely find out about the unit.

Two the owners could report it as stolen and if you try to sell it or the cops find you with it you could be arrested for possession of stolen property till you could show that it was left in the storage unit.

15 years ago i use to bid on abandoned storage units and resell everything at swap meets.

Many times i made between 5 and 10 times what i bid when i sold the items.

i was doing this and collecting unemployment at the same time.

Yes i found weapons in a couple of the storage lockers. first i had the storage facility people sign a paper that the weapons had been in the unit and who the unit had been leased by.
I also videotaped everything in the storage lockers i bid and got.
This was for my self protection as they could have been full of stolen property and i wanted to be able to show in court that i had bought the property from a legal source.

 

I just made another run. It was kind of slow today. We found several hundred pounds of scrap iron and a couple pieces of vinyl fencing still wrapped in the plastic. We found a really nice girls bicycle. Hopefully the tires will hold air. Sadly new tires and tubes cost more than a new bike at Wal-Mart.
We use a hydra-bed to pull out the big pieces. Anything less than 3250 lbs can be lifted.

 

Retired relative of mine fixes up and resells bikes full-time.

 

We had a small foul up yesterday. My 13 year old son is my dumpster monkey, yesterday we were pulling a good haul and who should show up, but his junior high crush and one of her friends. The poor kid is mortified. I feel terrible and he doesn't want to help anymore.
I think the kid is going to have to get a new rifle as a bonus. He helped me pull over $1000 worth of stuff in three days.

 

Free Beer!

http://www.spike.com/video-clips/8h7vat/manswers-free-beer

 

I even found a coffee can full of spent brass. The .357 Magnum brass is nice and the .243. The .35 Remington was an odd find.

 

I worked as a Mechanic for Deffenbaugh years ago, I also was a relief driver when they were busy or people were sick. I scored my 30-06 and a 12 ga Shotgun that someone had put out in the trash. also one I found a locked safe sitting with the trash(a small one) out of curiosity I took it home get out the torch and cut the door off got a .25 auto, ammo and some jewelry along with enough personal info that I could have become the person if I want to.