Dumpster Diving has Rules Too

[mickeyd]

I was unaware that there was actually a firm set of DD rules. I suspect that many of you folks were also unaware of this fact. If you have a tendency to DD on occasion, it is good to keep abreast of the conventions of the activity.

1. 1. If you happen to meet up with another diver, be kind. It isn’t anyone’s territory as you both may be looking for different things
   2. Dumpster diving is only limited by you. Some are ok with diving for food and others are not.

1. 1. 11 Rules of the Dumpster Dive | Frugal For Life

 

[Notmuchlonger]

Why I shred our mail.

 

[Nords]

Dang, for a minute there I thought JG had started a blog.

Good rules, although a dedicated diver might eschew crowded dumpsters as having been picked over too much.

With apologies to George Bernard Shaw, it's not about whether or not people are dumpster divers-- only about what it would take to convert them to the lifestyle. Every home improver on our street calls us to see if we're interested in their old stuff.

 

[tryan]

My last DD episode was picking up 2 (updated) 20 gallon propane tanks at the dump. One for my MIL and one for the lake. Both are backup tanks after a tank swap.

Who says the dump is no fun!

Seems every time I am there, one older dude is scrounging for precious metals ... have yet to learn what his found over the years.

One man's trash ...

 

[travelover]

When I was a kid we used to take our trash to the local dump once a month or so. Always brought back some stuff in the trailer that was "too good to throw away" - old bikes etc.

To this day I scan the curb for useful discards. A few years ago my neighbor's son moved out and he put the entire kid's room's contents on the curb. One box had $25 in coins just tossed in, along with unwrapped music CDs .

 

[Khan]

I don't specifically dumpster dive, but I do curb shop on trash day. I have resurrected many plants.

 

[Nords]

Seems every time I am there, one older dude is scrounging for precious metals ... have yet to learn what his found over the years.

Our local surfing beach features a guy with snorkel gear and a metal detector (one in the water, the other on land). Every time I ask he says "Eh, not much"... but I have the feeling that he's finding enough reasons to return.

There's another elderly Asian gentleman who I see there every time I'm surfing, which means he's probably there every day. He goes through every trash can & dumpster for HI-5 containers which can be redeemed at our local recycling centers for a nickel. The lifeguards & security guys don't bother him. He's driving a pickup truck (full of cans & bottles) so he's clearly not destitute, but I'm not certain that he has a home. I'd give him an envelope of cash if that's what I thought he was looking for, but I think he's found a way to maintain his dignity and I've never figured out a way to broach the subject.

 

[Walt34]

Jeff Foxworthy: "You might be a redneck if... You go to the dump and bring back more than you brought".

I guess I'm qualified, but it's been a while, but Dad was in fact a hard-core Pennsylvania redneck, no question, and no apologies either.

My first wife was highly offended when in preparation for a move I brought home cardboard boxes from dumpsters behind department stores.

 

[CyclingInvestor]

I guess I am a DD contributor. I put stuff out on the curb I want to get rid of (old appliances,
lawn mowers, furniture, boxes of old books) on Saturday mornings when the garage sale cruisers
are out. Pickup is usually within a half-hour, and always within a few hours.

 

[mickeyd]

He's driving a pickup truck (full of cans & bottles) so he's clearly not destitute, but I'm not certain that he has a home.

He sounds like a guy that will have a headline like this printed upon his death: "Dumpster Diver endows $3 million Refuse Studies chair at UH."

 

[bbbamI]

I guess I am a DD contributor.

Me too. I put stuff (that charities won't accept) out a few hours before it is to be picked up by waste management so that others can take a look. Most everything is taken by someone.

On one occasion, a woman was looking at a rug that I had put out, and told her friend, "it's no good, it has a spot on it".

 

[OAG]

Gee, every move we have made in the last 30 years was by scouting for empty boxes at the stores -- BTW Cereal Boxes have proven to be the best. Got to go early as most of them use those compactors to crush the boxes. Last move was about 100 boxes.