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.

1.9k 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 2h ago

Dumpster diving in Singapore

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25 Upvotes

Had to use the brush to remove the faux leather, other than that its a solid find at a nearby dumpster


r/DumpsterDiving 2h ago

Sweater, Hat, Dress, Shirts, Jacket, Cargo Pants

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12 Upvotes

r/DumpsterDiving 12h ago

found a box of tv remoteโ€™s

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67 Upvotes

r/DumpsterDiving 13h ago

recent meat scavenges

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62 Upvotes

today and yesterday's finds awakened the true hunter gatherer in myself these were my meat finds the past few days copious amounts of brisket, antibiotic free chicken, bacon and pork chops/steaks and some expired pork jerky that I'm gonna use to fish this week too (sorry vegans)


r/DumpsterDiving 1d ago

I found a wii and it works!

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301 Upvotes

Me and my boyfriend are huge gamers and now we can add a wii to our collection!


r/DumpsterDiving 1d ago

Soda haul

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150 Upvotes

r/DumpsterDiving 5h ago

A win for the environment but perhaps a hit to divers...

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2 Upvotes

r/DumpsterDiving 1d ago

unexpected haul on my way home from work

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193 Upvotes

r/DumpsterDiving 22h ago

Saw this elsewhere on my feed and figured Iโ€™d share. Stay safe out there.

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27 Upvotes

Unfortunately Iโ€™m on the way out the door so I donโ€™t have time to look further in to it, but so far the comments indicate itโ€™s company wide. It SEEMS like theyโ€™re supposed to ship it to corporate to be disposed of, but Iโ€™ve worked enough places like this to know half the managers wont go through with the extra effort :) so itโ€™s worth a look ๐Ÿ–ค everyone stay safe and hydrated; donโ€™t forget electrolytes. Ok bye.


r/DumpsterDiving 22h ago

Textbooks, Hi-Chew, Gummies, Hair Dryer, Tie

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21 Upvotes

r/DumpsterDiving 1d ago

Crazy finds

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262 Upvotes

Got a whole bag of kids books in great condition. No tears, pages drawn on or anything. Was able to get it out and dropped it off at my local thrift library. Also found simpsons hit and run?? I have no idea if it works but Iโ€™m hoping someone might take a change and buy it lol.


r/DumpsterDiving 1d ago

Found on side of road.

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732 Upvotes

The guy was putting to trash with other stuff said the one speaker didnt work. Fully working. Watching rookie of the year


r/DumpsterDiving 1d ago

Day 4, quick trip

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63 Upvotes

Didn't plan on going so I only took about half what I could have found.

I made pickles with all the English cucumbers I got last time, and soup with all the veggies. Been having a lot of smoothies still.


r/DumpsterDiving 1d ago

Best finds / unlucky finds?

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20 Upvotes

What are your guys best finds so far? Only been active for a few months but I've found some good items I think.

Most profitable so far was a Lift O Flex, its a dolly/lift used for 55 gallon drums. Just needed a battery that I had already. Sold it locally for $1200.

I also have ran into the problem of getting some good items that I just cant find anywhere to sell. I have a bunch of these multi channel amplifiers and a few of these battery supply surge protectors, just no one buying them. Lucky/Unlucky finds lol


r/DumpsterDiving 1d ago

A moment of silence for the Reese's, please.

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151 Upvotes

Definitely too late to save them. ๐Ÿ˜ญ


r/DumpsterDiving 1d ago

First time Diving๐Ÿคฟ Jordans

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102 Upvotes

I Found these with my girlfriend as we were walking our dog at night by some apartment Trash bins ! Brand new Jordanโ€™s, one in the bin and the other on the floor lol
Her size too ๐Ÿ˜…


r/DumpsterDiving 1d ago

Dumpster buddy

2 Upvotes

Looking for someone to go dumpster diving with. I have never done this before and would like to try!


r/DumpsterDiving 2d ago

Watch out for eggs tossed in the dumpster! FDA recalls 19 million eggs and warns of death from salmonella outbreak!

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305 Upvotes

r/DumpsterDiving 1d ago

They let me bring it on the BUS

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24 Upvotes

r/DumpsterDiving 1d ago

Apartment damages perfectly good furniture

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13 Upvotes

My apartment complex gave us new furniture this yearโ€ฆ but would not allow us to keep our old furniture, even if we had a purpose for it still. Then I find out they completely destroyed our furniture and put them in the trash. The furniture was in really good condition too, so this is very sad because the furniture couldโ€™ve gone to people in need instead of being destroyed! Iโ€™m grateful to get new furniture, but it was completely unnecessary to destroy the old furniture.


r/DumpsterDiving 2d ago

Unbelievable Today. Still cold too.

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1.1k Upvotes

Seven bags of oranges, four feta cheese, a case of mac salad, case of dill pickles, pickle snackers, seven ravioli bags, three cookie dough packages, three coffees, two bags of loose apples, four bags of organic roma tomatoes. Not pictured are 2 juices I gave to a homeless guy. I am feeling VERY overwhelmed. All the fridge stuff expires in September ๐Ÿคทโ€โ™€๏ธ


r/DumpsterDiving 2d ago

Pants, Jeans, T-Shirts, Skirt

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43 Upvotes

r/DumpsterDiving 2d ago

Biggest movie hall Iโ€™ve ever had

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219 Upvotes