Well at least that is what this woman is doing. I see her almost every day driving around in a white car…then stopping and going through the dumpsters.
Now I am thinking that if you have a car…and it does not look beat up…then you should not be doing this.
I thought she was just getting cans at first, but she picks all kinds of trash out of the bins and loads it into the car.
I am not sure if you can see too clearly because I took this picture with my phone…which brings up the need for a decent digital camera. Oh well I guess that is my gift for next Christmas.
Would you go through other people’s trash to look for stuff? I guess the economy is hitting some people worse than others.
You betcha I would. I don’t actually pull anything out of the dumpsters, but the apartment complexes around here always have good stuff sitting near the dumpster. People just set good stuff out next to the dumpster for others. It is especially good at the end of the month. I don’t do it all the time, but the last time I had a yard sale, I made and extra $250.
I recently started walking in the evenings to lose weight. My neighborhood is middle-class and my neighbors throw out a lot of good stuff all the time. There is a guy with the a utility trailer that drives thru our neighborhood in the evenings picking up stuff to resell no doubt. I picked up a motorcycle helmet, a child’s minature foot-pedal car, drawer organizer and collandar the other night. I have walked past baby cribs, dressers, lamps etc. but I didn’t go back because I was too tired. lol.
This really helps keep good, useable stuff out of the landfills. Recycling with a profit!
While I’ve never actually gotten into a dumpster, I often get things out of the trash. Each time I take the trash out, I peak in and see if there’s anything good on top. I’ve gotten some great books and organizers as well as recycling. If there’s gross trash on top of it, I won’t touch it, ew.
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Well Lisa, this lady digs. She actually bends over at the waist and goes through it and without gloves. I sat in my car and watched her a couple of times….she pulled stuff out and set it on the ground so she could root around some more…then put all the trash back in the bin.
I’m not quite sure if I”m ready to go there just yet. However, like the other posters, I will peek at things if they’re out side a house or what-not
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You see “trash” but she might see “brand new clothes” or “electronics.” When some people break up, they throw out a whole box of “bad memories” that oftentimes includes (expensive) jewelry. People are stupid and throw away lots of usable stuff! I am aquainted with several people who make more DDing than from their “normal” career. They aren’t hurting for money and one is completely financing an expensive education with the proceeds.
Unless there is downright nasty trash sprinkled on top, I’ll dig right in too! Most trash is bagged, so you have to go through the bags to find the good stuff.
Very few people actually dig in the trash. At one point in my life, I talked to a lot of people who had lived on the streets and the majority of them agreed with you that it was “nasty” and they still had their “dignity” and wouldn’t even think of doing it. I couldn’t believe it! Can you imagine someone who used to be a prostitute telling you that they wouldn’t “dig in the trash” because it was “nasty”? Um, yeah… I think I’d much rather dig in garbage for a couple hours a day. Too surreal.
I grew up (very) poor and my mother looked down her nose at people who dumpster-dived, even though every time we did it we found useful and valuable things. One of my prized possessions was a painting that I got from a dumpster. Some people don’t appreciate art, I suppose.
She might be finding some good stuff in there I agree. I know that when people in this area (and most other places) have good stuff that they are throwing away they put it on the ground outside the dumpster, not in it.
People leave stuff like chairs and VCRs on the ground all the time.
This lady really gets into it. I guess my neighbors have really good stuff since she comes about three times a week.
Maybe I need to look into DDing in my area. 🙂
I would definitely look into it! People find all sorts of stuff. Recently one guy on a DD forum found a 42″ HDTV that needed a $50 repair. So he got an HDTV for $75 including cables. It’s worth it to scope out dumpsters in your area. 🙂
It’s really not clear from the picture and how are you sure she eventually takes anything out from the dumpster. Well like you said, the economy has hit people so badly that even a worn out or old stuff of yours can be beneficial to someone else. I guess thats what I can gather from her ransacking the bins.
Originality of the post makes it great. keep it up Lulu
@ Current Accounts,
I know she takes stuff because I have watched her do it. One of the windows in my place looks out over that dumpster and she is still there when I get upstairs.
I have stayed in my car a few times and watched her do this so I know. The picture is not clear because it was taken at a distance with a camera phone.
There might gold gold in trash. Maybe it’s not gold for us, but it is gold for her.
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@invest money ,well said there “Maybe it’s not gold for us, but it is gold for her.” But I’m not sure that gold will be worth much from a dumpster??
@meeting rooms Maybe he means gold as valuable thing. He should post with apostrophe. There might “gold” in trash.
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@Option I think meeting rooms meant – opportunities for all.
My son made a great find on “bulk pickup day”. Someone had tossed out a small safe used to hold important documents. Pretty nice one with a digital keypad. Turns out the battery contacts were just a little corroded. A little cleanup with some sandpaper, and some WD-40 to stop the rust, and he now has a $300 safe to keep his secret stuff in.
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That is really great. I don’t mind if stuff is lying on the ground next to the dumpster…hey that is how I got stuff in college!!!
The thing that bothered me with this lady is that she ROOTS around in the bags and it is just gross.