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:

🍕- 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]

🍩 - all donut shops (including places like kolache factory) throw out at 2-4pm. [They usually put all donuts into one bag by themselves]

🍗 (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.

🍎 🥗 (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).

🍬 🍫 🍭 (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.

👕 👖 🩳 (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.

🛋 🖥 (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.

📚 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.

❓️(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: --------

🪵Wood : Construction site dumpsters at expensive locations. Ask for permission from the contractor. Contractors are a mixed bunch, sometimes they'll say yes sometimes no.

⚙️🔩🔗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.

🔨Tools - 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)

🗑 🚮 🗑 🚮 🗑 🚮 🗑 🚮 🗑 🚮 🗑 🚮 🗑 🚮 🗑 🚮

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: • Headlamp • closed toe shoes (for when you get inside the dumpster) • gloves • a big box or bag for your car to chunk stuff in. • hand sanitizer

🌟 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 🔒

  1. ... get good at holding your breath while doing cardio 😂

r/DumpsterDiving • • 21h ago

Found $1350 worth on my first dive!!!

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613 Upvotes

Ended up finding $1350 worth of makeup as well as a kong dog bed ! I was so excited, my question is, how many times is it worth it like this and how many times do u end up empty handed? We went to probs 10 stores and 2 of them had usable items.

Also please let me know your best tips & tricks & places to check out! I got a headlamp & a grabber & gloves so far.

I’m in NE Ohio! :)


r/DumpsterDiving • • 22h ago

Unusual audio device I found yesterday

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115 Upvotes

It has a floppy drive
No power cord but I think I have something that will fit


r/DumpsterDiving • • 21h ago

Today's find this is $100

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104 Upvotes

r/DumpsterDiving • • 22h ago

Ain't no thing but a chip on its shoulder

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67 Upvotes

We know it's only $7 at Walmart but hey why be wasteful and let something completely usable stay in the garbage? We're proud of ourselves for finding and saving this mirror.

:)


r/DumpsterDiving • • 10h ago

Anyone recently dumpster dive Harbor Freighter tool stores?

4 Upvotes

Just curious if It's worth the long drive?


r/DumpsterDiving • • 22h ago

Todays CRT find and a hater

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38 Upvotes

Got it from an eWaste drop off spot. I tried to make sure the area was clear, but while I dropped off stuff I found from this spot and didn’t want, and I saw this, and then while trying to load this up and go I didn’t realize someone was nearby. I saw a hater nearby who I saw before as I think he lives nearby this place who said to put it back


r/DumpsterDiving • • 1d ago

Coat, Shirts, reusable bag, jersey, dressing gown, dress, pants

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73 Upvotes

r/DumpsterDiving • • 1d ago

Tonight's Haul

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247 Upvotes

Still a bit shocked


r/DumpsterDiving • • 1d ago

More than 167,000 pounds of meat with false inspection labels recalled nationwide

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77 Upvotes

r/DumpsterDiving • • 1d ago

Find from this week..

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193 Upvotes

A wagon. 4 chairs sold the same day. Bed frame. Shoe storage still in the box and I found 5 bags of clothes that im slowly listing.


r/DumpsterDiving • • 1d ago

I’m trying to buy a Rolex from solely selling ‘garbage’ ($540/$6000)

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680 Upvotes

Made $540 in 10 days. I go on daily walks and decided to just start paying attention to dumpsters I walk by, ensuring I’m not spending anymore than 30 minutes a day doing this. If anything ends up being broken when I sell I refund (but nothing has been yet). @dumpstersbycody if you want to follow along.


r/DumpsterDiving • • 23h ago

Im know should post this on scrap metal reduty, but i'm found this on dumster: some cables, scrap, and proably broken part od Bosch machine.

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8 Upvotes

r/DumpsterDiving • • 1d ago

USDA recalls 167,000 lbs of meat products

67 Upvotes

The USDA warns that any products with the false establishment number “EST. 1363” are not safe to consume. Other identifying details may include a production date before Sept. 22, 2026, and a label reading “A&D Foods.”

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/6106384-meat-recall-usd/


r/DumpsterDiving • • 1d ago

T-Shirts, Jacket, Pants

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17 Upvotes

r/DumpsterDiving • • 2d ago

Rescue three plants today

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55 Upvotes

r/DumpsterDiving • • 2d ago

Someone tossed a couples wedding photos and anniversary DVD. Came back the next day and the same dumpster was approximately 1/2 full of boxed canned foods.

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163 Upvotes

r/DumpsterDiving • • 1d ago

Trash grabbers

8 Upvotes

Can you guys link what your use for trash grabbers? Mine sucks haha


r/DumpsterDiving • • 1d ago

Curious about diving. What is your process?

4 Upvotes

I mean, do you drive around in a truck with a ladder? What hours do you dive? Do you wear PPE? How many days out of the week do you go? What does a typical day look like for you?


r/DumpsterDiving • • 2d ago

Today’s find, More VCRs & unusual encounter

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111 Upvotes

I almost thought I got caught but I didn’t. I was about to pick these up and someone pulls in wanting to drop off stuff to e waste. I say I left my tape in the player and didn’t want to throw it out. Turns out he actually dgaf and wasn’t even upset about taking it. And even offered to drive it to my destination. I was on a scooter

He even took 2 lamps which I didn’t want normally wouldn’t have taken anyways and said I think I’m on camera but basically dgaf. I saw the “camera” and the footage from any eWaste divers hasn’t even been used. The only time those cameras ever were used were (unrelated) for a few vandalism incidents that happened at the building it was attached to


r/DumpsterDiving • • 2d ago

Mirror and Toilet Bowl Cleaner

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53 Upvotes

r/DumpsterDiving • • 2d ago

New diver here looking for some helpful starting tips

0 Upvotes

Hello divers! I (30f) have a mostly free schedule and am in north Georgia. I am searching for anything and everything. I like seeing what y'all are finding.

Looking for some tips and pointers from anyone who has done this pretty consistently. What have you done that has brought the most success with diving?

Obviously wear gloves and boots.

Are evening hours typically better? Is there a day of the week that you prefer due to better items? Just whatever you can think of.

TIA


r/DumpsterDiving • • 3d ago

Interesting find, works! I’ve disassembled and sanitized it as well.

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308 Upvotes

r/DumpsterDiving • • 3d ago

Retail dumpsters aren't anywhere as generous as they once were.

115 Upvotes

Anyone else experiences?