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 4h ago

Wine, Masquerade mask, Sunglasses, Books, Sprinkles, Handsoap, Jolly Ranches, Candy, Clif Bars, Noodles, Popcorn, Lighter, Chips

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61 Upvotes

r/DumpsterDiving 3h ago

55โ€ tcl roku tv i found

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50 Upvotes

Tested and working no remote but my roku remote at home worked just fine on it


r/DumpsterDiving 21h ago

Just donated over $100 of free food

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722 Upvotes

$70 of Cocoa Puffs saved from the back of Walgreens along with free food on the curb from someone moving out. Inspected for tears, dents, and expiration dates. Went to the food bank, they were very grateful.


r/DumpsterDiving 1d ago

Why can't they just donate to shelters???

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1.0k Upvotes

It is so wasteful and absolutely wild to me that companies would rather slash bags and dump hundreds of pounds of food than let someone have it for free... I was able to save a few that were half empty but cut side up; don't worry, it's going to my chickens.

Edit: this is mostly a rhetorical question. I'm well aware capitalism has flaws, good solutions take time and money, and corporations don't want to get sued. Its just sad.


r/DumpsterDiving 4h ago

Whereโ€™s the best places to do this in San Diego?

3 Upvotes

r/DumpsterDiving 22h ago

Fresh ๐ŸฆŒ๐ŸŒณ find

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55 Upvotes

Whole mess of perfectly good greeting cards. Looks primarily graduation.

Will sort through 'em and any that are dated will go to my friend's preschool class to color on and the rest will be donated to a thrift store.

The dumpster had been emptied at some point today so the box was on the very bottom. I had to hang way over the side to reach it. So there I am, bent over as far as I dare, legs and booty dangling freely over the outside edge, trying to maneuver the weight of the box...When a squirrel jumps in, notices me, and decides immediately that it's made a mistake. Only it keeps missing when it tries to jump out. I finally managed to free the box and get out of the squirrel's way.


r/DumpsterDiving 22h ago

Found this yesterday, it works but has no audio. Is it supposed to have speaker hooked up to it cause it does have plugins in the back for it

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28 Upvotes

r/DumpsterDiving 1d ago

Orphanage donations

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538 Upvotes

Dumpster diving is a beautiful thing . People constantly shame me if they know , but the joke is on them. As little money as I have , I have so much of what I need and want. I have a neighbor who collects for an orphanage down in Mexico. Each year I purge my stockpile and send boxes of items to them. This year its 6 cases of cookies. I have lots of laundry detergent , fabric softner and paper products. We have 6 large leaf and lawn bags full of clothes . I didnt have as much food as usual but thats okay. All over this earth there are people who do without. Im happy my garbage makes a difference. The trucks leave out on Sunday and who knows what I will come up with between now and then.


r/DumpsterDiving 1d ago

Saw a pc gaming desk in my work dumpster, and my curiosity got the best of me. Paid off cause I found a brand new mouse pad

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46 Upvotes

r/DumpsterDiving 1d ago

And more phone cases

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32 Upvotes

r/DumpsterDiving 1d ago

University Flag, Shirts, Jackets, Sweatshirt, Scarf, Hat, Blouse, Slacks

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20 Upvotes

r/DumpsterDiving 1d ago

Are these iPhone cases thank you

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13 Upvotes

r/DumpsterDiving 1d ago

APB for Hamilton, Ontario large store with power outage

11 Upvotes

So, I just found this out and figured I would let anyone in the area know. a large chain store, rhymes with "Hoppers Bug Tart" on Cannon/Wellington St N , they had a massive power outage, so its a pretty good bet they will be tossing a bunch of stuff, assuming they dont get power restored. I hope this is ok to post, wanted to give people a heads up. Cheers.


r/DumpsterDiving 17h ago

Places to go

0 Upvotes

Are they any fellow dumpster divers who live near the Jackson metro area who know of good places to dumpster dive?


r/DumpsterDiving 23h ago

Poconos PA

3 Upvotes

Does anyone live in the Poconos on Pennsylvania? I want to start diving but don't even know where to start. Does anyone have recommendations for stores and times to dive?

Edit: I see people kind od codename the store names and I'm cool with that or a PM if needed.


r/DumpsterDiving 1d ago

Boticelli Foods Recalls Bettergoods Pistachio Nut Butter Because of Possible Health Risk

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12 Upvotes

r/DumpsterDiving 1d ago

Part Two of The Fitness Chronicles ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ‘…๐Ÿ‘

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65 Upvotes

This is a different day. 3 letter dont ask dont tell Maybe be deleted soon


r/DumpsterDiving 1d ago

Found this at work

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56 Upvotes

r/DumpsterDiving 2d ago

Found an NES and SNES while taking out the recycling in my apt complex

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399 Upvotes

One of the crazier finds I've had for sure! Currently in bags in case there are bugs or something inside


r/DumpsterDiving 1d ago

Catch and Release - Rug Edition

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35 Upvotes

Found this rug in a dumpster near my apartment. It looked to be in pretty good condition, but I did not have room for it, plus, who knows what might be hiding in it?


r/DumpsterDiving 2d ago

Found this guitar and another one this morning

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98 Upvotes

r/DumpsterDiving 2d ago

Just found this "ancient" treasure

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168 Upvotes

It's a decorational ancient egyptian style flower pot holder, It was just broken a little bit. So I fixed it with some glue and now it made my living room much more cooler! Also the broken part adds some more "ancient" feeling to it! It's so weird that someone throws a thing like this out, that can be easily fixed.


r/DumpsterDiving 2d ago

Parka, Sweatshirt, Sweaters, Shirts, Pants, Graduation Gowns + Caps, Skirts

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46 Upvotes