Whatever reason you choose for dumpster diving, it’s just fun!  It’s fun to see what you can find that will make you happy, will become a gift for someone else, or it can be the thrill of the find that might be worth a small fortune to you or someone else.  As long as you want to dumpster dive, you may as well learn what it really is and how it can help you and many others.

Good safety equipment is a must.  It does not have to be expensive, but you want to maintain a certain level of safe diving so you do not cut yourself on an old tin can, or stick a nail through the bottom of your foot.  You also want to be careful so you do not expose yourself to toxins that can end up in any dumpster site from an unknown source.

I have stepped on a piece of discarded lumber with nails and ended up going to the doctor for a tetanus shot.  So, wear good, hard-soled, closed-toe shoes.  This is the first safety advice that will do you the most good.  If you have them, wear hiking boots or work boots for the best protection for your feet.  They are the kind of foot gear you can stomp around on old food, booze, dirty diapers (ugh!), mud and other grub you don’t want to find leaking through to your skin.  If you insist on wearing tennis shoes, make sure you wear heavy socks to help protect against exposure and watch where you step.

Take a pair of work gloves with you when digging deep into a dumpster.  You will find broken glass many times from dishes, bottles and other glassware that has been discarded.  Good work gloves will protect you from cuts on your hands.  If you get a small cut, treat it right away with disinfectant and try to find the item you touched.  Be very careful of discarded needles—not only from drug abusers but also from people like diabetics that must take daily shots.

Wear old jeans and an old, long-sleeved shirt.  You are going to get really dirty, but with the right clothes, your skin and body will be protected as well as they can be in this situation.  You can also add safety glasses and a paper mask to block fumes.   Always take special care with your health when dumpster diving in any area.

One more piece of great, dig-around equipment you can use is an old golf club.  They work great for poking around in a dumpster and moving trash to the side so you can look under it before climbing in.  A golf club can hook on to items and pull them close enough to just reach over the edge and lift it out to see what your treasure is.  This is how you may find the most interesting treasure in your hunt, but more on that later…

If you check around, you can find friends and strangers who love to hunt through the dumpsters, too.  In fact, if you go online and search for dumpster diving groups, you’ll find a whole list of groups that get together in different cities throughout the world to go dumpster diving together and compare finds.  Some even have competitions for everything from the most eco-friendly items to the most expensive items.  Should you decide to join, you’ll belong to a group that helps to keep items out of the landfill and recycles items that are still usable.

There are lots of places to hunt, and there are a lot to avoid, too.  Some have to do with privacy and others have to do with toxin danger.  Always consider where you hunt, and even the time of year.  Some of the places you want to avoid as a waste of time are sites that deal in chemical waste.  Auto shops are also not a good area to search as they are dirty and dangerous because of the possible exposures you may have to deal with.  Raw gasoline and battery acid are extremely dangerous when in contact with skin or eyes.

On the other hand, some of the best places to look are dumpsters around college dorms at the end of every term, when the students are returning home for the summer and find it is easier to just throw stuff out than try to load it into an already over-stuffed car.  This can be a treasure trove of items for resale at the beginning of the next term to students returning.  It’s also a great way to recycle the same items over and over while making a little extra cash on the side.  The students need it for a short time, you collect it back for a while, then resale it again at the right time.  This is so good, it’s close to a sure thing.

Apartments are a great place for the recycle and up-cycle of items of all kinds.  When a move-out takes place, people will throw out a lot of great things when they are tired of packing, or when they just don’t have the room for it.  Sometimes it may be items from a roommate that left and never returned -everything from canned foods, electronics, dishes, gift items and decorations for homes to every type of seasonal holiday garb you can think of.  The list of items you find is endless and all of it is recyclable.

In many of the rural areas of the country, there are sites called transfer stations.  These are places to which the locals can haul basic household garbage in order to avoid paying for city pick-up service.  These dumpsters are receiving new items every day, but at many of them the managers will not let you look through the dumpster because of injury liability issues, so the site manager will take good items out of the dumpster and place in an area that is known as the recycle corner.  You can look through anything there and it is free to take.  You can also donate some of your own throwaway items for others to use their own search if you wish.

One of my favorite areas at a transfer station in the north is the discarded wood.  We sign a waiver against injury claims, and are free to look at and take anything we want to use.  We find firewood from cleared brush, seasonal trimming of yards, and home sites to burn for warmth throughout the winter and save on the cost of heating.  We have also found pallets in great shape for sale or use, paneling for game rooms and craft projects, a rocking chair that needed repainting, a trunk, chest of drawers, tool chest, bead-board and many items taken from home remodeling that transfer well to my own home remodel job.

Check building sites for dumpsters and get permission from the builder to take what you find.  This is a good way to find board ends for crafts or heating, good condition sinks, toilets, faucets and any other home parts and pieces.  I have walked away with a stainless steel sink, pipe fittings, whole vanity sets that were replaced with something newer and bigger, new faucet sets that did not fit the décor, tools for building, nails, screws and so many other things it felt like I found a construction worker’s treasure chest!

Some of the items I have used myself, some I have traded to someone that needed them and others are used as gifts, but most dumpster divers can find resale items from which they can make a little extra cash.  You can place them on the local resale site, in newspaper ads, at yard sales or just pass the word on about what you have for sale.  It’s a fun way to meet others and haggle over price.  It’s all in fun when it comes to the sale.  You don’t have to make a lot of money since any amount is a profit.

However, It’s possible to make from a couple of hundred dollars a month to a full-time income for the year.  Tools and furniture are the best resale items, but books and shoes sell easily too.  The latter doesn’t bring in as much money, but they work for your purpose and then you can sell them after reading the books, or wearing the shoes for a few months or until the next find.

Some of the best finds I have come across or friends have found are a new, good condition love-seat sofa-bed, shoes for myself and for kids in my neighborhood, and books of all kinds!  I love to read, so books are always a great find.  I have found dishes, faucets, clothing of all kinds, tools, car parts for later use or resale, lamps, computer desk, gifts items like little figurines, stationery, oil lamps in good shape, bedding, chairs, rocking chair, magazines during seasonal holidays, cookware, yard tools, plants and so much more.  This is just a small list of items through the years we have found and used or resold.

But the not-so-bright side of the finds is old food, blood-soaked clothing, old needles that might have been used for drugs or animals’ shots, old medications, grease, dirt, grime, feces, human body parts such as a finger or an ear, and old makeup, paint, battery acid, gasoline-soaked rags, and other dangerous or scary stuff.  This is the downside and you may need a strong stomach at times.  You also need to know when to stop what you are doing and call the police.  If you find something you feel should be called in, do not move another item.  You don’t want to disturb anything that might help solve a crime.

There are groups in my area and listed on the internet that get together and form teams of dumpster divers for profit.  They work together for safety reasons, for fun, and for friendship.  The items they find are used to recycle for those in need and to raise money for causes such as school programs and food for shelters and food banks.  The groups can be found online for just about any major city in the world.  So if you are a traveler that wants to make a dumpster-diver find as a souvenir, contact one of the many groups in a city or country in which you plan to travel and have your own personal guide.

This is a great way to spend some time outside and make a few finds that will profit you instead of costing you your hard-earned cash.  You are doing your part for the environment by recycling or upcycling items that may be trash to one person, but a treasure to so many others.  It is fun to find something you love or just know someone else will love.  So much is thrown out because it is too small or there just isn’t room to store it anymore.  You can furnish a home, provide for someone else in need or make yourself a tidy little profit all for the fun of a friendly afternoon with people of like mind.

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Well, not us.  You and I are thrifty, resourceful homesteaders who know how to stretch a dollar and make something out of nothing.  I’m speaking of the American people as a whole, who, according to one expert, create four and a half pounds of trash every day per person.  Roughly half of that number is from factories and commercial enterprises, but the other half is tossed out of our homes and into the closest dumpster.

One response to that figure is to shake your head and bemoan the sad state of our disposable society.

Another, better response is to go dumpster diving.

What is dumpster diving, exactly?  In the grand sense, it’s making treasure out of other people’s trash.  People throw away perfectly usable items of all kinds for many reasons, from a minor defect, or a lack of room, or sometimes because they’ve just bought the newest version of something and no longer need the old model.  Dumpster diving is just going out and gleaning the fields, in a sense.

People start dumpster diving for many reasons.  Sheer necessity drives many people to dive, including the homeless, who essentially learn to live off what society deems to be useless or deficient.  One man in my neighborhood has turned dumpster diving into a business by driving around picking up busted furniture and appliances and fixing them up for resale, Sanford & Son-style.  Another reason is a more environmental one, as taking items out of the waste stream for your own use instead of buying something new helps doubly.  Yet another reason is that some people really just love to find interesting things in the trash for free—the thrill of the hunt.  You never know what you’ll encounter every time you go out, and that’s a lot of fun.

How does one dumpster dive?  Well, the first rule of dumpster diving is to not jump in the dumpster, that is, do NOT recreate the photo above.  While it does render the term a bit of a misnomer, common sense does tell us that while diving headfirst into the unknown might be beautifully poetic, in this case it might be diving into broken glass and rusty nails.  So, rein it in for a moment and take a moment to prepare.

First, your clothes.  Is that your Sunday finest you’re wearing?  Switch that out for some comfortable, disposable clothes.  I’ve never gotten so dirty that I had to literally throw an article of clothing away (again, not literally diving in is key), but rips and stains are possible.  Experienced divers often invest in a cheap pair of coveralls from the thrift store for this purpose.  Good shoes are important as well; thick soled and comfy are the minimum requirements here.  If you’re going to start making this a hobby, go ahead and get some leather work gloves as well.  If you’ve got long hair, go ahead and tie it back now.  A small flashlight, like the LED ones that have become popular as of late, is a great idea.  A quick visual sweep of the dumpster with your flashlight is going to save you a lot of time digging around.

Finally, some people like to use a long implement for poking and pulling items in the trash to them.  Lots of items you may have lying around will work here: hockey stick, golf club, old broom handle, etc.  The key is that it’s sturdy, which means most of those mechanical trash-grabbers you can buy will prove to be useless in the long run.

Before you get out there, let’s discuss etiquette.  First, if there is a lock on the dumpster, do not tamper with the lock or the dumpster.  Regardless of why it’s on there or what it contains, it’s just not worth it.  Next, to paraphrase the old hiking maxim, take only worthwhile items, leave only footprints. There’s no need to clutter your home up with junk, so unless can use the item or can resell it, leave it where you found it.  Also, don’t leave trash all over the ground.  Instead, if it’s easy enough, throw something on the ground into the dumpster.  Good karma and all that.  Finally, if there’s ever a “No Trespassing” sign, respect it.

Also, don’t worry about how you’re going to look to the public.  Dumpster diving isn’t legally wrong, and in many ways it’s morally right.  Some people, to avoid being seen, dive only at night.  To me, that only increases the negative perception, making it seem as if you are doing something wrong.  Instead, I recommend going during the day, or at least while there’s still daylight.  If you’re truly concerned about what to do if someone approaches you and asks what you’re doing, the old standby is to say you’re looking for boxes because you’re moving.  Of course, you can always go with the truth and explain what it is you’re doing and why you’re doing it.  Most people, even if they’d never do it themselves, find dumpster diving fascinating, and keen to hear all about it.  Whatever you do, just remember that you’re doing nothing wrong, and to always be friendly.

Now, where are you going to dumpster dive?  It’s unlikely your own trash is going to prove to be very fascinating, so you’ll have to branch out.  If you live in an apartment complex, that’s one good place to start, and possibly the location with the most diverse possibilities.  Apartments will have some of the most interesting finds, such as furniture, art, household items, and just about anything else one sticks in their home.  On the downside, they’ll also contain a lot of literal garbage, like food waste and cat litter, so be careful.  One tip here is to check on apartment complexes around the end of each month.  Tenants typically will be moving out around this time if their lease is up, and whatever they don’t want to shove in the truck will be left behind.  The more considerate (or lazy) will leave it right next to the dumpster.  Some of my best finds have been through this method, including couches, tables, chairs, paintings, laptops, and even a Playstation 3.

Another great place to check is the dumpsters near storage units.  When someone doesn’t pay the bills to their storage unit, the owners of the business will hold a public auction for the right to the contents of the unit.  The catch is that the buyer needs to empty that storage unit out fast, unless they plan on simply taking over payments, so often the case is that the buyer will take what they want and trash the rest in the dumpster.  Usually there’s still plenty left behind that either doesn’t have a huge resale value, such as clothes or books, or is too big to fool with for that buyer, such as furniture or old-school big-screen TVs.  Also, for the nosy or the artistic, buyers almost universally leave behind personal items like photos and letters, which sometimes paint an amazing portrait of an individual you’ll never meet, proving fodder for any aspiring writer’s characters.

Business dumpsters are another excellent place to search.  This is one time when frequenting small businesses is actually a bad idea, only because the smaller business is going to throw away less, both because they have less inventory and because they tend to not toss items away nearly as much.  However, the biggest stores will usually have a compactor that they throw all their items into, and a dumpster just for cardboard, perhaps. This should go without saying, but do not get into a trash compactor.  Anyone who’s seen Star Wars knows it’s not a fun place to be.  Also, do not disable the compactor.  That takes you from being someone reusing and repurposing goods, that would otherwise end up in a landfill, to just being a petty vandal.

Instead, try to find the sweet spot regarding business size.  Strip malls are usually a good place for this.  The anchors of the mall are unlikely to be worth messing with because of the compactors, but everything else should be fair game.  Unless you’re a freegan, pass right on by any restaurant dumpsters.  You’ll typically know those by the smell, and usually because they’re covered in caked-on, black grease.  From here, you can either look at each dumpster, or just at stores that sell what you’re hoping to find.  A bookstore is going to throw away books, a furniture store will throw away furniture, a beauty supply place is going to… and so on.  Some people just drive behind the stores and stop at each dumpster, but I prefer to park and walk.  If something ends up being too big to carry or there’s too much of it, you can always go get the car.

One last great idea, which is on the fringes of a strict dumpster-diving definition, is checking out the curb after someone has a yard sale.  I’ve never seen a yard sale where everything sold, and once it’s on the curb, it’s trash to the previous owner.  Scout out yard sales in your local newspaper’s classifieds and drive by after they’re scheduled to end.  If you’d rather be proactive, swing by while the yard sale is still going on and ask if you can take what doesn’t sell.  In many cases, people are just trying to clear space out in their house or garage, and if they can’t make any money off it, getting it out of their way is just as good.  The proactive approach works well at construction sites as well.  One friend of mine showed up at the end of the day with a six pack or so of beers and asked the workers if they had anything that wasn’t going to be used or moved to the next site.  By establishing a rapport with the crew, they supplied him with lots of materials over the year, and he built his two-bedroom house for under $10,000.

Where shouldn’t you dumpster dive?  Part of that answer lies with how much ick you can stand.

Now’s a good time to touch on dumpster diving’s legality.  The Supreme Court set a precedent in 1988 in California v. Greenwood, stating that once someone puts something in the trash, he or she has relinquished their rights to it and anyone can take it.  So, unless your specific city has a rule against going through a dumpster, there shouldn’t be any problems.  If you’re following the previously mentioned tips (no messes, no trespassing, no destroying property) then that goes doubly.  If someone sees you and asks you to stop, don’t spout your newly-garnered SCOTUS case knowledge.  Just stop, smile, and move along.  There’s plenty more trash where that came from.

“But,” you’re saying, “I need this specific item or more of these things.”  A lot of dumpster diving is about the journey and not the destination.  Sometimes you’ll hit a few dumpsters and strike out at each one.  Other times the back seat of your car will be stuffed with piles of goodies.  Like other hobbies, such as gardening, going to yard sales, and such, it’s about delayed gratification.  I don’t think that’s a terrible thing to learn how to deal with in the instant gratification times we live in.  Take the time to enjoy the walk, the anticipation of a child on Christmas morning as you peer into a new dumpster or one that’s done you well so many times before, and the thought that you’re both helping the environment and helping yourself at the same time.

The post Dive In! Tips and Tricks for Dumpster Diving appeared first on Homestead.org.