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Treasurekidd
Penny Sorter Member
USA
39 Posts |
 Posted - 10/18/2009 : 15:01:55
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I know we all do scrapping, and I do alot of treasure hunting like metal detecting, bottle digging and yard sale / flea market hunting, but is anyone here a "professional" dumpster diver? I've seen a few websites that make it seem profitable, but I wonder? I'd love to hear from dumpster divers, about finds and such. Thanks in advance!
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Ebay Stuff: http://shop.ebay.com/pktchng/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=25 |
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maoguinn
Penny Pincher Member
USA
118 Posts |
Posted - 10/18/2009 : 20:40:13
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| Hi Treasurekidd, i'm not really a dumpster diver but i do pick up scrap and other items beside the dumpster. I don't like to get in a dumpster and sift around for stuff. I have never found anything of value to resale. Currently, there is a city ordinance against dumpster diving but it is not being enforced. I was stopped by an undercover officer that had a complaint that i was driving down alleys. He told me to keep it to a minimum in certain areas of the city. I guess people get a little nervous when someone is driving behind there house. |
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PennySaved
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
1720 Posts |
Posted - 10/19/2009 : 14:27:24
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Which do you feel has been the most successful for you -- dumpster diving or penny sorting or yard saling or metal detecting?
I'd do them all but there isn't enough time in the day :-)
Sometimes I wish I could quit my full time job and just do all of those things. I think you could make a modest income. |
SELLING COPPER PENNIES 1.4X FACE SHIPPED......“I sincerely believe that banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies, and that the principles of spending money to be paid by posterity, under the name of funding, is but swindling futurity on a large scale” Thomas Jefferson |
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smartinson
Penny Collector Member
USA
287 Posts |
Posted - 10/19/2009 : 16:01:05
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| I don't dumpster dive but when I go visit my daughter, we like to drive around the day before trash pickup and people put their big items out for pick up. You can actually furnish a house with things people throw away. No one cares if you take the things they are going in the trash truck. My daughter got a complete sleigh bed frame that looks almost new, a very nice wooden high chair, a really cute wooden rocking motor cycle (new) and many more items. Lots of decorative house hold items of all kinds. Once she found a tool box full of tools. Some one must have been mad at their husband or a really big mistake. Where she lives you can pick a choose all day. It is a junker/scrapper's dream come true. |
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CoinHunter53562
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
1805 Posts |
Posted - 10/19/2009 : 16:24:17
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Our neighbor at the coin shop told me does this every Sunday night. He used to manage (or maybe still manages) an apartment building so he checks there weekly for goodies. He told me found an album full of old foreign currency and gave us a couple of examples to check out. If you have the time, and you don't care what others think or say, then why not do it? Of course, you should be careful that you're not breaking any laws.  |
My hobby: collecting real money 1 copper cent or nickel at a time.
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smartinson
Penny Collector Member
USA
287 Posts |
Posted - 10/19/2009 : 16:33:08
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| Rented Storage building dumpsters that are not locked up are also good places. People have a tendency to just throw stuff away that doesn't fit in the truck or they don't want. Sometimes some really good stuff. No laws against picking up in my daughters area, it keeps it out of the landfill. |
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CoinHunter53562
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
1805 Posts |
Posted - 10/19/2009 : 16:46:54
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quote:
Originally posted by smartinson
Rented Storage building dumpsters that are not locked up are also good places. People have a tendency to just throw stuff away that doesn't fit in the truck or they don't want. Sometimes some really good stuff. No laws against picking up in my daughters area, it keeps it out of the landfill.
Yep certain times of the month (right before month end) or certain times of the year (mid August here because we have the University of Wisconsin) are good times to search through other peoples unwanted items.  |
My hobby: collecting real money 1 copper cent or nickel at a time.
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davycoppit
Penny Pincher Member
USA
126 Posts |
Posted - 10/19/2009 : 18:24:56
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A few months ago I started working for a sanitation company that one of my relatives owns. Since then I have found unreal things in the dumpsters/trash. The owner of the company has a huge shed lined with glass cases full of the things that he has found over the 40 years he has been working (most of it is some of the neatest toys/antiques I have ever seen). It is almost like his own museum.
Since I have started I have found canadian silver halves, mexican silver coins, sterling spoons, gold jewelry. There hasn't been a day yet that I haven't brought something home. I also save all the copper, brass , and aluminum I find. If you want to find things for WTSHTF it is the perfect job.
Unlike most people think the trash on the curb isn't public property, it is owned by the trash company (at least were I work). |
Edited by - davycoppit on 10/19/2009 18:25:59 |
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Bart
Penny Pincher Member
Canada
120 Posts |
Posted - 10/19/2009 : 19:53:58
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Yes, I still dumpster dive. Mostly just whats local. They buy a cottage & knock it down & put a big mansion like house instead. When I walk the dog & bag the crap I will stopat the nearest dumpster to drop it off. But I would get a good eyefull of whats there & if its any good I will either take it home-if there is not much or come back with my van when I'm done walking my dog.
I drove roll off truck 12 years ago before I screwed up my back. (Thats the truck that picks up the large bins & takes them to the dump.) Yes, it was all industrial waste but we used to have the best yard sales in the neighbour hood. People were still coming in ay 4:30 were your trying to put the stuff away.
It was like a treasure trove because you never knew what you would find. The grossest stuff was during hunting season finding a deer head in the bin.
Happy hunting all! |
Nice. Yes. Very nice. |
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n/a
deleted
24 Posts |
Posted - 10/22/2009 : 22:25:26
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Dumpster diving on Military Bases are the best..
It's a sick addiction, trust me- I know.. |
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Neckro
1000+ Penny Miser Member
Saudi Arabia
2080 Posts |
Posted - 10/22/2009 : 22:32:43
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| Yeah, lots of guys getting deployed, PCS, and ETSing throw away a lot of good stuff they can't take with them |
Trolling is an art. |
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fire medic 160
New Member
USA
16 Posts |
Posted - 10/27/2009 : 20:15:42
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Don't really dumpster dive but a close friend of mine does. He does pretty good at cans and other various metals.
Me personally, I go around on the town wide clean up week. Never know what people are gonna set at the curb. Few years back, my uncle and me stopped at a spot, loaded the car up with scrap, keepables, and yard sale items. Had to go unload the trunk and backseat. Went back and ended up with another car full of the same.
To any one who dumpster dives, being an emt, I have seen people who don't regulate theier home medical waste very well so be careful for suprises you don't want. |
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beauanderos
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
2408 Posts |
Posted - 10/27/2009 : 22:59:32
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| Hey Medic, welcome to the site. Did ten years in the trenches as a Fire paramedic. One day we went to the grocery store and parked the rig behind the store (Von's) as usual. They had a habit of throwing away crates of perfectly eatable (but blemished) fruits, veggies, lettuce, etc, and often large wrapped packages of pastries as well. We were climbing off the rig discussing the merits of dumpster diving to find treasures that other people had discarded when, just at that moment, a lady popped her head out of the bin and stared at us. "Look," I pointed, "someone threw away a perfectly good woman!" |
Hoard now and hold on!
http://coppermillions.blogspot.com/
http://wherewillyoubein2012.blogspot.com/ |
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n/a
deleted
7 Posts |
Posted - 11/16/2009 : 13:47:26
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quote:
Originally posted by smartinson
...My daughter got a complete sleigh bed frame that looks almost new,
Ergh!!!! I am so jealous! I have always wanted to find a sleigh bed like that!!!
I was gifted an iron bed frame;incomplete, tho. lol! |
Nothing wrong with preparedness. |
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n/a
deleted
10 Posts |
Posted - 11/18/2009 : 05:09:44
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I dumpster dive when I see someting good, so more like dumpster spooting. Once I spotted a really old map with golden framing which I took home. It's a beautiful one over nothern part of Europe form 1919, before WWII so the old borders is still on there. I later went with it the get it evaluated and it turned out to be worth around $600. So I happily hanged it back on the wall in wait for hard times. That's what I call an easy way to earn money.
Remark: Just read that a previous poster hade found a bunch of gold scrap - wonder why people throw away such things.
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Edited by - n/a on 12/14/2009 06:56:30 |
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RyanAKL
Penny Pincher Member
USA
224 Posts |
Posted - 11/18/2009 : 21:11:59
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| last winter i was pushing snow in a k-mart parking lot and went back to throw empty salt bags in the dumpster and found three brand new mini fridges. from my understanding stores like walmark kmart throw all the displays away when they are discontinued or new stuff comes in. i have also found alot of software in the dumpster behind staples and officemax. but some of these places have the inclosed dumpsters, keep an eye out for the open ones its always worth it to take a peep. |
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n/a
deleted
10 Posts |
Posted - 11/19/2009 : 03:41:56
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This thread relly got me inspiered, who knew dumpsters could be such gold mines. I'm going to have myself a looka round after work today and see what I'll find. I'll post it on here tomorrow. Wish me luck!
Remark: hope I'll find that bracelet gold the previous poster were talkig about.
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Edited by - n/a on 12/15/2009 12:24:24 |
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redneck
1000+ Penny Miser Member
1273 Posts |
Posted - 11/19/2009 : 09:32:40
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Dumpster Diving
I always believe one should dress the part.
This guy gets extra points for stylish attire.
(Notice his "penny" loafers) 
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2old
Penny Pincher Member
188 Posts |
Posted - 11/19/2009 : 09:48:34
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| There is an epidemic of bed bugs in certain areas, you may want to avoid bringing home any upholstered furniture or mattresses, no matter how nice they look. I know of a housing project that had bed bugs and had to replace about 40 mattresses. They placed them by the dumpster, along with other furnishings, only to have about half disappear. They were cited by the Health Dept. for improper disposal. |
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fire medic 160
New Member
USA
16 Posts |
Posted - 11/19/2009 : 16:28:51
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To RyanAKL:
I used to work at a Wal-Mart. They do throw away alot of good merchandise, or at least they did 10 years ago. Only problem was they had the roll off compactor. However they were know to get a regular roll off dumpster espically during peak season's time.If you can catch the roll offs when the stores move or remodle, it can be a gold mine for scrap with the old shelving units and junk. If anyone cash's in on card board smaller retail stores are good places for that. My mom works at Dollar General and they just recently starting sending cardboard back to the wharehouse for recycling. Till then it was pitched. They been known to toss discounted merchandise also but in regular dumpsters. Just guessing here but I'd say smaller mom and pop stores still throw out quite a bit of cardboard. Moonlighted at mcDanlds and there dumpsters were a cardboard gold mine. Only bad thing around here no one's willing to pay you for it, only accept it. |
Later |
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n/a
deleted
10 Posts |
Posted - 11/20/2009 : 03:20:11
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As promised I went on a dumpster ride yesterday - cirkling my neighborhood, going to the local malls ans such. Though i didn't come across as many dumpsters (many were locked up) as I hoped, I did, after 4 hours of work, end up with quite the treasure. In my pick up I had loaded: a 90's TV (functioning), two nice table lamps, a really pretty golden candelabra and a two-person sofa. And as for food: 2 boxes of chees, a lot of bread, bananas (the dumpsters seemed to offer endless quantities of bananas), 3 t-bone stakes (not sure I'll eat those though) and a lot of potatoes and onion.
I sent the gold candelabra to a cash for goldcompany and got quite the payment sent back.
I think it would be possible to make a living of it, if you live somewhere really cheap, but you probably will get sick from time to time. |
Edited by - n/a on 12/15/2009 12:25:27 |
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hobo finds
Penny Hoarding Member
838 Posts |
 Posted - 11/20/2009 : 15:14:24
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Looks like you have the living room taken care of!  I just would'nt eat the meat! |
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wolvesdad
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
2164 Posts |
Posted - 11/21/2009 : 04:33:02
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Have I dumpster dived before? Yes. As a Resident Assistant I found some great cool stuff students were tossing on their way back home to mom and pop.
Would I recommend it? NO!
I'm a family man now and am thankful I didn't 'catch' anything while dumpster diving.
Nearly touching a used condom once was quite a sickening experience...think of how deadly that could really be!
Another time I jumped in after a new looking dvd player and landed on a large glass photo frame(hidden beneath a bag of trash). Think of what could have happened if the glass was already broken and it cut my ankle/leg?
No dumpster diving treasures would be enough to pay for the hospital bills.
Hey, if you are really not able to find a job and you need cash, I can understand it. But just use caution and know the risks! |
"May your percentages ever increase!" |
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Farmall
Penny Pincher Member
USA
112 Posts |
Posted - 11/21/2009 : 19:26:23
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quote:
Originally posted by SeamanMarch
As promised I went on a dumpster ride yesterday - cirkling my neighborhood, going to the local malls ans such. Though i didn't come across as many dumpsters (many were locked up) as I hoped, I did, after 4 hours of work, end up with quite the treasure. In my pick up I had loaded: a 90's TV (functioning), two nice table lamps, a really pretty golden candelabra and a two-person sofa. And as for food: 2 boxes of chees, a lot of bread, bananas (the dumpsters seemed to offer endless quantities of bananas), 3 t-bone stakes (not sure I'll eat those though) and a lot of potatoes and onion.
I think it would be possible to make a living of it, if you live somewhere really cheap, but you probably will get sick from time to time.
There is a local farmer here that dives all the local store to feed pigs. He has some of the fattest pigs around all fed for free!! |
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IndieScience
Penny Sorter Member
33 Posts |
Posted - 11/21/2009 : 19:42:32
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| I'd like to eventually become a dumpster diver, and I've done it before haha People look at you weird, but that is pretty normal. |
Check out my Science Website: http://www.indiescience.org |
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n/a
deleted
10 Posts |
Posted - 11/23/2009 : 03:49:09
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Unfortunately I don't have any pigs, and I threw most of the food back in the trash. I guess that most of it would have been possible to eat if you deep fried it. Yeah my living room looks much nicer now. But I'm selling the candilaber online so I get some cash out of my little adventure as well.
Update: got quite a lot for my gold scrap: $300. |
Edited by - n/a on 12/15/2009 12:24:51 |
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Topic |
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Anyone here dumpster diving?
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