hey bro, do you have any basic tips for dumpster diving or safety? do some stores have better finds than others? and any good donation spots in particular? sorry for so many questions, thank you!
*rubs my little grimy hands together* Actaully do you mind if I write a whole info post?
So you guys may have read this post I made where I talked about how a lot of holiday returns end up trashed and in a landfill rather than back on the shelf, and how it's better to just donate it if possible.
I mentioned that I dumpster dive, so I see a lot of...trash. All the time. I climb over it and in it. Absorb the trash into my heart and soul. Here's some tips:
What to wear/bring:
Gloves (work gloves made of rubber or rubber-life material preferable, protects you from glass and sharp objects and prevents any liquid/trash residue from getting on your hands.)
Closed toe shoes, preferably with hard bottoms. Don't wear crocs. You don't want something sharp sticking through your shoe and into your foot.
Depending on the weather, whatever else. I like to wear masks in the dumpsters just in case (esp during pandemic) to protect myself if there's any contamination risks, or more likely, stinky perfume spilled over in the dumpsters.
If you have lengthier hair, pull it up/cover it. You want hair out of your face to see properly. Even if it's cold, trust me.
Flashlight! Using your phone flashlight works just fine (what I do) but one of those head-lamps things or the smaller handheld battery types are also really useful.
One of these 'reach grabber' things:
Dumpster Diving ettiquite:
Do not leave a mess. Anything you take out of the dumpster, please put back in. Don't spill or break things outside of the dumpsters, employees will have to clean that up.
If you are aware that other dumpster divers might use that spot, leave what you don't need/are not able to donate easily for them. Don't be greedy.
Advice! Do not be blantant or brag about details on social media unless it's for educational and informational purposes and/or you are prepared to face backlash. There's a stigma about dumpster diving and every single one is rooted in classism and capatilistic chokeholds. Bragging about what you found from a certain dumpster might also get that specific spot padlocked if word gets around.
Legality:
A lot of people worry about legal issues when dumpster diving becasue of the concern that stores will consider it stealing. The Supreme Court did weigh in on the status of trash in 1988 but from a privacy rather than property standpoint.
In that case, the court ruled that the police can search trash bags without a warrant because it’s “common knowledge” that garbage is “readily accessible to animals, children, scavengers, snoops, and other members of the public.” And, therefore, there’s no “reasonable expectation of privacy” when it comes to discarded items.
Basically, it's not illegal to dumpster-dive. It is, however, illegal to trespass. That's how they get ya. That's why you see 'no trespassing' signs on store dumpsters sometimes. 'Trespassing' on retail property is murky.
If police ARE called, really the only thing they can say is 'hey, stop that' and ask you to leave. If an employee catches you, they can also ask you to leave. Don't argue, because that can get you into *actaul* trouble. In general, if you start to feel uncertain in any way, go ahead and go.
Now we'll talk about Items you might find in dumpsters:
Food:
Normally, the dates on food packages tell what their best sold by. Sometimes the food you find in dumpsters are past this date, but it's not actaully illegal to sell it after this date but they'll still throw it away. A lot of the time, they will throw out food that has not reached that 'expiration' date yet, sometimes by a day, or a week or even some canned food out by years. Also, some store systems are inefficent, and they'll toss out food wayyyy before it expires sometimes just because it doesn't sell.
Example: a store scans the shelves weekly, depending on the products. Let's say they scan a shelf on the 7th of the month. This means they won't scan that shelf again until the 14th, so anything that is dated up until the 14th will be thrown out. (Not all supermarkets do this.)
Stores will also toss out food that's not 'pretty.' Fruits with bruises, deformed, Single banannas, bags with a single bad fruit in it, cans that have a dent in them, a couple eggs broken they'll throw away the whole carton, ect.
So some tips:
WASH IT. I don't care if it's still in the original plastic packaging, lmao RINSE THE PLASTIC PACKAGING THEN.
Absolutly do keep up to date with food recalls. If you see a large amount of the same item in the dumpster, do a quick google search to see if there's been a recall on it.
Anything that normally needs to be COLD is up to your call on it's saftey. I've found still-frozen boxed taquitos in dumpsters before, lucky enough to get there quickly right as they were tossed. If you thinks it's been a few hours since a frozen meal item was tossed, just pass over it and move on. (the taquitos were a great snack)
If you do happen to find some food but you're not sure if perfectly good for you, make a compost system! Feed it to livestock! (within reason) Or! Just leave it. There is no shame in not being able to save what big companies waste, it's their fault.
Clothes:
More often now, people donate to thrift stores or shelters, so clothes don't show up that often as they used to, but that doesn't mean you won't find an occasional bags of items that someone decided to throw out to minimize their wardrobe...or a retail store that needs to get rid of returns and make room in storage.
Some clothes you find might be stained, which you could either leave if it's unsalvagble or you might have a chance at washing it at home yourself and seeing if it comes clean. Unfortunatly a lot of retail stores like to spray paint their products, and while I've used different methods to save them (nail polish remover, dish detergent, paint thinner, ect) it can be a really hardy process with sometimes no results. Up to you.
Household items/Furniture:
If you're looking for furniture, make sure you have a vehicle with you capable of carrying it. DO NOT try to lift heavy items by yourself. Best to leave it there than risk injury or worse.
Blankets! Sheets! Pillows! Stuffed Animals! Wash these, always. Even if they are brand new and with the original packaging, you don't know where these have been. Sometimes stores destroy these with box cutters and spray paint, be warned.
Candles! Any candles I find are usually because the glass container they were in broke. If you are wearing gloves, you can pull the actaul candle out of the container and viola! New candle. Put it on a plate or another holder before you light it.
Mirrors! Be very careful. Mirrors in the dumpster usually means it's broken. Although not all the time. Once found a really HUGE mirror unbroken in a Kirklands dumpster with only the frame slightly detatched from the glass. Some hotwood glue fixed it up.
Office supplies/School supplies. I find a ton of unused notebooks, binders, clips, pencil packs and other stuff in big box store dumpsters all the time. If you can, please donate/give away those. It would really help families who cannot afford school supplies.
Toys: I have found figet toys, Lego sets, nerf guns, sets of barbie clothing and furniture for those dream house things, hot wheel cars, ect. If the item isn't electronic and doesn't show any visible damage, snag it and donate it. Electronic items (like those little remote control cars) are a gamble because it may have been tossed out due to it not working.
Other misc items/Decor: I've found essential oil sets, a dish set that was marked as $150 worth that was tossed because it had two out of the 25 dishes broken/chipped (the rest were perfectly fine), wall shelveing, ect. It's really a mystery what you'll find.
Technology:
Most tech items thrown in the trash are because they are not usuable, but not always. I have found samsung and kindle fire tablets, essential oil deffuseors, charging cords and boxes for phones, and a $300 Roomba. ALL FUNCTIONAL.
Usually these items have tickets stuck to their boxes (if they have one) explaining why they needed to be tossed.
The roomba was a returned item because the customer didn't know they needed an app to use it. One of the tablets was tossed because the charging cord that usually came with it in the box was missing (I checked, it uses the android type charging)
All in all, it's entirely up to you whether you want to take tech items if you find one and test it at home.
Places to dumpster dive/donations:
I don't think I can be entirely helpful here because I could only say what my expereince is from whats in my area, but I give you generals: Mall dumpsters, supermarket dumpsters, Collage campus dumpsters (esp when it's season to be moving out), Apartment complex dumpsters and big box store dumpsters (that last one carefully.)
Be careful about mentioning store names when discussing the practice of dumpster diving online.
Do not dumpster dive from places like cemataries, hospitals, factories, ect. DO NOT DUMPSTER DIVE FROM T4RGET, or if you do, do it at your own risk. T4rget is notorious for trying to tack charges for trespassers/dumpster divers unlike other places that would rather just ask you to leave, or not care at all.
As for donations, thats up to you and your area. All I can say specifcally is Don't Donate to Salvation Army and to always let them know where you get the items.
One more tip!
If possible, do not go alone! Take a friend with you! Not only is it a fun as hell to raid trash with your buddies, but they can also pull you out of a low spot (literally) if you find that you have trouble pulling yourself out of the dumpster.
(I personally go alone 90% of the time, but I still do not recommend it. I'm 4'9 and not very strong, I've had to do some serious parkour shit to not be stranded in a dumpster. If the worst happens, keep your phone on you to call for someone to rescue you lol.)
Be smart, be safe, and be kind to your planet and the people on it, Happy Diving!
