Comments on: Dumpster Diving

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 16:46:14 +0000

But the best thing that has ever been found, was a 21 inch High Def. LCD TV/ Monitor. A brand new backpack full of flashlights and batteries.

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 16:44:05 +0000

The greatest thing my husband ever found dumpster diving is a 14karat gold and diamond mothers ring the week of mothers day. A complete bedroom in a bag with an oriental and maracan theme. With sheets, bed skirt, pillow cases, square pillow cases, 3 decorative pilows, throw blanket, and much much more.

By: PintofStout

PintofStout — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 15:06:38 +0000

Alyson,

I own that book. It was purchased from Loompanics before they went under, sadly.

By: Owen

Owen — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 02:38:39 +0000

Here is a note for all you dumpster divers and other looking for stuff at the curb. If you join freecycle through the Yahoo groups you will be sent “curb alerts’ via e-mails. I would suggest asking for the notices being sent as a group of 25 (maybe twice a day) otherwise you will be sent 100’s of e-mails a day.

By: Beth

Beth — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 20:26:14 +0000

Not that great a find, but…

Was holding an outdoor birthday party for my hubby 2 years ago. I was thinking I needed to buy some more outdoor chairs.

While I was out for my morning walk, I discovered 4 white resin chairs which would be perfect.

I speed walk home, get the car and put all 4 of them in the back…with the back open. Upon going up the hill to my house, 2 fall out. I continue on…then run back and get the 2 chairs from the street.

The kicker??? These chairs were in front of the house I grew up in from age 0-6. And I still have them and use them in the summer 2 years later!

By: Ashley

Ashley — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 18:52:39 +0000

Who lives in a college town? Best dumpster diving stragegy:

1.Find out where the good students with rich parents live.
2. Drive by their dumpsters every June
3. Collect at will.

We’ve got a chair in our kitchen we rescued from the dumpster, we’ve passed on a TV stand and a coffee table to other needy appartments courtesy of the dumpster and my now-married roomate has a rocking chair that was rescued from the dumpster abyss.

By: Justin

Justin — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 18:43:46 +0000

I got both of my Rottweilers from a trash can some one had tryed to get rid of them when they were puppys

By: Alyson

Alyson — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 17:46:28 +0000

As a library employee, I laughed out loud when I came across a very real book called “The Art and Science of Dumpster Diving” by John Hoffman. It was published in 1993 then republished in 1999. It sounds like your friend is already an expert, but some beginners might like this book!

By: bettycat

bettycat — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 17:30:15 +0000

I’ve been a picker-upper for years. One year we’d moved and lived for months without a sofa. We were passing through a small town about 40 miles from home when I spotted the most hideous yellow floral wing back sofa on the side of the road. But it was spotlessly clean and it was free. To their horror, I made my children get out and sit on the sofa until I came back with rope, (in case someone else wanted it? right.) We tied that ugly thing to the roof of my 1988 Mercury Grand Marquis and drove back into Champaign, IL, looking not unlike my heroes, the Clampetts. Of course there was no way myself and two children could get that thing up the rickety outside staircase and around the tight corner so I had to leave it tied to my car for a few hours while I phoned as many people as I could think of until a few begrudgingly came over to help. It WAS the ugliest sofa ever, but man, was it comfy, and being a wingback, you could sleep sitting up. I still live in Champaign, and being a university town, it’s a very transient community. People put perfectly good stuff to the curb every moving season. I did score a nice Ethan Allen bench (like for a foyer or something). I gave it to a friend, since I had no room for it. My very favorite kitchen bowl came out of the trash. I could keep going on but I won’t. Hopefully someday I’ll find a million-dollar piece of art but I won’t hold my breath!

By: Kelly J

Kelly J — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 16:54:01 +0000

We were very sheltered growing up, and weren’t allowed to have any video games, or watch select Nickelodeon shows, VH1 or MTV (”The M,” as my dad called it.)

We moved to a new town in a really small house, and then bought a much larger fixer-upper down the block. My sister and I were riding our bikes past our newly purchased and soon to be moved into house, when we noticed a box next to their garbage. Not surprising, since they were getting ready to move. Inside it, however- the original Nintendo system, with all sorts of games and accessories. I’m not sure how we got all that back to our house on our bikes, but we did.

We hid it in our room, but knowing my parents (we jokingly call my mom “CIA” to this day) we knew it wouldn’t be a secret we could keep. Plus, we had one TV. So we wrote out an elaborate 18-point presentation of reasons we should keep the Nintendo system (which was severely outdated at the time, my friends all had Nintendo64 and I think PlayStation by that time, if it tells you how old it was.) Some of the reasons included “It will improve our hand-eye coordination” and “it is at no cost to you!”

After what seemed like hours, my parents agreed we could keep it, but couldn’t use it until we moved into our new house. Eventually my dad became addicted to watching us play video games and we got a bunch more systems, still outdated, but it excited us.

I’m still not allowed to watch “The M” when I’m at home though… and I’m 22.