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'Dumpster Diving' is a subreddit dedicated to urban foraging — searching through the trash for usable items.
Members of this online community share their experiences and tips for finding valuables, talking about both their successes and failures, as well as discussing ethical and legal considerations surrounding the activity.
Overall, it's a supportive and informative subreddit, full of support and encouragement for everyone who tries to live at least a bit more sustainably and reduce waste.
So in an attempt to contribute to spreading the message, we at Bored Panda put together a new publication, featuring the subreddit's most popular posts. Continue scrolling to check them out and fire up our first one for the older ones.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
My New Biggest Score
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#2
Found In The Dumpster Tied In A Trash Bag. What A Sweet Soul As Well. Poor Thing
Juliet Ware 2 years ago
The human race is disgusting at times !! Why couldn't they just take it to a shelter!? Thank you for saving this little soul xx
#4
Found This Boy By A Recycling Dumpster Today
#5
Found A Completely Unused Art Set
Lil Potato 2 years ago
those things pull you in with the pretty colors, but they ARE trash. ive had so many of these and they DO NOT work
#6
Thought This Was Worth Saving
#7
Two La Creuset’s Left At The Dumpster By My Work Today
#8
Not Dumpster Diving Per Se, But This Antique Hand Painted French Cabinet From The 1890's Was A Part Of The "Junk" I Was Hired To Remove From A House Yesterday!
#9
Ok This Is Epic
#10
Built Myself A Desk Out Of Some Mahogany Base Boards Taken Out Of The Dumpster! My Gaming Chair Was Picked Up From The Curb Side
#11
Someone’s Old Marble Collection Got Put In The Trash And Rescued By Me
#12
Scoreeee. First One Of The Season
#13
Found This Painting In The Trash, Looked Like My Cat So I Grabbed It
#14
My Curbside Cast Iron Haul!
#15
Was Out Of Dogfood And Broke Af. Thought I'd Take A Peek In The Pet Store Dumpster. Score
#16
I've Never Felt The Need To Post A Haul Until This
#17
I Was Digging Through The Trash Of Someone Who Looked To Be Moving And I Found A Set Of Earrings Marked As 18k Gold And A Friend Who Is A Jeweler Tested The Stones And Said They're White Sapphire
#18
I’m Excited About This Find, I’m An Elementary Teacher And Next Year I’ll Have All My Kiddos Write Cards To Their Family/Staff! They Were Sealed In A Trash Bag Untouched On Top!
Jescia 2 years ago (edited)
I work for a greeting cards company (not mentioning names but not that one, the other one!). At the end of the holiday most cards are "destroyed" (i.e. thrown away). It's a waste, I hate it. If we are lucky, the store recycles and the leftovers go with the recyclable trash. If not, they get pitched. This person didn't completely destroy, we are supposed to add dye or soap or something to the bag so no one wants what's inside. I'm actually glad someone found these. I get angry at the end of every season that the leftovers can't be donated to hospitals, hospices, churches, anywhere. Glad these are getting a 2nd life. (This also applies to any stuffed animals or plush toys. Don't let them get wasted!) *Edited for spelling
#19
Found A Perfectly Fine Bass Guitar In The Garbage. On My Birthday!!
#20
Someone Threw Out A Perfectly Working 40 Inch 4k Smart TV. Madness, But Mine Now
#21
Dumpster Diver Needed A Little Help Out After Getting Stuck Down There
#22
This 30+ Year Old Monstera Deliciosa Would've Gone To The Dump. Working At A Moving Firm Has Its Benefits! Girlfriend For Scale
#23
I Have Never Felt So Happy From A Dumpster Find
#24
Pretty Rad Find. My Grandparents Paid Something Like 75 Cents A Months Back In The Day For One Similar. Little Work, And She’ll Shine
Kathryn Baylis 2 years ago
I would date this to the 1920s - 1930s, maybe way early 1940s at a stretch, but solidly 1930s at least. It should come up really nice with some T!C—-just please please please don’t paint it, OK?
#25
Back With More To Report. I Thought I’d Retired, But Last Night I Checked The Dumpster Again. Diapers, Storage, Heaters, Toys And Cases Of Cereal Later ($785) Sticker Price, I’m So Glad I Went. More Donation Trips To Make Next Week!
Alison Hell 2 years ago
This is just disgusting so many perfectly good items get tossed. I'm glad folks are finding these things and donating though.
#26
Someone Didn’t Feel Like Cleaning Their $800 Espresso Machine. I Found It Sitting On Top Of A Garbage Can Out Diving Last Night
#27
I Love These Little Free Pantries I've Been Seeing Pop Up Lately. They Give Me A Great Opportunity To Practice Mutual Aid With My Neighbors By Filling Them Up With A Bunch Of Perfectly Fine Non-Perishables I Score From Dumpsters!
#28
Found This Disco Ball - Expected It To Be Flimsy, Made Of Styrofoam But Its Actually Very Heavy And Nice!
#29
I Make Blankets For Shelter Doggos/Homeless People And Their Dogs From Linen I Find In Dumpsters. Doggo In Photo Is My Little Weirdo. And No, I Did Not Find Her In A Dumpster:p
#30
In An Open Dumpster Behind My Target…
#31
Saw Someone On Here Say They Found A Bunch Of LED Lights Once. I Thought “Omg I Want To Find Some”… Well I Found 25 Boxes Last Night
#32
Pert Smert If My Favorite Dumpster By Far. Very Aesthetic, Brand New $150 Cat Tower, In The Box? Score. P.s. They Love It
#33
Antique Apothecary Scales Thrown Out By Neighbors
#34
Saved Before It Hit The Trash
#35
Did I Find 30 Pairs Of Brand New $120 Boots In A Shoe Store Dumpster? Do All Of My Friends Now Have Said Pair Of Boots? Yes On All Fronts
#36
And Again... Brand New
#37
Approximately 650 Pounds Of Aluminum Cans Collected At A Music Festival
#38
Was Told You Guys Might Enjoy This. Found About 20 Tablets In The Trash Today. Mostly Old Galaxy Note 10.1 From 2014 But I’ll Take It With A Big Smile
#39
$700 Free Wine.... I Asked The Dumpster God If I Should Quit Drinking. This Is Her Answer.... I Guess That’s A No!
Grant Barke 2 years ago
I wonder if my local gold dealer is dumping out of date gold bars. Must check out their dumpster out back.
#40
I Got All Deez 242 Bananas From A Dumpster. Banana For Scale
#41
I’ve Died And Landed In Dumpster Nomad Heaven
#42
This Is My Third Load Of This Size, And Much More Left
#43
Todays Finds. I Still Don’t Know How I Found All Of This In The Same Dumpster
#44
Found This Costume With An Extra Head That Snaps Onto The Other Head In A Dumpster
#45
Anyone Know A Good Recipe That Uses Like 80 Red Onions And 60 Bananas?
#46
Another $500+ Haul From My Favorite Dumpster. Haven't Purchased Groceries In Years!
Michelle Carlson 2 years ago
I have to ask, how many times have you had food poisoning? I am all for saving and dumpster diving, but you pulled CHICKEN out of a dumpster?
#47
The Second Day Of Christmas Did Not Disappoint!
#48
Weather Finally Cooling But Grocery Store Waste Not So Much! ...favorite Asparagus Recipes?
OnAFreakingRollercoaster 2 years ago
That would feed my family of 6 for a cpl of weeks. So for me it would be like 400€ worth of groceries 🤑
#49
Past 2-3 Weeks I’ve Found And Melted All Of This Aluminum Copper And Pewter. I Found 4 Cameras 3 Power Tools And 2 Bikes. For A Grand Total Of 340$ Not Including All The Metal In This Picture. Also Found A Few Computers And Laptops That I Will Be Scrapping Since They Do Not Work
Add New Image
What do you think ?
Ban-One 2 years ago
Shame one those folks dumping cats (and other animals). I guess it's too much work to give them somebody for adoption or to bring them to an animal shelter. Doesn't suprise me (anymore)...but still makes me sad.
memyselfandI 2 years ago
I wonder how many dumpster cats are actually strays that were left somewhere else or never had a home and got into the dumpster in search of food. Still not good but at least they may have had a chance before.
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Juliet Ware 2 years ago
Wow what weird species we are. All this waste and people dying of hunger :-(
MimSorensson 2 years ago
I’m not sure it’s the species as much as the absolutely twisted system, really.
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GenericPanda09 2 years ago
When I was 11 in early 80s there used to be a local factory that made accessories for the old ZX Spectrum computer (ram packs, kempston joysticks etc.) and they used to have a few skips out back where they'd throw the ones that failed QC. Me and my mates used to trawl through those on almost a nightly basis looking for ones that just needed a bit of soldering or wires taping up... we'd fix them up and sell them at school. Eventually my mum got called in to see the head teacher cause they thought me making money at that age was wrong and my mum pointed out that one of the main goals of school was to prepare kids for the job market when they left. I was banned from selling them at school but I just used to stand in front of the school gates after school and do the same thing. The profits went into buying me my own games and other computers, and eventually a ride on lawn mower for my next venture, cutting rich people's lawns.
Katie Lutesinger 2 years ago
See, now there's a kid showing good business sense!
Load More Replies...
Ban-One 2 years ago
Shame one those folks dumping cats (and other animals). I guess it's too much work to give them somebody for adoption or to bring them to an animal shelter. Doesn't suprise me (anymore)...but still makes me sad.
memyselfandI 2 years ago
I wonder how many dumpster cats are actually strays that were left somewhere else or never had a home and got into the dumpster in search of food. Still not good but at least they may have had a chance before.
Load More Replies... Juliet Ware 2 years ago
Wow what weird species we are. All this waste and people dying of hunger :-(
MimSorensson 2 years ago
I’m not sure it’s the species as much as the absolutely twisted system, really.
Load More Replies... GenericPanda09 2 years ago
When I was 11 in early 80s there used to be a local factory that made accessories for the old ZX Spectrum computer (ram packs, kempston joysticks etc.) and they used to have a few skips out back where they'd throw the ones that failed QC. Me and my mates used to trawl through those on almost a nightly basis looking for ones that just needed a bit of soldering or wires taping up... we'd fix them up and sell them at school. Eventually my mum got called in to see the head teacher cause they thought me making money at that age was wrong and my mum pointed out that one of the main goals of school was to prepare kids for the job market when they left. I was banned from selling them at school but I just used to stand in front of the school gates after school and do the same thing. The profits went into buying me my own games and other computers, and eventually a ride on lawn mower for my next venture, cutting rich people's lawns.
Katie Lutesinger 2 years ago
See, now there's a kid showing good business sense!
Load More Replies...
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