The New Intimacy

Would you go dumpster diving?

Skip to last post
Set alerts
Updates
Forum search
Contributor: El-Jaro El-Jaro
Quote:
Originally posted by ToyTimeTim
I truly believe that there is a little Redneck in all of us.
My parents live off a major highway. I know for a fact that not every venison meal I had was shot in the woods by hunters...my dad gets up early in the morning.
07/29/2010
Contributor: Darling Jen Darling Jen
For the most part, I have to admit I wouldn't do it. But then there's a lot of hand-me-downs that I would say no to as well. It's not just being called "trash" that turns me off. I don't want anything that holds smells and particles of other people (and other questionable stuff that will never fully be clean out of a couch). Or anything that food comes in contact with.

I figure if something is bad enough to be put in the trash rather than donated or sold at a yard sale, there's usually a reason.

Things that are used though and not trashed are fair game. Vases, picture frames, video games, movies, etc.
07/29/2010
Contributor: joja joja
I would and do dumpster dive regularly (during the summer). Half my furniture comes from neighborhood alleys. Also got free printer paper (I share an alley with a Kinkos), a working stereo, a lovely papasan chair, and a dining table.

The trick is to dive in rich neighborhoods - everything is clean and lots of the appliances and electronics still work.
07/29/2010
Contributor: Red Vinyl Kitty Red Vinyl Kitty
No way! If it is in the garbage, it is garbage to me. ESPECIALLY furniture.

My husband on the other hand? He brings home all sorts of stuff "Oh yeah, it works pretty well, I just found it in the dumpster!"

Ugh. Unsanitary. >.<
07/29/2010
Contributor: usmcwife99 usmcwife99
Quote:
Originally posted by Sir
Sometimes, I only want to take such things in order to give them away to someone who needs them in their home. Some people do not have the money for such things, so when I see people throwing away perfectly alright furniture, it tears up my heart..
I here yeh, ive let my friends know hay theres this or that here at blah blah want me to get it for you


dont get me wrong i love my friends and ive always and will always lend them a hand but if I was to buy them EVERYTHING to furnish a house Ide be broke
07/29/2010
Contributor: Just Jen Just Jen
Quote:
Originally posted by El-Jaro
So, you see a couple of average every day neighbors come out of their apartment or house and put a decent couch out to the curb or by the dumpster. You think it's kinda neat looking. Would you go out and grab it?

Has anyone ever done ... more
I have a vintage bookshelf that I found on the curb before trash day a few years ago. It was painted white and when I stripped it, it was actually made of Red Oak!!
07/29/2010
Contributor: ToyTimeTim ToyTimeTim
Quote:
Originally posted by El-Jaro
My parents live off a major highway. I know for a fact that not every venison meal I had was shot in the woods by hunters...my dad gets up early in the morning.
So true. I to have done this also, one right in front of the house. Call the sheriff and start the grill.
07/29/2010
Contributor: Liz2 Liz2
I have but only stuff w/o fabric. I have picked up a bureau and bookcases. I only take stuff that I have an immediate use for as I have almost no room for storage.
07/29/2010
Contributor: Jul!a Jul!a
Quote:
Originally posted by ToyTimeTim
I truly believe that there is a little Redneck in all of us.
I'll totally second that. I picked up a whole dining set that somebody was putting out to the curb. We couldn't afford our own, so why not use somebody else's for a while, lol
07/29/2010
Contributor: Jul!a Jul!a
Quote:
Originally posted by Just Jen
I have a vintage bookshelf that I found on the curb before trash day a few years ago. It was painted white and when I stripped it, it was actually made of Red Oak!!
My grandmother did a lot of garbage picking and managed to stumble across a random set of chairs that when she had them reupholstered it turned out they were worth a lot of money. I think the number I heard was that the guy at the store wanted to give her something like $3,500 for just the scuzzy frames back in the 70's, lol
07/29/2010
Contributor: Darling Jen Darling Jen
Quote:
Originally posted by Red Vinyl Kitty
No way! If it is in the garbage, it is garbage to me. ESPECIALLY furniture.

My husband on the other hand? He brings home all sorts of stuff "Oh yeah, it works pretty well, I just found it in the dumpster!"

Ugh. Unsanitary. >.<
Haha! Exactly my thoughts!
07/29/2010
Contributor: Evoluchun Evoluchun
actually I have been dumpster diving before but usually it was more the stuff sitting beside the dumpster and never a food place at all thats nasty but like a department store that threw out clothes or a furniture store that threw out rugs or drug stores that threw out makeup I have done
08/02/2010
Contributor: deltalima deltalima
Up until this post, I never thought of sexual occurrences on things we buy used or whatnot. Now I know.
08/02/2010
Contributor: Misfit Momma Misfit Momma
Yup, my Dad used to even drive around back lanes on the weekends "shopping for new treasures" LOL! I have never gone that far, but if there is something in my lane I'll go out at night and grab it. Have never got a couch, but I did watch my neighbors throw away an arm chair then went and brought it in that night. The worst was when I decided to get rid of it and put it back out there! They must have known it was me. My stealthy night "shopping" secret was revealed
08/02/2010
Contributor: AussieSarah AussieSarah
i dont know if anyone else has heard of this but i swear that dumpster diving is also what they call having sex inside a rubbish dumpster...
I know its extremely gross and if anyone was thinking...no i havent done it myself.... but i swear i have heard it from like girls gone wild or some stupid thing like that
08/02/2010
Contributor: Kynky Kytty Kynky Kytty
Quote:
Originally posted by Carrie Ann
Shopping at the tosser's mall...

Ahhh, the stuff we've gotten.

Furniture is kind of icky but, man, we've gotten a LOT of yard decoration, shop shelves, even a few computer monitors.

The key is to watch rummage sales. ... more
Hahaha, I like the suggestion of grabbing everything. Was worth a chuckle.
08/02/2010
Contributor: P'Gell P'Gell
I was going to visit my older daughter on Saturday. I saw that a neigbor had throw away a perfectly good GrandFather Clock I called My Man on my cell, and let him know where it was. I got back less than an hour later and the clock was gone and in one of our outbuildings.

Who would throw away a Grandfather clock? My Man said they had a flood (the rivers in our area have flooded terribly the last few weeks) I hope it isn't a haunted Grandfather Clock. It doesn't seem to be running, and the man came out and helped My Man load it onto his pick up, but he couldn't find the key. But, when you move the hands past the hour, you hear bells to that hour, and one bell at the half hour.

If anyone can get it running, My Man can. But, he said he may dismantle it and use the wood and the insides for something else. We realized what I thought was brass is only plastic on the face, so it IS a cheap clock. But, still, it looks cool.

We already have a very old antique grandfather clock, that my Great Grandfather got at an auction in the 19-teens. I inherited it (and little else, big family and no one else wanted the clock, but I did) and this one was built in the early 1700s.

The garbage picked one is cheap, but it is still such a cool piece of furniture. Maybe we'll put it on the deck for now.
08/02/2010
Contributor: Victoria Victoria
Quote:
Originally posted by Carrie Ann
Shopping at the tosser's mall...

Ahhh, the stuff we've gotten.

Furniture is kind of icky but, man, we've gotten a LOT of yard decoration, shop shelves, even a few computer monitors.

The key is to watch rummage sales. ... more
We totally put about 25% of the leftover stuff from our yardsale last weekend on the curb --- and it vanished! I didn't even have to list a 'Curb Alert' on Craigslist

I think refurbishing and re-using is great.

We live between University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University, so every May there is endless furniture on the curbs all over this neighborhood. Some legendary finds that myself and friends have come across over the years: a trash bag full of change (dimes, nickels, quarters etc)that added up to $160 - yes, someone literally threw away money, books of stamps, a Palm Pre, 3 iPods, cases of beer, new beds still the plastic bag, unopened DVD player new in box, so much like-new furniture it's ridiculous, a roll up metal window ladder (for fire escape), tons of clothes with the tags still on them, piles and piles of books, desktop computers and flatscreen monitors, beerpong tables, bikes that look new, helmets, roller skates, tents, sleeping bags, rugs, all manner of kitchen appliances and utensils. These kids just don't care - a lot of them have rich parents so it means nothing to them to throw away things that are pretty much new. This phenomena is referred to as "Second Christmas" here in West Philly, and is much beloved by the young and broke

Yeah, so, there's some local flavor for ya.
08/02/2010
Contributor: Maiden Maiden
Quote:
Originally posted by Victoria
We totally put about 25% of the leftover stuff from our yardsale last weekend on the curb --- and it vanished! I didn't even have to list a 'Curb Alert' on Craigslist

I think refurbishing and re-using is great.

We live ... more
I wish we had more of this where I live. I am sure in some of the better neighborhoods in the city or like you said, college campuses, but I have never lived in any of those areas. Unfortunately, I have always lived in rather poor areas and now live in the country. We don't have junk pick up, so people either have yard sales or haul of the stuff to the junk yard or dump immediately afterwords. When we have yard sales, we take everything to the Salvation Army or Goodwill. If they can't use it, we let them deal with throwing it out.
08/02/2010
Contributor: twistedheartsx twistedheartsx
If it hasn't rained, it's in nice condition, etc. then we'll go pick it up. There's no reason to throw a nice couch or whatnot away, especially when someone else could use it. Most people put their items to the curb a few days early for this reason, at least around here.
08/02/2010
Contributor: The Giveaway Diva The Giveaway Diva
if it was leather! and it wouldn't be in the trash right....just on the side of the road
08/04/2010
Contributor: Jessica Elizabeth Jessica Elizabeth
Oh I LOVE dumpster diving! A couple weeks ago my man found some really good cookware in the Dumpster by our apartment. I've gotten shelves, working electronics, furniture, all kinds of stuff!

If it's too broken or nasty dirty then I won't take it, but I see no shame in it. If it's sitting out there and no one wants it and I like it and want it, why one Earth shouldn't I take it?
08/04/2010
Contributor: Kinky Skier Kinky Skier
this depends on a number of things. My brother lived across from a goodwill, and before they opened would head over to check out the drop off area for good finds. kind of sketchy, but he did it...
08/04/2010
Contributor: El-Jaro El-Jaro
I just took a chair out to the dumpster the other day. Dip and Sophie totally wrecked it. She peed on it and he tore the hell out of the top.

...48 hrs later, still there. Guess no one wants it...
08/04/2010
Contributor: Tori Rebel Tori Rebel
My rule is nothing made of fabric or otherwise super permeable. But cool little end tables? Flower pots? Old record albums? Sure! Not so much from dumpsters, but definitely on haul-away days and after yard sales.

My ex always had reptiles as pets, and most of the tanks he had he got for free, left at curbs and what not because people had used them for fish and a seal on a corner or the bottom went and they were no longer entirely watertight. But seeing as he was using them for dry habitats, he would take them home, clean them really well, spray them down for anything that could harm a reptile (mites, etc.), air them out a little, and use them for his pets. We had some very large very expensive tanks that people just gave up because they were no longer any good for fish.
08/05/2010
Contributor: P'Gell P'Gell
Quote:
Originally posted by El-Jaro
ha ha "Redneck eyes"

@Lauren: A bar? Awesome!

I lived in the dorms for one year. Come move-out day, there were a LOT of people hanging around dumpsters looking for stuff.

The fabric thing is exactly why I'd never ... more
The fabric thing is why when we stay in hotels, I take the bedspread off the bed, and store it in a closet or under something.

They don't wash them in regular chain hotels between clients. There's sperm on them there things!
08/05/2010
Contributor: gone77 gone77
Quote:
Originally posted by Carrie Ann
Shopping at the tosser's mall...

Ahhh, the stuff we've gotten.

Furniture is kind of icky but, man, we've gotten a LOT of yard decoration, shop shelves, even a few computer monitors.

The key is to watch rummage sales. ... more
Hahahahahaha

Thanks for the rummage sale tip.
08/05/2010
Contributor: gone77 gone77
It would really just depend on what was tossed and the shape it's in. Talking about this makes me want to go to garage sales. Obviously, not the same thing, but I'm thinking about it nonetheless.
08/05/2010
Contributor: Gary Gary
I will pick up stuff that I see on the street now, West Philly is great for finding furniture. But when I was 18-19, I lived in abandoned buildings and had no job, so I've done it all.
08/05/2010
Contributor: NightNight NightNight
Quote:
Originally posted by P'Gell
The fabric thing is why when we stay in hotels, I take the bedspread off the bed, and store it in a closet or under something.

They don't wash them in regular chain hotels between clients. There's sperm on them there things!
I did not know that.... can't stop thinking about all the hotel comforters I've cuddled in
08/05/2010