#dumpster diving

[trashcore-whore]

#trailer park boys #garbage #garbagecore #dumpster diving #trashcore #trash #rubbish #personal rubbish #ricky #trailer trash #trashy 2000s #trashy y2k #trash rambles #trash aesthetic #street trash #trashy aesthetic #trashy coquette

[cripple-punk-dad]

Dumpster Diving (In the U.S!) 101

Alright so here's the skinny:

People throw away perfectly good shit all the time. They throw away food, electronics, clothing, stuffed animals, blankets, literally anything you can think of. I have gotten: four pairs of perfectly good work/cargo pants, a sealed loaf of expensive cinnamon brioche bread one (1) day past the best by date, a whole ass bike without the tires (I kept the chain for Purposes), an entire $1 bill that was slightly ripped, multiple overflowing bags of designer clothing that were in perfect condition, a large ceramic bowl (unbroken), two cat leashes, a red beanie, two pairs of sweatpants, a full bottle of SHOUT detergent, a full bottle of Tide detergent, three little stuffed animals, a half full bottle of sunscreen, a RayBan sunglasses case, two pillow cases, a mini blender (working), two unopened eyeliner sticks, and two different kinds of makeup remover. In the last month.

"But, Tony," I can hear you saying, "Isn't that stealing? Isn't that illegal?"

My answer? No! It is not illegal in the United States to dumpster dive! It is, however, illegal to trespass on clearly marked or clearly assumed private property. So, if a dumpster is behind a fence, or marked as private property, then you are risking a visit from the cops if you decide to dive there. There are also different laws and ordinances in different states and even cities, so definitely do your research before you go end over end into your nearest dumpster.

#punk #punk culture #dumpster diving #diy or die

[i-scavenger]

Knuckles found in a blue bin.

#dumpster #dump #dumpster dive #throwing away money #freegan #kids toys #brand name #dumpster diving #free stuff #brand new #knuckles the echidna #sonic the hedgehog #sega genesis #sega

[jonasgoonface]

been feeling extra merry this year so here's some cards I made :p Hope u all find nice treats in ur stockings or dumpsters or wherever u go 4 treats idk

#chrimbus #anarchy #dumpster diving #skip #holiday card #food rescue

[tightwadspoonies]

Dumpster Diving and Salvage Shopping

If you asked me what my role in the ecosystem is, I'd say I'm a scavenger. I hate confrontation and I hate spending money when there are other options. I will gladly just take whatever you don't want in order to avoid such unsavory obligations.

So dumpster diving, salvage stores, and incidental meat registries and I get along pretty well save for the anxiety. This post, hopefully, takes some of that away for my fellow scavengers who would love to dumpster dive but just don't know how yet, or are afraid of getting in trouble.

Dumpster Diving:

First of all, dumpster diving is legal in all 50 states of the US, but check local ordinances because rich people get fussy about people digging through trash to the point of some cities condemning the practice. It's on a bunch of other posts but it's worth saying.

Cops, of course, will lie or imply otherwise on this. A good way around that is to look like someone who is "not breaking the law". AKA: look like a suburbanite: Wear some khakis and a polo shirt, carry a Starbucks cup, and act as white as you can possibly get away with. If approached, smile, call the cop "officer" or some such referential title, and explain that you thought it was legal. Not that you know it's legal- that you thought it was legal. If they tell you to scram, do so. No argument with law enforcement is worth what is in that dumpster.

Note that it is illegal in many places to put stuff into dumpsters that aren't yours, though, so if the cops are having a slow night, be careful about them asking you to put stuff back.

You also don't want to be the reason dumpster diving gets banned in your community. Do this primarily by never getting into a dumpster. I know the container of perfect strawberries is just out of reach, but if you fall or are unable to get out you are not only up a creek yourself but potentially causing an anti-dumpster-diving frenzy that your town's grocery stores will never recover from. Also, people have legitimately died from getting into a trash compactor.

Now, "legal" does not mean "pro-store-policy". One of the main reasons for this is that is dumpster diving can be somewhat dangerous and no store wants to be the store that's known for letting people break legs on their slippery dumpster juice or what have you.

Avoid too many store policy issues by waiting until the store closes, doing a pass-by to ensure no one is waiting to see if anyone is picking out of their dumpsters, and (again) looking like someone who wouldn't be diving in dumpsters.

Store management tends to worry that they will be sued for letting you eat expired or unsafe food. If you do get approached by a manager who isn't excited to see someone picking over their dumpster selections, it is a good idea to impress upon them how very many dumpsters you pick from and how you wouldn't possibly be able to prove it was their dumpster that gave you food poisoning. Also, if you're feeling particularly bold, let them know that you are saving their store money by decreasing the weight of their waste. Probably not by a lot, but hey, you're on their side here. If told to scram, once again, do so with haste.

On that note, there are safe and unsafe foods to pick:

Generally Safe:

Packaged shelf-stable foods even with damaged outer packaging

Milk if still cold

Cheese

Eggs

Bread (including frozen bread if still cold)

Whole Veggies and Fruits, even with bad spots

Fermented anything

Non-Food Items like dry pet food, hand sanitizer, soap, cleaning products (except bleach), etc...

Generally NOT Safe:

Sliced lunch meats

Cheese touching meat

Cut salads or veggie trays

Prepared hot foods (even if still hot)

Pre-cooked refrigerated meals

Frozen veggies (unless still mostly frozen)

You want to make sure you have some time the next day to process your haul. Everything needs to be carefully sorted, cleaned, peeled, and in the case of perishable food like eggs and veggies, cooked prior to eating.

One final thing:

Be considerate. Leave everything how you found it and make sure you're not making more work for employees. Also, if you know others in your area dive, leave some stuff there for the next person.

Salvage Shopping:

Perhaps you aren't completely up for dumpster diving but still like living your lil raccoon life? Thats fine!

Salvage groceries are a great option. Essentially, instead of throwing food away that they can't sell to traditional consumers, grocery stores sell near-dated or damaged products to salvage grocery stores for pennies on the dollar, and that savings is passed along to the consumer.

Most salvage stores are smaller than traditional grocery stores, and some are cash-only. Some have fresh or frozen sections, but the smaller ones are pretty much all packaged goods. If you are living exclusively on salvage stores, you may want to supplement with some dumpster diving, foraging, or gardening (or even maybe going to a grocery store, but that's hella expensive).

Salvage groceries are not necessarily going to be perfectly food safe. There will be expired goods (doesn't mean bad). That just means you will have to do some due diligence. For example:

Make sure that an item you want to purchase is still in a sealed container

If there are more than one of an item, make sure they are the same color

Prioritize un-dented cans

If you must buy a dented can, make sure the dent isn't on an edge or seam

Don't buy expired canned tomato products

If you open a food and it smells bad, looks like it thawed and re-froze, hisses or bubbles- THROW IT AWAY

Generally be more cautious than you would normally be at a grocery store.

In my area these are pretty much always run by the Amish and Mennonite communities, but check around in your area. They are becoming more and more common outside these communities.

Not all of them will be listed on google maps. Look for a shop called "Bend and Dent" or "Salvage Groceries" or a small store advertising "Discount Groceries". Once you find one, it's easy to find others by asking at the checkout, since they tend to cluster together.

A drawback is that, because they do tend to cluster, they may be farther away than other grocery options. If you are far away, I highly recommend getting a few friends together and making a day of it. I can't say this about most things, but the extra cost in gas is well worth the savings, even if you are driving over an hour.

#free food #food #dumpster diving #USA #homesteading #tightwadery #adulting #reference

[18catsreading]

Brennan: you gotta eat a little out of the garbage sometimes

Ally: amen

#brennan lee mulligan #dimension 20 #fantasy high junior year #ep 9 emo peiple meet at panera #adventuring party #siobhan thompson #lou wilson #ally beardsley #zac oyama #emily axford #brian murphy #dumpster diving

[whilomm]

oh hey nother random poll i thought of, inspired by my mom thinking im weird for how much "trash furniture" i have

(and hey if u wanna reblog and put in the tags ur favorite finds. mine are probs my trash hookah vase and my dining chairs)

#buzzy #polls #tumblr polls #dumpster diving #personally ive actually gone diving once but i didnt climb in #for the most part i stick to stuff thats beside the dumpster/stuff thats like. sticking out and clearly visible #i kinda wanna go move out season diving again...just for funsies....you find some GOOD shit

[reportsofagrandfuture]

#recycling #recuperation #dumpster diving #zero waste #fashion #solarpunk

[j4ckme]

#politically incorrect #funny pics #idgaf #funny #lmao #wtf #dank memes #seriously wtf #memes #seriously funny #diy #dumpster #dumpster diving

[sparrowchute]

(Posting this on 11/18/23)

For any of my dumpster diving friends here:

If you go diving at a pet store and see either a bag of Victor dog/cat food or just loose kibble in general: do NOT grab that shit. Victor recently had a mass recall on their entire line of cat and dog food due to an outbreak of salmonella making its way into their product.

Ik most pet stores are assholes and toss out good food, but for once there's a decent reason behind it. Do not grab that shit and do not feed it to your pets.

#im not used to the store i work at tossing food bc we donate most if not everything that goes out of date #so when I saw slashed bags out back + the notes abt the recall i figured i shld spread the word here #for once it is not capitalism. the food is contaminated. dont touch it #dumpster diving #op #signal boost

[queer-ecopunk]

Pro moving tip:

Need moving boxes? You can dumpster dive them! Lots of stores have a seperate recycling bin that's chock full of sturdy cardboard

#dumpster diving #anticonsumerism #mine #ecopunk

[spaceintruderdetector]

The Art Science Of Dumpster Diving : John Hoffman : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

#dumpster diving #society #life hacks

[chaptertwo-thepacnw]

Seattle: let them eat cake. 2024

#gif #commentary #seattle #2024 #dumpster diving #let them eat cake #apathy #homelessness

[mcromwell]

I love rescuing trash! See how I turned these 36"x36" canvases into useable material again.

#recycling #canvas #art supplies #trash #dumpster diving #painting #art #paint scraping #paint peel

[bilbosmom-belladonna]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: CC-1010 | Fox/Quinlan Vos Characters: CC-1010 | Fox, Quinlan Vos Additional Tags: Humor, Planet Coruscant (Star Wars), Coruscant Guard (Star Wars), POV Quinlan Vos, Flirting, dumpster diving, Mistaken Identity Summary:

When his pursuers had rounded another corner and were out of sight, Quinlan let go of the ledge and dropped into a dumpster at the bottom of the wall, hoping that whatever he landed on wasn’t sharp. Or sticky, sticky would be bad.

It wasn’t either of those things. Whatever he landed on was soft and warm and said “oof!” very loudly.

Quinlan immediately rolled off to one side, onto some garbage that definitely was a little sticky, and turned to look behind him. It should have been pitch black inside the dumpster, but instead it was lit up by a little yellow lantern; by its light he could make out the identity of his unusual landing pad. It was a clone, the same clone from last week judging by the scar.

“Wow,” Quinlan whispered. “You sure like dumpsters.”

 Running into someone in a dumpster on Coruscant is unexpected. Doing it again is unlikely. And a third time? Well, that's just plain weird.

🦊🧤🗑️

I couldn’t help myself. I’m in the middle of posting a 90K+ Fox/Quinlan fic and I... wrote another one! For @foxquinweek, which lured me in with the Day 5 prompt, “I found him in a dumpster.” I am weak, I had to write more of these two. Please enjoy this much more lighthearted flavor of Quinfox Foxlan Fox/Quinlan Foxglove (can we make that their ship name?) in between chapters of Built on Bones and Middens.

#foxquinweek2024 #foxquin #quinfox #fox x quinlan #quinlan x fox #commander fox #quinlan vos #my writing #coruscant guard #coruscant #dumpster diving

[omg-physics]

PSA: If you live in an apartment complex, especially near a college or university, now (Late April-May) is the time to start checking dumpsters as people move out. My boyfriend and I just retrieved, among other things, a practically new guitar in a case? Worth, like $200? Also a perfectly good toaster oven? And a cat scratching post?

We’ve essentially become a not-for-profit thrift store, giving away stuff we’ve found on BuyNothing (a free app, highly recommend).

I saw all those dumpster diving posts and was like, wow, those people are so cool I could never do that. But, it’s like, so easy?

#solar punk #dumpster diving