The Dumpster Diving Finds Thread

[spider1204]

After reading the thread about dumpster diving here, and the mentioned book I became inspired to start doing some diving of my own.  Anyway, I would like to start a thread for people to share their finds, and also get ideas on how to extract value from some of the odder items.

So, I'll go first, in the first eventful dumpster I found a bunch of discarded inkjet toner but since I was on foot I only managed to carry one home but there must have been at least 7 more.  However, not having access to the right printer I had no idea whether they still worked or not, but getting restless decided to take it apart and not knowing anything about ink cartridges I had all of the toner fall out onto the floor in front of me.  So, they are definitely still full of toner, but still not entirely sure if they work.  I plan to go back tomorrow morning and pick up the rest of them, but any ideas on either how to test them further or how I might be able to sell them.

The second item was a half a dozen of these, but once again not caring much about having fresh air, I'd like to find a way to sell/trade these to somebody.

[YK-Phil]

I have never done dumpster diving, but I have been searching for places in Calgary where I moved 2 years ago...So far, no luck, all grocery stores big and small use compactors or lock their dumpsters. What a shame, I've been having dreams of finding huge wheels of cheese and chunks of prosciutto behind the Italian supermarket near my house, or discarded boxes of fine chocolate from the Belgian chocolate store a block away...

But for many years, I lived in Yellowknife (Northwest Territories, Canada) which is famous for its dump. On summer weekends, you can see groups of friends and entire families spend sunny days scavenging there for hours on end. 'Dumpers', as we all describe each other, all know each other too, and come from all walks of life: teachers, mechanics, builders, lawyers, engineers, environmental scientists, local politicians, small business owners, regular Joe's, bottle recyclers, etc. The dump is like a hardware store -actually so much better because it is free-, and on top of that, it is a place to socialize and meet your friends! And where else in town could you find what you need to finish your project, from building a fence to finishing your chalet in the bush. Windows, building materials, wiring, car and ATV parts, name it, you'll find it. Why so much abundance? While a lot of people there are long time Northerners, many are there for a few years to make a buck, then go back South: from government workers to executives to tradespeople, etc. Also, due to its location and the extremely high costs of shipping, it is too expensive for most people leaving town to ship their belongings, so it is often quicker and easier to make a few trips to the dump, with the knowledge that almost everything will be reused, recycled, or re-purposed.

I, for one found countless stuff there, most of them new in their original boxes. The list is long and I am not kidding: exercise bike, vacuum-pack machine, electric knife, skateboards, skates, irons, clothes hangers, rope, cable, chains, cross country skis, most building material and hardware used to fix-maintain-upkeep my house over 12 years, new pants, shirts, t-shirts, boots, boxes of new paint, wood stain, lawn care products, engine oil, every single type of household and car cleaner and wax and fluids, a power washer, power and manual tools, a mig welder, a boat motor, vacuum cleaners, carpet cleaners, dishes, pots, pans, toaster, faucets, windows, siding, lawnmower, shovels, rakes, garden hoses, tables, chair, cowboy hats, watches, jewelry, telephone, answering machine, baseball bats, fishing rods, tackle box, etc. Need to repaint the garden shed? No problem. Want to build yourself a shack in the bush? You'll find anything you need, including kitchen cabinets, sink, and furniture. Even a barbeque!

I spent so much time there, and I miss it. I am even thinking about doing a quick road trip this summer just to visit the place!

[TwoPupsOnACouch]

Sounds like heaven, ykphil.  Anyone heard of something like that in the states?
When we go diving for groceries, we tend to find entire flats of the same produce at the same time.  Since my family of two can't possibly drink gallons of milk or eat dozens of avacado's, I've learned to research how to freeze our finds.  For example, pureed avocado freezes well, milk can freeze in it's own container and beaten eggs freeze well.
What I can't figure out is how to store/use up an entire flat of lettuce.  I've been storing what I can use in paper towels in the crisper, and composting the rest.  At least the lettuce isn't in the landfill.

[spider1204]

That really does sound like the perfect storm for dumpster diving, it's no wonder you found such great stuff.  I went back to the dumpster and brought back the rest of the toner cartridges and listed em on ebay but no luck none of them sold.  In the same area though I found 24 sealed toothbrushes, some office supplies, and a weight watchers food scale, 2 jugs of "juice" (in quotes cause it's the 15% juice 85% high fructose corn syrup stuff), and a bunch of snacks.

However, after searching for about a week I've had no luck in locating any goodies from a bakery, and can't seem to find a grocery store that doesn't use a trash compactor.  What type of places do you go to find all the produce and dairy products?  Most of the places around here either use a trash compactor, or don't seem to throw anything away (prolly just can't find the right dumpster).

[CptPoo]

Sounds like heaven, ykphil.  Anyone heard of something like that in the states?
When we go diving for groceries, we tend to find entire flats of the same produce at the same time.  Since my family of two can't possibly drink gallons of milk or eat dozens of avacado's, I've learned to research how to freeze our finds.  For example, pureed avocado freezes well, milk can freeze in it's own container and beaten eggs freeze well.
What I can't figure out is how to store/use up an entire flat of lettuce.  I've been storing what I can use in paper towels in the crisper, and composting the rest.  At least the lettuce isn't in the landfill.

I have found that the best thing to do with lettuce is just to eat a TON of it everyday when you find it. I once found about 8 plastic tubs of organic salad mix, and I just took a large mixing bowl and made a giant salad every day while the lettuce was still good. It also helps to have some green "peak fresh" bags as they help the produce last a lot longer. I have had dumpster salad mixes last me almost two weeks in one of those bags.

[Zoot Allures]

I've had some good luck in the dumpsters lately! Stuff to eat and stuff to sell (I like flipping things on amazon, craigslist, and ebay). I haven't found the massive piles of packaged food I thought I might, but the dumpsters at Trader Joe's and smaller local stores have offered up cut flowers, pineapples, lemons, asparagus, and oranges. I blanched the asparagus in boiling water and then froze it. The boiling helped me get past the "ick" factor of taking unwrapped veggies out of the garbage. Perfectly good asparagus.

I've also found a book that I sold on amazon for $15, sealed printer cartridges that went for $30 on ebay, and a bunch of packing materials that have come in handy.