Dumpster Diving FAQ (2004)(ranprieur.com)
ranprieur.com
Dumpster Diving FAQ (2004)
http://ranprieur.com/misc/dumpster.html
88 comments
and often there was a fresh looking box nestled on top of pillows of old donuts in garbage bags.
Fresh looking food placed like this is usually meant for the homeless to easily pick up.
Fresh looking food placed like this is usually meant for the homeless to easily pick up.
Just a reminder to all that in the USA, grocers are protected by good Samaritan laws if they donate their unused food since 1996.
https://www.feedingamerica.org/ways-to-give/corporate-and-fo...
It would probably be better for more of these places to just donate their food than leaving it out where animals can get to it as well.
https://www.feedingamerica.org/ways-to-give/corporate-and-fo...
It would probably be better for more of these places to just donate their food than leaving it out where animals can get to it as well.
I volunteered with some HS peers in 1996 at a shelter.
There was tons of Odwalla brand juice we were giving out in the beverage section of the line.
Seemed a bit strange since it was premium stuff. I remember a guy saying. “Odwalla no. Last time I got sick drinking one of those.”
Just happened to be during the Odwalla E. coli outbreak. Happened a week after that good samaritan act was signed into law.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_Odwalla_E._coli_outbreak
There was tons of Odwalla brand juice we were giving out in the beverage section of the line.
Seemed a bit strange since it was premium stuff. I remember a guy saying. “Odwalla no. Last time I got sick drinking one of those.”
Just happened to be during the Odwalla E. coli outbreak. Happened a week after that good samaritan act was signed into law.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_Odwalla_E._coli_outbreak
Reminder than you should always donate CASH to food banks.
Not only can they buy food in bulk cheaper than you can, it also helps them to build out the logistics and cold storage infrastructure required to accept donations from grocery stores and restaurants.
Not only can they buy food in bulk cheaper than you can, it also helps them to build out the logistics and cold storage infrastructure required to accept donations from grocery stores and restaurants.
Yup.
I remember walking in the evening in a nice rural college town, and I saw the biggest rat I've ever seen, just waddling past a house porch - the thing was larger than some good size cats, and was unmistakably a rat when it got in the good lighting.
I was of course just stunned thinking WTF!??!, then walked on, and it turned out that that house was adjacent to the back of a grocery store lot, and the corner where the dumpsters were, only a few dozen yards away in a straight line... Well-stocked dumpsters clearly make for fat & happy rats!
I remember walking in the evening in a nice rural college town, and I saw the biggest rat I've ever seen, just waddling past a house porch - the thing was larger than some good size cats, and was unmistakably a rat when it got in the good lighting.
I was of course just stunned thinking WTF!??!, then walked on, and it turned out that that house was adjacent to the back of a grocery store lot, and the corner where the dumpsters were, only a few dozen yards away in a straight line... Well-stocked dumpsters clearly make for fat & happy rats!
I would never do it, but I lived with a guy a number of years ago, and he would religiously dumpster-dive to the point where he never did regular grocery shopping.
I rarely ate the fresh food he'd bring back, especially because the guy loved seafood, but he would often come back with boxes and boxes of perfectly fine food, drink & random things for around the house like cutlery, tools, whatever. Boxed & Canned food, cereals, etc.
He once cycled home with what I can only describe as a pallet of Coca Cola.
I rarely ate the fresh food he'd bring back, especially because the guy loved seafood, but he would often come back with boxes and boxes of perfectly fine food, drink & random things for around the house like cutlery, tools, whatever. Boxed & Canned food, cereals, etc.
He once cycled home with what I can only describe as a pallet of Coca Cola.
When I was a teen, my friends and I would dumpster dive the Pepsi distributor. We'd usually find stuff like Diet Dr. Pepper, but sometimes there'd be Pepsi or Mt. Dew. We'd usually load up my friend's trunk with Diet Dr. Pepper and take them out to his ranch to shoot them. Also I found some old Macs at my school one time, that was sweet
I just don’t understand why they don’t drain them. Gotta be cheaper than landfilling/tipping fees, but maybe they’re sending them to a recycler that does that part for them.
Time. It costs the dude five minutes to dump an entire expired pallet and opening each can to drain it would take hours. It’ll all be compressed in the machines anyway, even if they bother recycling ( they often don’t).
I also lived with someone who did this - he called himself a "freegan". My roommates and I frequently worried about him unintentionally ingesting rat poison.
Same! (I think I lived with the same guy ;)
You'd be amazed what perfectly good things stores throw away because it's past the best before date.
You'd be amazed what perfectly good things stores throw away because it's past the best before date.
I can't be the only person who thinks the Coca-Cola is just fine a day past that number.
There are salvage grocery stores that sell products like that. They're usually easier to find if you're near an Amish settlement.
My family always hit the construction dumpsters. You can get a lot of decent pine lumber that gets tossed because it was cut wrong or stained with mud/ptty/etc. They throw a lot out because time is mor valuable to them then the wood. Even short end peices are useful for burning or turning into charcoal. Pretty rare that you get decent lengths for building though. Usually 6 feet and below are fairly common, with the rare 7-10 foot boards, and nigh unheard of 11+. And the builders are usually happy about it too, since they pay to have it emptied so everything you take is a bit less they have to pay, and no skin off their nose.
We have built a number of animal houses and even a few sheds around our land with the salvaged wood. Saved us a lot of money.
We have built a number of animal houses and even a few sheds around our land with the salvaged wood. Saved us a lot of money.
Dumpsters in front of new construction are my favorite. Lots of good pine studs, OSB, and other stuff. I built a whole workbench (with a spot for table saw and storage) out of materials I pulled from dumpsters on the street when they were building a new subdivision behind me. Some of my favorite picks were unopened bundles of shingles (heavy!) that I will use for a shed some day, a bunch of brand-new pex tubing, and an entire case of caulk.
> bunch of brand-new pex tubing
Be careful if it’s been sitting in the sun. Lived in a building that had its hot water recirc lines fail one after the next like 5y after construction and I suspect that was why.
Be careful if it’s been sitting in the sun. Lived in a building that had its hot water recirc lines fail one after the next like 5y after construction and I suspect that was why.
Note that not all dumpsters on a construction site are trash. The best example is metal, where a full dumpster brings significant money instead of costing to dispose of. When I was working in a construction company, on a regular basis some dudes came along "offering" to empty the metal dumpster for free.
So it's always better to ask first, otherwise it's technically stealing.
So it's always better to ask first, otherwise it's technically stealing.
>So it's always better to ask first, otherwise it's technically stealing.
This is textbook safe that is lacking in street smarts.
You can't ask because then you're pushing the responsibility of you being there onto someone else. They don't want some ambulance chasing lawyer to come bitching at them if you get hurt so they have to say no. But if you're discreet can just pretend that you're trespassing.
So just don't ask and know what is or isn't fair game.
Additionally, scrap of the mixed random stuff variety that is worth picking through is cents a pound. They won't care if you're not taking serious volume.
This is textbook safe that is lacking in street smarts.
You can't ask because then you're pushing the responsibility of you being there onto someone else. They don't want some ambulance chasing lawyer to come bitching at them if you get hurt so they have to say no. But if you're discreet can just pretend that you're trespassing.
So just don't ask and know what is or isn't fair game.
Additionally, scrap of the mixed random stuff variety that is worth picking through is cents a pound. They won't care if you're not taking serious volume.
We usually asked with only a few turning us down, though we are fairly rural/small town so the builders we interacted with may not have been burned by people that are sue happy or maybe are just smaller and didn't consider that legal aspect.
The correct question is, "HEY YOU THROWING THAT OUT?!"
I'd be careful with this advice. First of all you don't know what else has been put into the dumpster. There could be toxic or hazardous materials. Especially if it's a renovation project.
Secondly, be careful with the wood if you don't know precisely what it is. For instance, making charcoal (or even burning) pressure treated wood is a horrible idea.
Secondly, be careful with the wood if you don't know precisely what it is. For instance, making charcoal (or even burning) pressure treated wood is a horrible idea.
Generally, there _shouldn't_ be anything toxic in construction dumpsters. Not a lot of home construction deals with anything highly toxic anyway. Plus, if the disposal company finds something in there that shouldn't be there, they will refuse to take it, or levy a fine, or won't work with that contractor anymore.
Conversely, some randos see an open dumpster and think its a great place to chuck their old car batteries and whatnot.
Conversely, some randos see an open dumpster and think its a great place to chuck their old car batteries and whatnot.
Pressure treated woods scraps are generally thrown in dumpsters and they are toxic if burned. You never burn pressure treated wood.
You just never know though. For instance, it could be thought that there isn't any asbestos in the home being renovated. But maybe there were a couple pieces of drywall or pipe insulation that happened to have asbestos and it wasn't noticed. It happens.
There is also a very good chance that there's lead dust and chips from old paint or pipes that's being thrown in as well. Probably don't want to make charcoal or anything out of that or any new SPF/Doug tossed in there that maybe got some of it on it you don't notice.
You just never know though. For instance, it could be thought that there isn't any asbestos in the home being renovated. But maybe there were a couple pieces of drywall or pipe insulation that happened to have asbestos and it wasn't noticed. It happens.
There is also a very good chance that there's lead dust and chips from old paint or pipes that's being thrown in as well. Probably don't want to make charcoal or anything out of that or any new SPF/Doug tossed in there that maybe got some of it on it you don't notice.
Isn't new pressure treated wood safe to burn because they no longer have the nasty chemicals they used to put in them?
There are a range of treatment methods, some of which have fallen out of mass production but none are recommended for burning
Good point. Never ran into anything problematic myself, but we are fairly rural so construction is usually houses with occasional apartments. But definitely be wary of other stuff that may be in with the wood.
As for pressure treated wood, it is pretty obvious what has been treated and what has not, at least in my experience. Not sure if it's the process, or if they intentionally dye it, but treated wood has a strong green tint, though could probably have other colors too depending on the treatment method. But fresh untreated pine has a pretty obvious color.
As for pressure treated wood, it is pretty obvious what has been treated and what has not, at least in my experience. Not sure if it's the process, or if they intentionally dye it, but treated wood has a strong green tint, though could probably have other colors too depending on the treatment method. But fresh untreated pine has a pretty obvious color.
The old CCA treated stuff got the green from the copper in it. It's hard to tell if the A (arsenic compound) is still in there if it's weathered. Not a good idea to burn scraps from demolished old outdoor stuff.
It turns grey pretty fast. But yes it won’t be pink/white like fresh pine. If you know what you’re doing I’m sure you’re fine.
Pre-pandemic, I used to go dumpster-diving with an acquaintance. This guy had a garage _full_ of stuff that he salvaged from dumpsters. Clothing, furniture, bicycles, phones, laptops, non-expired canned/boxed food, you name it. It was something of a hobby for him, he used what he could and gave away the rest to friends, family, or donations.
One of the best times/places to go is university housing during move-out week. Lots of perfectly good stuff that people just didn't want to take with them for whatever reason
We always tried to be respectful of the property owners, never left a mess. Very rarely, someone will come along and tell us to go away. We always apologized and did so.
One of the best times/places to go is university housing during move-out week. Lots of perfectly good stuff that people just didn't want to take with them for whatever reason
We always tried to be respectful of the property owners, never left a mess. Very rarely, someone will come along and tell us to go away. We always apologized and did so.
This guy had a garage _full_ of stuff that he salvaged from dumpsters. Clothing, furniture, bicycles, phones, laptops, non-expired canned/boxed food, you name it
You can re-live these days by shopping on eBay, Amazon, and Walmart.com. Lots of people sell dumpster-scrounged goods on all three platforms. But now you can get it delivered!
You can re-live these days by shopping on eBay, Amazon, and Walmart.com. Lots of people sell dumpster-scrounged goods on all three platforms. But now you can get it delivered!
It’s a great market when you’re looking for spare parts. I wanted a second pitcher for my drip coffee maker so that we could have one for regular and one for decaf. Naturally the vendor doesn’t sell replacements. Lo and behold, one was available on eBay for a very reasonable price shipped.
> One of the best times/places to go is university housing during move-out week.
Had a friend that would make a few thousand every September selling the stuff he scavenged in April/May.
Helped that he was an athlete and ran around anyway and could go back and forth running with a cart.
Had a friend that would make a few thousand every September selling the stuff he scavenged in April/May.
Helped that he was an athlete and ran around anyway and could go back and forth running with a cart.
>One of the best times/places to go is university housing during move-out week.
We call that Hippie Christmas where I'm from.
Some of my better scores include: -Imac
- 1 year old Acer Gaming laptop with dented palmrest. Worked fine.
- A like new pair of Hermes shoes
- couple bottles of Ativan
- probably a dozen older macbooks at this point
- handles of strange flavored vodka
- abandoned bicycles (need bolt cutters, only take the ones with flat tires, or other clear signs of abandonment)
You can sometimes find lab equipment and shit like that if you lurk around the academic buildings too
We call that Hippie Christmas where I'm from.
Some of my better scores include: -Imac
- 1 year old Acer Gaming laptop with dented palmrest. Worked fine.
- A like new pair of Hermes shoes
- couple bottles of Ativan
- probably a dozen older macbooks at this point
- handles of strange flavored vodka
- abandoned bicycles (need bolt cutters, only take the ones with flat tires, or other clear signs of abandonment)
You can sometimes find lab equipment and shit like that if you lurk around the academic buildings too
I used to live somewhere where there was a grocery store that was positioned between a lower socioeconomic community and a higher one. It mostly served the lower one, but stocked specialty goods (think organic). I used to hit the dumpster every day after work, and found lots of good stuff in there. I too found a couple gallons of olive oil once. At one point my girlfriend and I went all February living off of nothing but dumpster dived food (except I think we bought some almond milk) and I remember eating fine (this was a year out of college so fine is relative). The takeaway I had was that there is all kinds of food that gets thrown out which is perfectly fine to eat. I never ate disgusting rotting food like one would picture coming out of a dumpster - everything was packaged and pretty much equivalent to what you'd take off the shelves. Also that not all dumpsters are created equal.
If you still go to the office then dumpster diving at your recycle/e-waste bin/room is a must! You can’t believe the stuff you can find in such bins, not only new and perfectly usable things but also old hardware of all kinds. Restoring these than become great weekend projects.
One danger that wasn’t mentioned in the article and other comments is that you can get hooked and turn into a thrash collector. Institute a policy of getting rid of stuff you haven’t touched for N months.
One danger that wasn’t mentioned in the article and other comments is that you can get hooked and turn into a thrash collector. Institute a policy of getting rid of stuff you haven’t touched for N months.
I guess it's really a layoff season in tech.
> Even better are dumpsters for college dorms or other student housing at the end of the term when everyone's moving out. Rich kids will throw away items worth hundreds of dollars.
Here in Boston, "Allston Christmas" has become a well-known term. It refers to the events of every June here, when people cruise the student-heavy neighborhood of Allston looking for good stuff thrown out by students moving out. (If you do this, remember that you need to be prepared to deal with bedbugs.)
Here in Boston, "Allston Christmas" has become a well-known term. It refers to the events of every June here, when people cruise the student-heavy neighborhood of Allston looking for good stuff thrown out by students moving out. (If you do this, remember that you need to be prepared to deal with bedbugs.)
I think most college campuses have something similar. When I was in college, I did the same thing, and noticed quite a few other folks going around rescuing furniture.
Totally, I've seen this other places as well, it's just that with Boston having such a heavy concentration of colleges it's on a different level here.
My parents are (well, were, then they got too old) dumpster divers. They live in a university town and at the end of the year the students all throw away lots of stuff. Some of it's a good haul- just pick up a box of jars of olives- and other times it's crap. My parents often try to keep the perishable stuff which often is clearly past its prime, and I have to go through and organize what is close to a hoarder's paradise in the basement on a regular basis.
I have mixed feelings- obviously they're identifying stuff that would just be waste, but it frequently ends up just sitting around forever because who needs a case of olive oil when you're 75? There is also an entire closet which is filled with hydroflasks. Often the whole area smells like beer, because they collect lots of cans (I used to give them a hard time about this but they were making a few thousand dollars a year...)
I have mixed feelings- obviously they're identifying stuff that would just be waste, but it frequently ends up just sitting around forever because who needs a case of olive oil when you're 75? There is also an entire closet which is filled with hydroflasks. Often the whole area smells like beer, because they collect lots of cans (I used to give them a hard time about this but they were making a few thousand dollars a year...)
I remember sitting in my dad's car with my brother a few times when he went dumpster diving behind banks and offices and government buildings. He always found some papers and a few times we got stuff. I remember vividly getting some cool raised stickers. At the time, I didn't really understand what was going on. Now that I am older I sometimes really wonder what was going on...
Back in the 80s when I was in college I worked for one of my neighbors mowing lawns a few days/week for a few hours in the morning (I had afternoon/evening classes at the time). He and his wife were in their 60s and seemed to sort of adopt my roommate and myself as sort of surrogate grandsons. They'd bring us food all the time, it really helped with our food budget. One day after we had finished our mowing work the guy pulled up behind a Safeway and said "Why don't you get in that dumpster and see if there's any food in there?". I gave him a questioning look. Then he said "Where do you think all that food we give you guys comes from?". The reality of it dawned on me and after my shock subsided I climbed up into the dumpster. And after that we regularly stopped off at dumpsters looking for stuff after our mowing.
Fast forward a few months. We found a bag full of about 20lbs of Reese's Peanut Butter cups that had just gone off date (but of course, were fine). My roommate and I ate them for about a week until we were getting sick of them and then he said "Let's take these to class and distribute them". Seemed like a good idea so we did. One of the guys in the class said "Hey, where did you guys get all of these Reese's Peanut Butter cups?". And my roommate said "they're from the dumpster" The look on that guy's face. Probably the same look I had on my face when I learned where all the food the neighbors gave us was coming from.
Fast forward a few months. We found a bag full of about 20lbs of Reese's Peanut Butter cups that had just gone off date (but of course, were fine). My roommate and I ate them for about a week until we were getting sick of them and then he said "Let's take these to class and distribute them". Seemed like a good idea so we did. One of the guys in the class said "Hey, where did you guys get all of these Reese's Peanut Butter cups?". And my roommate said "they're from the dumpster" The look on that guy's face. Probably the same look I had on my face when I learned where all the food the neighbors gave us was coming from.
This and some other essays from Ran Prieur had a huge impact on me when I first read them. The idea of "dropping out" of the rat race is nothing new, but his writing and his take on it was strangely persuasive. If I remember correctly, I've seen him comment here on HN that some of his essays should be categorized as fiction and others taken with a grain of salt. I don't mind at all, to me, the reading itself was so impactful that the question of whether he really did dumpster diving or not became irrelevant.
> whether he really did dumpster diving or not
Ran responded to this in his blog today (https://ranprieur.com/):
> February 27. My 2004 Dumpster Diving FAQ has just been linked on Hacker News. There's a comment about how I later declared some of my essays to be fiction. That would be more like 21 Stories About Civilization. The dumpster diving stuff is completely true. I haven't done it for years, because I have more money now, and I assume the good dumpsters are harder to get into. But the other day, I ate an apple I found on the sidewalk.
Ran responded to this in his blog today (https://ranprieur.com/):
> February 27. My 2004 Dumpster Diving FAQ has just been linked on Hacker News. There's a comment about how I later declared some of my essays to be fiction. That would be more like 21 Stories About Civilization. The dumpster diving stuff is completely true. I haven't done it for years, because I have more money now, and I assume the good dumpsters are harder to get into. But the other day, I ate an apple I found on the sidewalk.
Yeah, I'm sorry, I couldn't recall the exact wording of that comment, and I definitely didn't mean this in a negative sense. It's been decades since I read the essays and many years since I spotted his comment here on HN.
My memory may be spotty, but the profound impact that reading his words had on me is unforgettable. I just wanted to thank him for publishing his work, because reading it back when I was going through some hard times gave me a whole new perspective on what I'm going through and where I want to be in the end. Ran, if you happen to read this: thank you. You helped me a lot when I was struggling, and I'll be grateful for that forever :)
My memory may be spotty, but the profound impact that reading his words had on me is unforgettable. I just wanted to thank him for publishing his work, because reading it back when I was going through some hard times gave me a whole new perspective on what I'm going through and where I want to be in the end. Ran, if you happen to read this: thank you. You helped me a lot when I was struggling, and I'll be grateful for that forever :)
Sidewalk apples are the sweetest.
I've been dumpster diving several times. Dumpsters with food tend to be awful - they smell, have flies, mold, and grease everywhere. If you want free food, just go to a programmer meetup and eat their free pizza.
Or Costco for really cheap food, even if you're not a member (I am one, FWIW). They don't require a membership card to go in through the out-door (because this is how you reach the customer service desk to sign up for a membership), and at busy times walking in through there is completely painless. The food court is in that same (post-checkout) area near the out-door, and also doesn't check membership. Most of the food is a decent value, but in particular you can get a huge all-beef 1/4lb hotdog and a fountain drink for $1.50, or their "chicken bake" for $3. I don't know why more non-members don't take advantage of it. They'd probably change things if too many people did, because they can't be making any money on those two items in particular.
Costco tend to be located in areas not conducive for someone to go grab fat food though. It's not really worth the time and effort if you need to drive and take an hour to get a cheap hotdog
The season helps. Natural Grocers tends to put a lot of their food in a compost can next to their regular trash can. If you go there in late fall when the daytime temperatures are above freezing but the night-time temperatures are below freezing the flies aren't bad and you can find some fresh produce before it's been harmed by the frost. I still have a cutting growing in my kitchen from a "live basil" that we found there a few years ago.
We'd also find whole, healthy avocados and stuff there but we left those for the homeless.
We'd also find whole, healthy avocados and stuff there but we left those for the homeless.
I once worked at a place where the owner would come by and dive our own dumpsters once a week, then he'd come in and chastise us if we'd thrown away something like a broken stapler he thought could be repaired. It was weird though because we rarely got the item back repaired. He still bought us new staplers.
I worked for a guy who did similar shit. He was an obsessive compulsive hoarder. Any idea what your old boss's personal home looks like? Those irreparable staplers go somewhere.
> In any case, do not act guilty. Act like what you're doing is perfectly normal and legal.
Solid advice for all aspects of life.
Solid advice for all aspects of life.
Hard hat, safety vest and clipboard.
A suit underneath can help if you’re going to act clueless, but may not help if you’re going into a dumpster.
A suit underneath can help if you’re going to act clueless, but may not help if you’re going into a dumpster.
I wonder how this reads to Germans who have what amounts to a national holiday of tossing things out before tax time. I recall the first time seeing what appeared to be brand new furniture and electronics sitting on the side walk; it was quite a surprise. Can anyone from Germany comment?
I guess you're referring to "Sperrmüll" - it depends on the municipality. From where I come in South-Western Germany, this was indeed the case, and I remember it being a fun day :) Now I live in Berlin, where this official day does not exist. If you want your stuff to get picked up, you need to ask the garbage disposal company to come take it. Many people just dump stuff of all kinds on the street with a sign that it's free to take. Often for absolute crap, which then stays there for weeks. You should definitely be careful if there's no note, because that could be just some random people moving who wouldn't be too happy :D
My neighborhood in New Jersey has two "bulk pickup days" per year, where large items can be put out on the curb and picked up for free. It's a fun day to drive around - sometimes you find treasures, sometimes you get to wonder why someone happens to have something weird.
And there's always scrap metal collectors, and other enterprising individuals, driving around as well trying to make some cash.
And there's always scrap metal collectors, and other enterprising individuals, driving around as well trying to make some cash.
I don't get those scrap metal collectors..
Spend $40 in gas driving around all day to get $20 worth of scrap steel.
Unless scrap steel goes for way more somewhere else other than the places I've taken it to.
Spend $40 in gas driving around all day to get $20 worth of scrap steel.
Unless scrap steel goes for way more somewhere else other than the places I've taken it to.
Many years ago, I witnessed a local university professor stop his brand new Cadillac next to a dumpster, get out and start foraging through it. I went up and asked if he lost something, his reply: Nope, just shopping. I find all sorts of things in these downtown dumpsters.
Over here the grocery stores keep their trash behind lock and key; I wouldn't be surprised if it gets disposed of in a secure fashion.
Of course, on the other hand, they donate a lot of things to food banks as well. And before that it gets a discount sticker.
This practice got pretty bad in the UK though, with people lining up and waiting for someone to apply the stickers before buying products - harassing the staff and other customers in the process.
Of course, on the other hand, they donate a lot of things to food banks as well. And before that it gets a discount sticker.
This practice got pretty bad in the UK though, with people lining up and waiting for someone to apply the stickers before buying products - harassing the staff and other customers in the process.
I suspect the lock is more about keeping other people's trash out than keeping theirs in.
In Chicago, it's done to keep the alleys clean. There's a long history of people digging through dumpsters and making messes, providing homes and hospitality for rats. A previous mayor had a real phobia about rats, and made locking up dumpsters a pretty serious rule.
https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5244/5362943269_f1d08c480c_b.j...
https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5244/5362943269_f1d08c480c_b.j...
> I suspect the lock is more about keeping other people's trash out than keeping theirs in.
There are stories about stores/restaurants calling cops when they catch you "stealing" "their" food from a dumpster. Essentially people taking food from dumpsters are treated like overgrown rats... Because https://youtu.be/P7J384IMuMM
There are stories about stores/restaurants calling cops when they catch you "stealing" "their" food from a dumpster. Essentially people taking food from dumpsters are treated like overgrown rats... Because https://youtu.be/P7J384IMuMM
> There are stories about stores/restaurants calling cops when they catch you "stealing" "their" food from a dumpster
Can be it be "stolen" if it's in a trashcan meaning it's no longer someone property?
Can be it be "stolen" if it's in a trashcan meaning it's no longer someone property?
While I agree with you, it's pretty easy to claim ownership of an item from your store that you put into your trashcan on your property that you then hire someone to come get.
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The dominant grocery store chain around here experimented with boxed meal kits for a while (since discontinued). These of course have expiry dates. I would buy them only on their last pre-expiry day, when they were marked down 50%. They were fun, and at that markdown, worth it for the ingredients alone.
But they would often get left in the fridge for up to 4 more days, and they were still 100% OK. So it really galled me to see them shovel a whole bunch of just expired ones into a garbage bag. Wait!! I'd happily pay the 50% price for those (especially the super yummy Thai Basil Beef!) even one day later! No, sorry, into the garbage they go. Never been a grocery store dumpster diver, but that wouldn't go around here anyway, if those weren't securely closed, the raccoons (and worse) would have a field day and boy do they make a mess.
But they would often get left in the fridge for up to 4 more days, and they were still 100% OK. So it really galled me to see them shovel a whole bunch of just expired ones into a garbage bag. Wait!! I'd happily pay the 50% price for those (especially the super yummy Thai Basil Beef!) even one day later! No, sorry, into the garbage they go. Never been a grocery store dumpster diver, but that wouldn't go around here anyway, if those weren't securely closed, the raccoons (and worse) would have a field day and boy do they make a mess.
I thought this was going to be about dumpster diving for hardware, not food.
When I was right out of college my first job was contracting at Microsoft and they had glorious ewaste bins that I got all kinds of computer parts and peripherals out of.
I found a VAX 11/70, dumb terminals, associated cables and hardware in large dumpster at the Rochester Institute of Technology. It was around 1992, but possibly a year or two earlier.
This was before e-waste recycling was popular.
I didn’t take it.
My own college still had an VAX 11/70.
This was before e-waste recycling was popular.
I didn’t take it.
My own college still had an VAX 11/70.
Wow amazing, I think the best thing I ever got was a "broken" apple cinema display that just needed the thunderbolt cable replaced
I imagine that would've been tricky to get out of the dumpster?
I imagine that would've been tricky to get out of the dumpster?
RIT back in the late 2000s was practically overflowing with hardware in the dumpsters. I easily made a few thousand dollars through daily visits over four years - enough to keep me eating well (not out of the dumpsters themselves, like the article), or at least better than I would have on a college budget.
Everything I learned about mainframes I learned from dumpster diving at SUNY New Paltz and an IBM (submarine?) facility nearby.
What did you find? Manuals or hardware? See my other post about finding a VAx 11/70 in a dumpster.
In the same vein, my local grocery store cuts open the bags of small oranges and sells the nearly-off fruits three for a dollar. Same chain grocery store in the town over has a speed rack it wheels out with nearly-off fruits and vegetables. Same store, but slightly different policies. I think my store is more working class, and the other is more affluent. Go figure.
Years ago there was a grocery store in Berkeley, CA which sold lots of near expiration foods, and other odds and ends—like small pieces of end cut cheeses, or products that seemed to be not popular or just failed. An example of the last was a cornmeal crust pizza shell. But something about the packaging was wrong and all of the crusts were broke in two. Haha. But it was all cheap and still wholesome to eat.
Years ago there was a grocery store in Berkeley, CA which sold lots of near expiration foods, and other odds and ends—like small pieces of end cut cheeses, or products that seemed to be not popular or just failed. An example of the last was a cornmeal crust pizza shell. But something about the packaging was wrong and all of the crusts were broke in two. Haha. But it was all cheap and still wholesome to eat.
> where "diving" comes from
I've heard about container diving in Sweden long time ago, you had to jump in swimsuit only into container full of clothes and come out fully dressed.
No need to dive in Spain - you can simply ask "¿Tienes algo para reciclar?" (and recycling is ecologic).
I've heard about container diving in Sweden long time ago, you had to jump in swimsuit only into container full of clothes and come out fully dressed.
No need to dive in Spain - you can simply ask "¿Tienes algo para reciclar?" (and recycling is ecologic).
I skip dived a bunch of switches, patch cables, patch panels, a couple of semidecent servers, and a bloody great DLT tape backup unit from a company that was closing offices near where I lived.
They were the core network of a small startup tech company I started working for around that time, for at least two or three years.
I only got rid of the 10/100MB D-Link switch a couple of years ago, it used to live behind my TV to break out connections to the hifi amp, telly, and games consoles.
They were the core network of a small startup tech company I started working for around that time, for at least two or three years.
I only got rid of the 10/100MB D-Link switch a couple of years ago, it used to live behind my TV to break out connections to the hifi amp, telly, and games consoles.
Probably all left over / slightly out of date / cosmetically damaged food should go to food banks (by law?) - to reduce waste as well as to help low income people.
I think there are a lot of companies that would do this but for the liability.
A shame. California has a "Good Samaritan Food Donation Act" then removes liability except in cases of "gross negligence or intentional misconduct."
This is law in a few places, e.g. parts of California and the whole of France.
> Fruit mold is toxic but bread mold is safe.
Bread mold might not kill you, but _safe_ sounds like a stretch.
Bread mold might not kill you, but _safe_ sounds like a stretch.
Bread mold is a crap shoot. Might kill you, might end up discovering an entirely new family of medicines. It's a your-own-risk we-disclaim-all-liability consenting-adults-only you-knew-the-risks-when-you-took-the-job thing.
European cheeses have lot of mold (penicillium roqueforti, camemberti, etc.) that is perfectly safe to eat though
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I worked in a grocery store so didn’t have the need or gumption to dive for food (I was usually the driver…but all aspects were fun), except for one spot: the town Krispy Kreme. Sneaking around back was so much better than waiting in line, and often there was a fresh looking box nestled on top of pillows of old donuts in garbage bags.
Sneaking them into the cheap movie theater was the next challenge.
One day, my parents were having a party and we were playing video games in my room. My aunt burst in, indignantly shouting at us for eating out of a dumpster…we laughed and hatched a plan: sneak out my window so they thought we were still playing games, zip to town, grab some donuts and offer them to the party. Except one problem: when we got there the dumpster was bone dry. The cleanest we had ever seen it. Puzzled for a minute I suck it up and went to the drive through to buy a box of donuts at long last. But then I took the sharpie in my glove box and largely scrawled yesterday’s date. We snuck back in the window, popped back into the party, proceeded to display the “expired” box of donuts, and I pulled one and took a big bite. My aunt was exasperated! We passed the box around and it was fun to see which of my parents’ friends were willing to taste the “dumpster donuts”.