Best products from r/DumpsterDiving

If anyone has any specific safety related gear please post links! Also take all of my information with a grain of salt as I am still relatively new to this hobby but I am learning.


What I wear. What I take with me.

This is the flashlight I use. Highly recommended and super cheap. Brightest little flashlight I have ever used. I am sure there are better and brighter flashlights but for $4 you cannot go wrong.

These are the disposable gloves I take from work and use. I am definitely interested in getting some gloves specifically for diving. Does anyone have any good recommendations? I would like something that can be easily cleaned because I often find myself getting crap on my hands. Preferably not a cloth material.

I also wear jeans and any old shirt. I also just wear some old Nike's I have laying around. Not the best clothes but they work. I only get into the dumpster if there is something I can't reach from outside. There are obviously better clothes for doing this but what I use works as long as you don't plan on going in any dumpster that doesn't look safe. Yes I also realize you can never 100% be safe jumping into a dumpster but when I enter I do it very quietly and very slowly. I gently step on things to make sure I am not stepping on any nails/needles/sharp objects/etc.

Also, does anyone have any recommendations for a grabber? I like this idea for pure safety reasons. I avoid getting into dumpsters at all costs and would love an extra foot or two in length to reach stuff at times. Being a new dumpster diver I have not acquired one or even looked. I would obviously like something inexpensive but very strong.

Protection from others

I don't believe I need to protect myself when I go diving. I always have my pocket knife on me at all times however. I live in Johnson County, KS. Not too much crime to worry about and I tend to stick with well lit places. I wanted to try out Radio Shack the other night. I turned down behind the building to see that it was completely pitch black. I left immediately. I didn't feel comfortable and you shouldn't either. Never dive somewhere that you cannot be aware of your surroundings at all times.

Solo vs. group

I have only gone with my girlfriend and she mainly waits in the car. I would think diving with larger amounts of people would make you safer but also if you are with a large group you are probably a lot more threatening to some innocent stranger walking by. I know I wouldn't want to be by myself at 2 am and have a group of 5-6 people walk by me that I didn't know.

Hazardous materials

I haven't had a run in with any nails or sharp objects. I tend to be very careful going in and out of dumpsters. The worst things I have had happen to me is getting trash goo on myself. That is never fun.

Again, I am new and I might of went into too much detail but if anything I am trying to help someone else that is newer. I have been browsing my apartments dumpsters for weeks but have only recently started to go to box stores. Hopefully mine and others information can help someone else who is curious. Happy diving!

JUST DO IT! If U can find some smaller sized independent markets in UR area sans evil compactor, UR in business! They're the best, IMHO. Large chains are great too if they don't have compactors! I don't know UR work situation/schedule but if U can spare the time, spend a solid week just checking them out 2x daily. I'd say shortly, after opening and just after closing (to be sure UR getting the fresh stuff as cold as possible) Or if UR limited on time try Fridays and Mondays...

Nothing worse than coming out late and finding a box full of steaks, sausage, bacon and chicken that is obviously been there for hours and lukewarm to the touch, ALL IN DATE, but not worth the risk so U have to leave it :( Take it if U have dogs and cats, they can eat anything! I've never seen my animals take sick. Only when I've given them milk do they get the runs but that's a dairy intolerance thing!

Yes, the research, reconnaissance and general time expended on start-up leg work is a pain. After UR first week, and if U take good notes, when U do find great things, be it food or store merch, U'll start to see patterns emerge and it WILL PAY OFF!

Most stores are pretty consistent w/ their "churning" i.e. pulling the old stuff, Thurs pm or Fri am, when they get a new batch for the weekend, and then Sun or Mon am/pm when they pull the leftover weekend stuff for the fresh M-F stock! Once U get that figured out UR golden! Then U can go just a couple times a week, or just whenever U want a good steak or want to fill up UR deep freezer for a few months, take a break from the food hunt and concentrate on retail spots!

U can go a bit early & just wait for them so U can watch them actually come out with it! lol It really helps if U can find a newish grocery store, or higher end one, that hasn't grown complacent re quality or lazy w/ their rotation! 1st store I ever tried, yes they had meat, tons of it! But it was all bad, just gross, brown sour meat, sausage rolls w/ a use/freeze date an entire month old "puffed up" (anything sealed that's expanded like a balloon is a big sign that its bad emitting those gasses of spoilage) Everything was inside a bag with loose rotting meat & juices blech, toxic soup! They're was one box of freshly pulled brats, hot dogs, bacon lunch meat etc that looked fine but because of the general condition of the other stuff, I left it! Stuff shouldn't be days beyond their sell by b4 they toss but days b4 it!

U want to find a good clean store, with high quality, and where they are very militant about their rotation! Funny because, a truck pulled up and stopped ahead of where we parked and waited and waited. When they saw me come back to get a grabber, they gunned their motor and screeched off, pissed! Never went back! They can have it!

I've been a bit compulsive and just knowing that it's there being wasted, strangely bothers me! I go ahead and take it anyways sometimes just so I can share it w/ friends & relatives so they can save $$$ and fill their freezers up for the summer too! I have just about reached maximum capacity (now pulling old bakery to make room) and it pains me to leave it all behind! I'll still take luke-warm meat (when I'm on a produce run) ground beef, steaks, chicken for the animals, keep it in a couple coolers on ice and feed them from it daily! It really reduces the amount of processed kibble UR animals eat. It's much healthier to feed them a "raw" diet of meats plus ur saving a ton of money in the process! My neighbors are floored when I give them a styro cooler packed w/ $300 worth of steaks, pork chops and chicken on ice for their dogs! A few have sheepishly asked if it was ok for them to eat? lol I said prolly not this batch BUT if U want some safe-for human consumption just answer my text and be around at 8:30 am or 11:00 pm because I can't store it over night or all day! I could leave it on ice ALL DAY/NIGHT but that would put U at risk for food poisoning!

So now I text them and drop by w/ a couple coolers full of meat (expecting just to drop it off on their porch) but NO somebody is always there to receive it day or night! (if someone offered to deliver $500+ worth of meat to me weekly I'd be up too lol)

They're always very appreciative and excited to go see what's in that night! Most have offered to pay me something but I was like noo way, but finally relented and said $10 would be fine for the month (just to cover ice) which I take, because $2 per 20 lb bag of ice can add up quickly w/ multiple people! Plus I think it makes them feel better like they're not getting something for nothing (people are weird that way)

I imagine my block is going to be rather fragrant all summer long, with the smell of barbecued meat! lol I feel good because I'm doing a good thing and it takes me minutes when I'm going to be out anyways, it's not like I am going out of my way or making special trips! Many are unemployed, or self-employed w/ spotty seasonal work (hunting guides, landscaping, or simply been laid off) Some have large households or herds of hungry kids (who I am already keeping in snacks, candy and beverages lol) and multiple families squeezed together (the telltale 5 cars at one house)

Plus, now when I go out of town I know my neighbors and don't worry because they notice when I'm gone and keep an eye on my place! It's a win/win quid pro quo feel good type of thing! I just think of what most families can do with that extra $300-$500 that they now don't have to waste on junk food, drinks and meat in their monthly grocery bill!

We've started keeping a Sparklett's water jug and stuffing it w/ our monthly food budget just to see what we might end up with at the end of the year! Not including what I hope to make now that I am finally going to get around to listing merch and other sellable items I've accumulated in just the short, almost 3 months, since I've embarked on this new little hobby of ours!

It's nearly empty now because we just raided it to pay the AC guy who replaced our central cooling unit last week $2,500 :) We've been putting if off since the old one died early last summer and have been making do with 2 window units! Now I can pull them and sell them on CL for maybe $50-$75 each I dunno whatever I can get for them they were $550 for both! I don't want to store them and this time I was smart and tacked on the extended 10 year warranty! lol

Srsly, just go and check things out! I never thought about grocery stores either until I watched Just East It and Dive. But they are amazing! If Ur not squeamish about eating "dived" food! I got over that REAL fast, the 1st month, after seeing we'd saved nearly $900!!! That included the $300 "going out to eat" money so it becomes really hard to justify going out for a steak dinner, when U have a stack of prime NY Strips just sitting there at home!

DIVE Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HlFP-PMW6E
Movie: http://www.thedaretube.com/tv/watch/dive-2010


JUST EAT IT Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbPmkFW5gg0
Amazon Prime: http://www.amazon.com/Just-Eat-Food-Waste-Story/dp/B016W3SEKQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1461894104&sr=8-1&keywords=Just+Eat+it

Or if U don't have Amazon:
http://putlocker.is/watch-just-eat-it-a-food-waste-story-online-free-putlocker.html

Awesome, I love blabbing about mushrooming, haha. :D

It's tons of fun, a great way to find lots of free, gourmet food, and really not as hazardous as people think as long as you're cautious and smart about it. Plus you can do it pretty much no matter where you live, whether urban or rural. Where there's grass or trees, or cracks in the sidewalk, 'shrooms are gonna pop up! Wild mushrooms are sooo much tastier than anything from the store, too, and just fun to find and look at.

If someone wants to get started it's usually best to find an experienced mycologist or mushroom hunter to show you the ropes and teach you a few of the foolproof edible beginner's species. That said, I never did this and pretty much taught myself through books and (reputable!) websites. (I used this book and this site to get me started, but having lots of different sources is important. Facebook mushroom ID groups are great to lurk and learn from.)

http://www.amazon.com/Simotech-DSR-1-DVD-Repair-Machine/dp/B000GX31G6 works the best

or

I have something similar to this that works well too and is much cheaper

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015ACUKC/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_2?pf_rd_p=1944687542&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000GX31G6&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=02E4A7N8YPDGNB8HMD42


You could get the right grit sand paper to do it yourself but thats only $15 and works much better.


It makes the discs look like they are really scratched when you are done but they work great / its just because it literally scrapes a layer of the plastic off so it is not polished anymore. You could try to carefully flame polish the plastic when you are done if you wanted a shiny finish but you would need to be REALLY careful since you have to use a very hot flame / like a butane torch.

Google flame polishing plastic.

Just in case anybody thinks you found an antique; there's a gazillion licensed reproductions, like this one, so whenever you see one, it's almost always a modern mirror.

They're still awesome, clean up easy and look great over a bar. Nice find, especially intact!

I started out with these grabbers, and they are ok with light stuff, but if you guys want ones that will last you YEARS and pick up that real heavy good stuff, I cannot recommend Unger Nifty Nabbers enough. They can lift a ton of weight and they have AMAZING grip! Well worth the investment! You can get them from Amazon or Home Depot

I use the Might D Light- It is bright, magnetic, and rechargeable with a phone usb charger.
https://www.amazon.com/Might-D-Light-LED130-Rechargeable-Folding-Worklight/dp/B002T4AEGK/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1499912062&sr=1-1&keywords=might+d+light+magnetic

I always bring garbage bags, reusable shopping bags, paper towels, wipes, copious amounts of hand sanitizer, and I bring a step ladder with me. I am 5'5 but I cannot climb easily into some of the taller dumpsters. I keep a gallon of water and a first aid kit in the event of cuts. (you will want to clean it out right away). Much of this could be condensed into a backpack too.

Not knowing where you live, I really cannot say what stores would be best. Just gotta keep at it. You will eventually hit a jackpot. I literally check pretty much every dumpster I come across.. haha.

Quick tip if you're a routine gift card checker: Almost all gift cards are magnetic swipe cards and you can input them into a computer with a swipe card reader. These plug into a computer via a USB and emulate a keyboard such that when you swipe a card, the card's information is entered into whatever text field you have selected. Instead of typing out the numbers on the card by hand, you can swipe the card through the reader and the numbers will be automatically entered through the computer.

What took maybe thirty seconds before can be sped up to less than one second.

They're also pretty cheap.

On a related note, you can get USB barcode readers that function much the same way. This can help you find obscure products online, books, and (my own favorite use for it) read barcodes on computer parts and batteries.

>This guy finds a old PC, and people love it. I find a server and people tell me to throw it back. (I know what I am doing) lol

Lol> https://www.amazon.com/Know-What-Doing-Other-Myself/dp/147677028X LOL! JK......

https://www.amazon.com/Bar-Keepers-Friend-Cleanser-Polish/dp/B00505GBSK/ref=sr_1_2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1492699177&sr=8-2&keywords=bar+keepers+friend

This stuff worked really well on my aquarium. Combine with a good bottle brush. It uses a safe acid and is supposed to be eco friendly I believe. It is also fairly cheap.

https://www.amazon.com/Pearhead-Prints-Hanging-Keepsake-Holiday/dp/B000CQ1CF4

I love this treasure hunting hobby! It keeps me physically and mentally active with much needed exercise and, I find some cool stuff while walking out and about.

I think this might be the Eva unit 02 figure you have, mostly based on the sword.

If you can get better pictures it might be easier to tell.

EDIT:

And then based on the manufacturer of the Unit 02 I found, and the hand gun in the picture, does this look like your Unit 01?

They have nets with 5 ft plus reach. And they are much thinner than the xbox. You could try to grab it using the net and then pull it closer to the edge so you can use your hands to feed it thru.

These fishing nets have a very sturdy metal pole and a large oval made of metal. Great for pushing and moving stuff to clear it of the other garbage.

Something like this is perfect.
https://www.amazon.com/PLUSINNO-Foldable-Collapsible-Telescopic-Releasing/dp/B07221SH3B?ref_=Oct_CABSellerC_3409171_0&pf_rd_p=327c00f2-f68c-5151-b458-83f11560d32c&pf_rd_s=mobile-hybrid-5&pf_rd_t=30901&pf_rd_i=3409171&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=K1AW7KZTFYQFRYA9Z686&pf_rd_r=K1AW7KZTFYQFRYA9Z686&pf_rd_p=327c00f2-f68c-5151-b458-83f11560d32c

i agree completely to this, and i would generally buy used but in good condition (the one i have now in my room is a used $50 GE, works fine except for the frosting issues and is only a few years old, maybe 3 or 4) but nowadays i don't have the proper funds to go in person. most of the stuff i buy comes from a different way. i work online and pay with online currency.

plus i'm not looking for a large one, just a smaller energy efficent model. something enough to put dive food and maybe an occasional bag of ice on the bottom rack.

like this

This was behind OM; it looks like the two printers were used by the company. The ink cartridges in them are all still full. Curious as to what I should set the price as on Ebay and whether or not I should make the investment to buy the power cables for them.

Pictured is an HP PSC 2355 All-in-One Printer priced at $300 new on Amazon and an HP Officejet 6500 priced new at $600.00 on Amazon. I'm not sure how to go forward with selling these :|


EDIT: The cheapest AC Adapter I see for the PCS is here for $12. The 6500 charger is going for $8.00.

If they don't play, try the SkipDR. I buy and sell dvd's & video games and it always works perfectly as long as the scratches aren't deep.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07V6FDS9R/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

That guy right there is the gold standard. It weighs nothing, is extremely durable (no cables to break or go slack, like a typical grabber), and can lift both delicate and heavy items.

I have scored a wide variety of dumpster gold over many years with that thing, and it's still in tip top condition.

These bad boys:

Unger Professional Nifty Nabber, 36” https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000V0AGS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_8v2dBbC90BC9X

Great for lifting light things out of the dumpsters.

This is the one I have, it can lift 8lbs: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000V0AGS/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_7DYPDb6CKNCEM

I also have a gardening tool that's like a rake but with only 3 prongs, I use it for lifting heavy things or bags. I got it at a thrift store