Back to Tangible Freebies"One man's trash is another man's treasure"
Free Garbage
Dumpster diving and curb shopping.
Who knows how you actually arrived on this page, reading information on how to get free garbage? Perhaps it was simple curiosity. Perhaps you have an overwhelming need to get something for free. Or perhaps you're interested in making a political statement.
The fact is, when observing and researching the different ways to get freebies, the topic of finding things in the trash comes up so often that that any website with information on how to get free stuff would need to address the subject. The one case I've read about where someone lived absolutely free, without money, was someone who made use of items that were thrown away. But who would really want to live like that?
"Get items for free! Find them in the garbage." It seems like that pitch would fail for most people, if not everybody. Of course you can get anything for free out of the garbage. Its stuff people have thrown away, so they obviously don't want it. The real question is, "can I get anything nice or useful from the trash?" Due to the number of affirmative examples, one can't deny that the answer to that question is a resounding YES!
While growing up in Arizona, I spent a lot of time at my cousin's house. He had a neighbor who had made a "retired" career out of finding items in the garbage. I remember going to his house and seeing the treasures that his neighbor had given to his family. Despite the wondrous items his neighbor found, I never believed that anyone could convince me that getting things out of the garbage would be a great way to get things for free.
That was long before I became an apartment manager in Berkeley, California, just two blocks south of the University of California (UC Berkeley). The move-out periods between semesters were crazy! People would try to get all their belongings moved out in the small period of time between their last exam and the last day of their contract. The City of Berkeley has to put out giant trash bins every two blocks to handle the volume of trash that goes out during that week. The trash bin in my apartment complex got more than its fair share. (I know, I was the one who had to clean it up).
So whats the deal here? Is there some class at UC Berkeley that every student has to take, which teaches them to religiously create high volumes of garbage at the end of every semester? I can guarantee that if there was such a class, the university would have tree sitters all over campus protesting at how such an anti-green philosophy is ruining our planet.
What percentage of that garbage being thrown away is useful? Anecdotally, I'd say that at least 70% of the items thrown away were used on a regular basis, up until about 10 minutes before they were found in the garbage, if you don't include the piles and piles of paper. These items - books, clothing, furniture, couches, desks, movies, electronics, posters and practically anything a college student would have - were simply things that the college students couldn't move to another location. They didn't have time, money, or transportation to move it; so they just threw it away.
I remember one particular occasion: My wife and I had been planning to buy a combo VCR-DVD player in order to occupy less space than two separate machines. When I was cleaning the dumpster area of our apartment complex I happened to find one. I thought, "no one would throw this away if worked, but I'll try it just in case I get lucky." Sure enough, it worked and I only needed to buy a universal remote for it! I saved $70 because I was open-minded enough to test it. On another occasion we found a table from Ikea that we used to replace our kitchen table. This was particularly perfect for us because items from Ikea are very portable and we've had to move a couple of times.
I've seen multiple other uses of this practice which is called "dumpster diving". Anyone who has repair skills or sewing skills can find a virtually unlimited supply of parts and materials to repair and rebuild. Once I read an article about a man who specifically dumpster dives for vacuums. He stated that the vacuums sell well on Craigslist for $30-$50 and they usually only need a new belt or some other minor repair. Anyone who recycles for cash can have as many cans, paper, plastic and glass as they can carry away. I've also seen extreme couponers dumpster dive for more coupons so that they can maximize their savings on the deals that they discover. Those who like to take advantage of rewards programs can find unused reward codes by dumpster diving. If you happen to live in New York City, pick up a copy of The Cheap B@$t@rd's Guide from your local library. There is a whole chapter on getting freebies through dumpster diving (and New York City is probably one of the best places in the world to dumpster dive).
Here is another example: Freecycle.org is a website that was specifically created to reduce waste by providing a means of communication between people who can give away items with people who need the items. This reduces waste because the items get reused instead of thrown away. The fact that such an organization can not only exist, but thrive, is a testament that too many people, and not just college students, actually throw away good, useful items.
This topic cannot be explored without at least mentioning the Freegans. A "freegan" is a person that has taken dumpster diving to the level of political protest. By definition, they're financially able to buy things but choose not to because they know they have the option of getting something for free; even if they have to swallow their pride and get it out of the trash. Their anti-consumerism philosophy fuels their practice. They do it so regularly that they even get their meals from dumpster diving. The purpose of ActuallyFree.info is not to promote any political agenda. However, if anyone has enough of a desire to get something for free, they can learn a lot about dumpster diving from someone who has made it a regular part of their life.
(Check out the hair on the redhead guy! Yeah!)
Ready to start dumpster diving? Try these tips:
- Make sure dumpster diving isn't illegal in your state and county.
- Find out when your city takes large items. You'll find lots of furniture and TVs.
- Look in a college town at the end of every semester.
- Be very, VERY cautious with dairy, eggs, and other meat products. In fact, anything you eat will be at your own risk!
- Find good dumpster diving spots at Freegan.info.
- Trash Wiki - a wiki created by and for dumpster divers
- Go to your local library or find resources online for learning simple electronics repairs, sewing, and other topics. That way any of the electronics, materials or other pieces of products that you find will be useful to you, whether they're broken or not.
If you don't want to dumpster dive then you may want to try contacting the managers of local stores to see if you can get items before they are thrown away.
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