DUMPSTER DIVING GARBAGE PICKING READ & SEE WHAT IS FOUND HERE UPDATED 2012

[rmptr]

Re: DUMPSTER DIVING GARBAGE PICKING READ & SEE WHAT IS FOUND HERE UPDATE 2008

As a kid I worked a short time for a nationwide retail chain...

As BootyBay said, far above in this thread about a crafts store, periodically our task was to crush, mangle, or otherwise destroy the value of inventory that was excessed before we disposed of it in the dumpster.

It's a shame to be so wasteful.

I once helped at our local library...
Head librarian sent us on a mission down to the main library holding a book sale at VFW hall.
She says grab a bunch of books you think are interesting and bring 'em back... free for our library.

The large VFW hall was maxed out with tables covered with all sorts of books.

We stayed later than some... They had to clear the hall, for the vets to use... everything was taken out and put in two dumpsters headed to the county landfill.

I felt like a bookburning in Berlin. What a shame to lose all the good books.

These days I try to give away good ones, but no one wants 'em and they end up in the trash, a few at a time.

Books are just not a good thing to try and burn for heat in a wood stove, so not much can be done with 'em.

I'm just not ALLOWED to store things at my home, so best to all of you!

rmptr

 

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[scrounger d detector collector]

Re: DUMPSTER DIVING GARBAGE PICKING READ & SEE WHAT IS FOUND HERE UPDATE 2008

books burn great if the fire is hot enuf.yeh i cantunderstand it.seems no one is reading much and many many dumped.but bookseller stores like borders still sell tons.go figure

 

[markmopar]

Re: DUMPSTER DIVING GARBAGE PICKING READ & SEE WHAT IS FOUND HERE UPDATE 2008

In my little town we have a secondhand book store. they sell used books and offer trade-in credit for used books.
Goodwill and the Salvation Army stores here also seem to sell a lot of used books.

 

[Eddie08]

Re: DUMPSTER DIVING GARBAGE PICKING READ & SEE WHAT IS FOUND HERE UPDATE 2008

My best trash day find was a old wood working vice which was on the curb outside a farm house that had just gone up for sale. The vice was made by Emmert and was dated with a August 1891 Patent. Thought it was a old furnace door when I first drove by it but still had to turn around and check it out. It was soo big I had to put an extension on my work bench just to make fit. The entire vice can rotate and lock in eight posistions and the outer jaw moves up to 15 degrees so you can clamp things that are not square. I'm still chuckling about finding it.

 

[bootybay]

Re: DUMPSTER DIVING GARBAGE PICKING READ & SEE WHAT IS FOUND HERE UPDATE 2008

Edde, did you ever find out what its worth, just out of curosity I mean?

 

[Eddie08]

Re: DUMPSTER DIVING GARBAGE PICKING READ & SEE WHAT IS FOUND HERE UPDATE 2008

I was offered $500.00 for the vice sight unseen by someone who was working at Penn State Industries wood working. I've seen one on e-bay that went for a little more. Wouldn't sell it for twice that, it's too nice a vise.

 

[bootybay]

Re: DUMPSTER DIVING GARBAGE PICKING READ & SEE WHAT IS FOUND HERE UPDATE 2008

Oh I totally understand on not selling it, but man YOU sure as hell did great on that one... amazing what folks toss out.. talk about being in the right place at the right time.

 

[airborne1092]

Re: DUMPSTER DIVING GARBAGE PICKING READ & SEE WHAT IS FOUND HERE UPDATE 2008

'Back in the day' (17 years ago) I was in the Civil Air Patrol near Everett, WA. A good friend used to dive the Jansport dumpster near Paine Field and come up with all their scraps and blemish backpacks.

I guess his mom was pretty quick with a sewing machine and would fix up some pretty awesome packs and pouches for our SAR kits. Several years later, I guess Jansport started locking their dumpsters.

On another note, I picked up kick @$$ shirt from the Wal-Mart. On the front it shows a stick figure diving into a dumpster with "Dumpster Diver" below. I love it!

 

[Midnightrider08]

Re: DUMPSTER DIVING GARBAGE PICKING READ & SEE WHAT IS FOUND HERE UPDATE 2008

Yesterday while I was doing the yard sale thing someone dropped off a entire truckload of old books and in them was a complete 7 volume set of Mackey's Revised History of FreeMasonry by Robert Ingham Clegg . The set is from 1921 and is in awesome condition. They were going to throw the entire load of books in dump but I reluctantly took it. I'm glad i did. Anyone know anything about value of old books? or deal in them?

 

[markmopar]

Re: DUMPSTER DIVING GARBAGE PICKING READ & SEE WHAT IS FOUND HERE UPDATE 2008

there are two sets of those books on ebay right now, one for $495 and the other for $899.99
I use ebay's completed auctions to get an idea what stuff can be worth.

 

[DPBOB]

Re: DUMPSTER DIVING GARBAGE PICKING READ & SEE WHAT IS FOUND HERE UPDATE 2008


bump

 

[nhbenz]

Re: DUMPSTER DIVING GARBAGE PICKING READ & SEE WHAT IS FOUND HERE UPDATE 2008

Any banjologists out there? Found this at the dump and can't figure out if the number 16 is a model number or a a really low serial number. I don't know why 1861 was etched on it (in 3rd photo), as the maker's mark dates this from 1890 to 1926. It needs extensive work, but this was from a premier maker in its day.

 

[scrounger d detector collector]

Re: DUMPSTER DIVING GARBAGE PICKING READ & SEE WHAT IS FOUND HERE UPDATE 2008

my latest foray...wife wants to go to fair.we get there fair is over. spotted dumpster in small town. grabbed some vintage toys.2 ertl metal van w graphics.bag of model junkyard.mixed cars and military.old racing cars some electric .some w little gas engines.looks old. says address chicago 24 illinois. other slot cars and assorted toys.then i took the detector to the local park.

 

[olepossum]

Re: DUMPSTER DIVING GARBAGE PICKING READ & SEE WHAT IS FOUND HERE UPDATE 2008

i went by the auction in my town and picked through the left over lots and got a brand new radiator for a 2004 pt crusier a full set of tupperware cannisters a hand carved wooden spoon sold on ebay for folk art 50 bucks some 1960 postal workers union convetion ashtrays about 1 1/2 pounds of silver jewelry and 3 sets of wm rogers flatware full sets of silver and plate a singer upholstering sewing machine works it does i sew leather with it a old cookie jar looks like a french chef a old bulls eye rail road oil lantern and a whole black trash bag of unopened pokeman cards a 33 gallon one gonna make some bucks therefor sure oh yeah i sold the radiator for $100.00to the guy down the street for his pt .lets kkep this post going i have a dumpster diving group on yahoo called midnight diverscome for a visit leave a memberif i could afford it i would make a box of business cards and mail them out as membership cards.well gotta go need some sleepit is 434am in missouri .

 

[airborne1092]

Re: DUMPSTER DIVING GARBAGE PICKING READ & SEE WHAT IS FOUND HERE UPDATE 2008

I'm not sure it's been posted yet, but in Germany, every community has trash days, usually once or twice a year. American G.I.s love trash days and you can find some pretty awesome stuff! my uncle, an LTC practically furnished his house with curbside finds!

I guess the Germans are taxed on the number or type of electronics in their house. The American community papers even post the days in most cases that the trash days are!

Oh - BTW, did I mention I've been assigned BACK to Germany in March!? (Sorry - I'm pretty stoked!)

 

[harker52]

Re: DUMPSTER DIVING GARBAGE PICKING READ & SEE WHAT IS FOUND HERE UPDATE 2008

Great thread! Here is a couple of items that have been on the Antiques Roadshow and found by Dumpster Divers.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/archive/200501A11.html

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/archive/200404A08.html

 

[lou423]

Re: DUMPSTER DIVING GARBAGE PICKING READ & SEE WHAT IS FOUND HERE UPDATE 2008

The lamp I have at the head of my bed, I found next to the dumpster, also the credenza where I place my books, the chair on my desk, a heavy piece of furniture where my air filter rests, all that and more I have found dumpster diving...
Some people's trash is some other people's treasure.
All that stuff will go back to the dump when I leave this place.

 

[cyberdan]

Re: DUMPSTER DIVING GARBAGE PICKING READ & SEE WHAT IS FOUND HERE UPDATE 2008

Someone made it easy to do some diving last night. Leaning next to the bin was a brand new, in a box Coleman queen size air mattress with electric pump. Retails for around $40 Sounds like ebay time.

Did some research, sounds like re-dumpster time.

The mattress appears to be constructed for either a once or twice usage limit.

Simply turning in your sleep can put stress on the thin top of the mattress and cause small tears which grow into large tears.

As long as you lie perfectly still, and can rise off of the mattress without stressing it, it should last for at least a week.

Not thick, not comfy, noisy, a pain in the neck, literally.

Pros: Easy to inflate.
Cons: Deflates just as easily

W.C. Coleman should have been forced to sleep on this air mattress for a month. Perhaps then he would have walked in to his production and design office with the appropriate hatchet in hand and cut the head off the idiot who put this lemon on the roster. ...

I will test it and if it comes close to the above back to the dumpster. I don't want to do a refund through feeBay

 

[DPBOB]

Re: DUMPSTER DIVING GARBAGE PICKING READ & SEE WHAT IS FOUND HERE UPDATE 2008

 

[Cruisin]

Re: DUMPSTER DIVING GARBAGE PICKING READ & SEE WHAT IS FOUND HERE UPDATE 2008

Back about the time ebay started I would dive in the alleys of the commercial district of town - back before they started locking the dumpsters. I would take a quick look, toss an interesting item in the car (didn't want to get caught diving) & then check the stuff out better when I got home. Once I found a shoe box with a pair of work boots. When I looked closer I saw that they were brand new & there were some sales receipts in the box. The closest thing I can figure is that some employee took the boots as a return & then stashed them in the dumpster to pick up after work. Imagine his surprise when they were gone! Anyway, I got $75 on ebay. I also found an 8"X10" sterling silver photo frame the same way. I'm sure it was the same situation.

By the time we had gone thru all the alleys of town there's no way to know which store these came from or I would have LOVED to take them back in the store & give them to the mgr!