Dumpster Diving can be as simple as picking up free items off a curb, or as involved as planning a night time trash stake out behind your favorite shop.

Here is an amazing array of resources for the dumpster diving lifestyle. I've never seen anything quite as comprehensive as that.

Would you do it? Have you done it?

You might want to watch a video called the Tao of the Dumpster. It is fascinating.

Alaska rocks it for dumpster diving. Th areas where most of us take our trash - known as transfer sites, often have an area where anything that is reusable is left. I have gotten lots of furniture, clothing, random do-dads, and my DH recently got a tv that orignally sold for $3000. The TV is huge. It need some sort of simple electrical repair, not even a new part! Now its like we watch movies on a small theater screen, because the tv is so big and we sit closer to it than you do at the movies.
I am really selective about taking home any food items or beauty products. Recently I scored some really nice beauty products, barely used - Neutrogena grapefruit scented face scrub, Bed Head Control Freak control Serum (a product I regularly use), and a Redken deep conditioner for curly hair.
When I get compliments at my regular day job on an outfit, I am always quick to tell someone if I got my clothing from the transfer site - I think it is one of the best recycle/upcycle programs out there.

AKLIsa, your transit station sounds so enlightened. You've gotten some amazing goods! I wish there was a system like this in every city and town.

When my grandmother died, my mother could not bear to look at her stuff, so my father took it all to the landfill. I was hugely upset about this and begged him to bring things to goodwill instead, but he just wanted it over and done. I still feel upset about this. So many nice things! It's wrong on so many levels. Some people have nothing and we happily trash it all away.

Our transfer station is a for-profit that jealously holds onto their 'product'. No one is allowed to take anything. And of course they charge you dearly to dump things off. I try to dismantle everything down to its components so i can recycle and compost the parts of it - i refuse to give money to this broken system.

Right now i have this ugly chair that came with the house. It's wood and upholstery (foam and cloth), with a lot of metal inside (it swivels and stuff). It's big. I really need help breaking this things down - i don't have a sledge hammer or a chainsaw. It's been kicking around and around. I finally got help to load it into my utility trailer and plan to drive it to a friend's house so her family can help me break it down.

Anyway, the thing is not reusuable. I had it outside in the weather for the whole time i lived here and all the upholstery is cracked and eaten-looking. It's a Zombie Chair!

Well, that rant is neither here not there, is it?

I've also received many wonderful things from curbside and trash bins. If i look long enough, I can pretty much find anything eventually, including big things like shelving, desks, sofas and outdoor furniture.

The dump in my town, or transfer station as it is called, has a big trailer that is open at one end to walk in and place things that still have use like clothes, toys, books, and many other things. When the trailer is full the contents are brought to goodwill. It is great, and I have put some things in there that I no longer use.

Debbie, what an enlightened idea! I wish all communities would consider something like that.

Today I checked behind my local senior center thrift store. THey have a little FREE box.

I was able to get an eight piece set of tupperwares, two little buckets, some small containers with lids, and a few more useful kitchen items. Dollar store type stuff, except free. I am just using a little bleach to make sure everything is clean right now and then putting them on the kitchen shelf.

I got some mixing bowls out of the free box yesterday. A free box is not exactly dumpster diving, though.

Here is a random how to article on dumpster diving that I found. Just FYI.