Dumpster Diving

Found a many pound chunk of copper the other day.

Not that it's spectacular, but I'm building a collection to recycle, of cords and anything else I find. This was a lightening rod ground, so a massive copper stake that was driven into the ground, and a heafty wire to go to the actual rod. Someone was renovating and tossed it.

It's a precious metal and highly limited resource, and does not belong in a landfill. Just because we're pulling plenty out of the ground at the moment does not mean we always will be, if anything it means the opposite. And copper is necessary for an advanced, technological society.

 

I've pulled a few of those... might look like it, but it ain't pure copper...put a magnet on it and get back to me.

 

Hmm.... I gave it a good scrape with my knife, and it checked out. I'll check it with a magnet laters.

It's a pretty old one though, and according to my scraping, everything, wire, clamp, stake, other than the bolts, is copper.

 

yeah I relied on the scrape test till after more than one embarrasment at the recyclers, I started carrying a magnet...
...comes in really handy for stainless steel, prices were quite high for a while there.

Don't forget about facets and sink parts, don't let the chrome plate fool you, they are all brass.

 

Good to know, never thought of that... But I'd take any plumbing parts in a second.

A problem is often more carrying it, than finding it. And even in places I have permission to dive, I'd rather not be hassled by bored cops, so I keep things moving along.

I mean, protected and served by bored cops.

 

For sure, discretion and stealth go along way toward staying out of trouble scrapping /scavenging.
When I lived in town I liked to use a bike with a kiddie trailer, I could just chuck stuff in and go. People don't freak out as much as cruising alleys in your car, opening and closing doors and hatches makes folks look out their window and what-not...plus cops can't fuck with you as much on a bike.
It's tough when you find bigger stuff though. you shoulda seen me trying to haul this 70 lb, 6'x3' stainless sink unit across town sticking out of my bike trailer! I went very slowww

Lol :cheers2:

 

Love this, always wanted to try but the only thing I have taken was bottles and cans, hehe, turned them in for money, I cant do that as easily in norway as in iceland because here they cant be bent and are returned to grocery stores and you can only use the money in the store, but thats fine and in iceland its better to squish? (didnt find a better word) them so they take as little space as possible so more can fit in the bag, then returned to a recycling place and get cash
used to go down town early on sundays and there were hundreds of cans and bottles, hehe

but I want to try someday, not gonna have the first time while pregnant though, haha, can bearly go into the kitchen without getting nausiated from the smell of food..

but Im gonna start with weed, you know you can eat alot of weeds like dandelions and they both taste good and are very good for you
also veeeeryyy free, hehehe

 

I do alot of "foraging", dandelions are a great beginner plant. I forage wild garlic, onions, day lillies, cat tails, Wild mustard, poor mans pepper, stinging nettles, Wild carrots, all kinds of plants. I would highly suggest using a reliable field guide to wild edibles and identification of plants. I mostly use Petersons Field guide to Wild Edible Plants.

I also like fishing, very cheap and relatively easy.

Good luck and happy foraging !

~peace

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuD1oDth6es"]Portlandia Dumpster Divers clip - YouTube

 

The key to dumpster diving is doing it at the right time and places.

 

i wouldn't dumpster dive because for almost no dollars you can buy tons of real food anywhere easily all-the-time...,

also the dumpsters here downtown are real fucking waste of humanity shit-holes,
dumpsters here are bad bad times, for sure the province of the fucking damned.......

 

I've lived better out of US dumpsters than many do out of US homes.


College towns are king when it comes to great waste.

 

"College towns are king when it comes to great waste."

I used to get so much stuff out of the dumpsters down around Ohio State University... Those kids threw out some amazing stuff.

 

I've been told that my local Micheals has great dumpster diving.
I've never gone diving before, so I'm a bit nervous.
Might check the area out for camera's today. If there aren't any, I may be able to park my van right next to the bin and unload straight into the van.

Anything I can't use for myself, I plan to give to a local school that's having funding issues and is terribly low on arts n' craft supplies.

 

Yup quite true!!

 

I don't dumpster dive per se. But I do take food waste from a local place to feed my critters. My friend and I are going to have to take this to a whole new level, though!

 

I was dumpster diving at a local Costcutter here in the Uk for a while. One evening I was shocked when I turned up and saw a member of staff approach me. As it turned out he offered me the pick of the 'waste' before it went into the bin, this went on for about 6mths until their manager stopped it based on 'health and safety'.....sometimes life can supprise you

 

I haven't been diving in ages, but tonight the mood took me. I went round to one of my old haunts, and voilà;

A slight tear in the packet, but I reckon more than 3/4 still remains in the packet. 'Rufus' making meal time tasty'. 2.5 kg of it.

 

I work in a pharmacy, so I have a big issue with eating* anything from a dumpster. But there is nothing wrong with going to your local junk yard/tip and rummaging around for cool stuff. My mother and her friend used to do it all the time, found all kinds of cool stuff.

 

You wouldnt think there would be!!!!!! (Some places like to claim the trash that comes in!!)