Any Dumpster Divers/Scavengers?

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64 SRT8 Dart

64 SRT8 Dart

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Not sure if a thread like this has ever been started but, how many in here are dumpster divers?
I admit I am and have found some pretty cool things.

Today I went to Upullandpay and I have a habit that if I don't find the part I was looking for, I actually scavenge through cars, under seats, etc, until I find enough change to get my entry fee of $2.00 back. Lol
Today I found $5.69 + a confirmed $6.00 on a Walmart gift card + confirmed $3.14 on a King Soopers Grocery gift card. Also found a new in box combination lock! So, over all a good days find. Lol It's not unusual to find tools as well. I've found sockets, wrenches, screw drivers, and once I found a new deWalt plated drill set in the fold up yellow hard plastic case....in my garage currently, lol.

When we lived in the apartments I would walk Gunner by the dumpster on the way to the park and always drag something home. My wife would just shake her head.
Some of the things I've collected:

Pull straps/tie downs
Medal of Meritorious Service and bars
DOD Anti-terrorism training DVD's
Ammunition: yup. .223, .380, .22 hornet
An Ethan Allen Mahogany end table w/magazine rack and fold up lid that was nearly brand new! Sell for $150 and up on eBay.
Box of Christmas bows, ribbon rolls
Several bags of unused blue medical rags; currently garage rags

Those are the things I can remember.

What have any of you ever found or dragged home?? Post here!
 
The wife did not like it when I went to the local dump, always said I came home with more than I left with. Found rear axles, horns cylinder heads, even a paddle boat.
 
I think the funniest was when i was at the wrecking yard and found a cable TV box remote. We had 2 of these and somehow one got lost. This remote was identical to ours. My wife shook her head, and called me a trash picker, until i put a pair of AA batteries in it, pointed it at the cable box and started clicking thru channels with it. Then i looked at her, smiled, and said are you a believer now.
 
Truck stops. Funny
Working leaf blower, bike after bike. 3 squares of new shingles, speakers for the shop, lawn mowers, chain saws, carbon arc light from an old movie theater (that one I catch and released), telescope with an awesome tripod. etc.

They shut down dumpster diving where I live. Drives me crazy. I still sneak a little salvaging in.
 
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Oh yeah. Once I found a box with about half a dozen watches of different brands. Also found one of those handheld play station things (PSP?) and it still worked, just no charger. They were in the apt dumpster.
 
I like our regional park dumpsters.
Gotta go november thru march though or they are filled with food from picnic shelters.
Have scored a utility trailor, hardwood flooring still in boxes, multiple play stations and all kinds of tools.
 
We all fix old mopars, i think that makes all of us scavengers to some extent. I never found boxes of hardwood flooring, play stations or utility trailers though. Some of y'all have good dumpster diving adventures. I have however come across broken craftsman ratchets and sockets in the junkyard though, and turned them back in at sears for new ones lol.

How about stuff found on the side of the road? I came across a big box, looked like it fell off a truck. Inside there were 5 new A/C outflow vents designed for drop celiings. I looked em up on the manufacturers website. $40 a vent. I craigslisted the whole box for $100 lol.

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moparmat2000 said:
How about stuff found on the side of the road? I came across a big box, looked like it fell off a truck.
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not quite the same, but i have WATCHED as 3 or 4 boxes of what looked like washers or dryers dropped off the back of the truck in front of me
 
I catch a lot of things at work before they hit the dumpster. We are not allowed to put cars out on the lot with aftermarket accessories on them because of liability issues. So everything gets thrown in a pile and it's first come first served. I've gotten everything from expensive sunglasses to aftermarket soft tops for a Jeep (which I sold on CL for $500). People just shake their heads when they see me digging through the pile. The porters think they've struck gold if they can get a couple bucks worth of change out of a trade in. They don't have a clue why I'm dragging that stuff home.
 
BrianT,

Keep em guessin. Tell em your a hoarder and its a sickness. Never let that secret get out.
 
spl440 said:
The wife did not like it when I went to the local dump, always said I came home with more than I left with.
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I was in the same place when I was younger and had a truck. I've got a B&S 3.75 horse mower engine that has been on 4 different mower bodies. The original as purchased and 3 others that came from the dump.
Now there's a particular item that goes in that I want to get out, bring home, but can't.
Stainless steel washing machine tubs can become very nice outdoor fire pits.
 
Always gotta do a quick scan when Im at the local dump. About 10 years ago I was making a run. Saw a 16' bin that had old hubcaps. About 2' deep worth of cool caps. Saw a worker driving a front end loader over to get a bucketful of caps. I managed to get 4 old matched Studebaker caps mint from the 30's. 4 old dodge truck ones. Only grabbed a dozen total.
It was definitely from an estate.A lifelong collection.
Gf at the time was with me...."you're supposed to drop **** off here not bring it home"
 
My kid dumpster dove and brought home a junk chevy electronic V6 distributor knowing i buy and sell parts. I thanked her and put it on the corner of my workbench. When the ignition on my truck quit, i cross referenced the V6 ign. module and found it to be the same one used for a V8. Somebody replaced the ign. module on this crusty V6 distributor fairly recently, so i took a chance and swapped the fairly new module into my truck. Its been running fine ever since lol.
 
I have gained some good stuff through the years. Another thing to do is go slow and watch the side of the road near truck stops. I have tools from near truck stops.
 
I don't often brag but none of you have ever found something so full of awesomeness...... She gave me 14 years of companionship that can't be replaced.... I will always have an open invite to whomever thew Bear in a dumpster as a pup to meet me. I got something waiting for you after all these years.....

Carry on,
JW

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Yep, you win! That is awesome BEST FIND! Beautiful friend.
SLOPAR72 said:
I don't often brag but none of you have ever found something so full of awesomeness...... She gave me 14 years of companionship that can't be replaced.... I will always have an open invite to whomever thew Bear in a dumpster as a pup to meet me. I got something waiting for you after all these years.....

Carry on,
JW

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People that do stuff like that to animals are truly rotten pricks. I'd love to come across one of those pricks and catch em in the act.
 
I do it all of the time.
Just the dead car batteries i brought in for scrap at $8.00 each is worth it. 4 or 5 a year is the average.
The dumpsters where i live is like a local swap and shop.
People will drop off stuff and it will be gone within a day or 2.
Any good hoarder like me is also a dumpster diver/ally surfer.............lol
 
moparmat2000 said:
People that do stuff like that to animals are truly rotten pricks. I'd love to come across one of those pricks and catch em in the act.
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Yep.... I have zero interest in even harming a fly.... But in this case I will make an exception. They are cowards plain and simple....

JW
 
All these are pretty good. Also, I'd say that side of the road counts. Don't know how many times driving up the interstate I've saw stuff and wanted to stop but blew by it.
It's like your mind is telling you you're missing out on something and you died a little bit inside because you didn't stop. Hahalol
A couple of times I have stopped because I've thought about puppies or kittens thrown out in boxes or bags and have checked.
 
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