Ivy Elaine
Mike the Scavenger is a dumpster diving expert with a huge following on YouTube and TikTok. His entertaining videos documenting his dumpster diving adventures have earned him over 500k subscribers across his social channels. Mike got started dumpster diving over 5 years ago out of curiosity and a desire to live more sustainably. He was … Read more
London’s alleyways and street corners hide a secret world of discarded treasures for those willing to go digging. Late at night, shadowy figures quietly slip behind market stalls and apartment buildings on an unusual mission; they are London’s “dumpster divers” out scavenging the city’s refuse for hidden gems. While dumpster diving provokes disgust in some … Read more
Freegans and frugal foragers, look lively. Dumpster diving—the practice of salvaging reusable or edible items from store and restaurant trash bins—is on shaky legal ground in Iowa. State statutes don’t expressly permit or prohibit the activity, creating ambiguity. This article will examine the complex legal landscape around dumpster diving in Iowa, the Hawkeye State. We’ll … Read more
Dumpster diving has a growing community and culture in Manchester. Many people have discovered the rewards of searching through commercial and residential waste bins to find surprising treasures that have been discarded. From students furnishing their apartments with lightly used furniture thrown out at the end of term, to people supplementing their pantry with still … Read more
The search for free treasures can be thrilling, but in Michigan, it pays to know the law regarding dumpster diving before jumpin in a dumpster. While many might assume trash is fair game once it hits the curb, Michigan law includes some gray areas. This article will explain the legal standing of dumpster diving in … Read more
Minnesotans may be surprised to learn that ‘dumpster diving’—which means sifting through dumpsters for free items to salvage—is mostly legal in Minnesota. While dumpsters are often seen as belonging to the companies that lease them, once items are thrown out they’re legally considered abandoned property. This makes it legal for anyone to scour dumpsters for … Read more
Late at night behind supermarkets and apartment complexes, masked figures search through unlocked dumpsters, pulling out discarded items that are still usable. They call it “urban foraging” or “dumpster diving,” and despite appearances, many claim they find decent food and household goods that would otherwise end up in a landfill. But is this practice of … Read more
Searching for hidden gems? Many are hopping into dumpsters rather than scouring thrift stores for treasures, especially in Nebraska where dumpster diving laws are unusually sparse. Thrill-seekers and penny-pinchers alike are scaling chain-link fences under the cover of night, flashlights in hand. They emerge bearing all manner of discarded goods: clothes just taken off the … Read more
Dumpster diving, or seeking out usable items in commercial dumpsters, has grown in popularity in recent years as a means to reduce waste and find valuable goods. While not illegal in most areas, the legalities around dumpster diving can vary significantly depending on local laws and the context of where diving takes place. This article … Read more
New Hampshire may invoke images of quaint small towns and mountain getaways, but it also has an active and complex waste stream that attracts a little-discussed subculture – dumpster divers. Driven by financial necessity, environmental consciousness, or thrill-seeking, these urban foragers look to what’s been thrown out to uncover discarded treasures. In doing so, they … Read more
