Blame it on the hard economic times and the growing acceptance of the frugal lifestyle, but the personal finance blogosphere has seen quite a few dumpster diving posts of late. For a group that prides itself on frugality, it only makes sense that we’d see a few postings on the subject. After all, what is more frugal than free?

As icky as it sounds to many people, there is a good bit of logic to the idea of dumpster diving. In many ways our society has become accustomed to the idea of just throwing stuff away after it is no longer useful to us. Having lived in apartment complexes before, it is simply mindboggling some of the stuff people will throw out either because they don’t like it anymore or just don’t feel like taking it with them when they move. Myself I have found lamps, picture frames, filing cabinets, and numerous other items that were perfectly usable that others decided to leave behind. I could also add to that list a couch as well, except I came upon the people throwing it out as they were leaving it and convinced them to help me bring it up to my apartment. The word in dumpster diving circles is that around the end of college semesters is one of the best times to dumpster dive on college campuses as students often just throw stuff to the curb rather than try to haul it back home for the break.

Businesses waste probably more than individuals. Ever wonder what happens to that item you brought back to the store because it had a minor scratch on it? In many cases the store would send it back to the manufacturer for credit, but for many items may be instructed to simply throw it out since it would cost too much to ship back. Many stores have policies against reselling the items out of fear that defective returned items could prove to be a legal liability if customers somehow injure themselves with the product. This would be an advantage for store employees, except many have a policy that strictly prohibits employees from taking home returned products even if they are headed to the dumpster, with the penalty often being termination. So the result is that many perfectly usable products end up in store dumpsters.

So what should you know if you want to make someone else’s trash your treasure? I would recommend checking out tips provided by The Debt Defier and Queercents, but the main points would be the following:

1. Dive only where permitted by law. Dumpster diving is legal in most places, however be sure to check your local laws to be certain. Also avoid locked dumpsters (this is most certainly trespassing).
2. Dress the part. You’re not going to be jumping into a bed of roses, so make sure you wear appropriate clothing. Make sure the clothing fully covers your body and is something you don’t mind throwing out afterwards.
3. Leave the area cleaner than you found it. This is kind of like camping. You are a guest, so make sure you clean up after yourself. Inconsiderate dumpster divers leaving a mess all over the place are one of the reasons many stores lock up their dumpster areas.
4. Be prepared. For dumpster diving, this would mean bringing flashlights, a stepladder (or something else to stand on), and something to reach in and grab stuff (you can usually find these in Walmart and drugstores, or you could make your own).
5. Bring a buddy. It is always good to have someone else to help you with heavy items, serve as a lookout (although diving is legal, it is usually best to avoid confrontations), and be there to help if you hurt yourself.

To answer the obvious question, this is not something I typically do, but I will admit I find the practice quite fascinating. I mainly don’t do it because it is illegal here, I don’t have a diving buddy, and I’ve got enough crap already.

For more information and some good laughs on the subject, be sure to also take a look at the official dumpster diving thread over at FatWallet.

• Previous Entry: Sold more crap on eBay
• Next Entry: Don’t get burned on your credit card balance transfer!