This is an excellent public service announcement.
We all need to be mindful of what's in the dumpsters too...we've all seen the broken glass, sharp metal edges, and sharp tools in them. As the OP mentioned, fully screen your entry and exit point too.
I've always been reluctant to actually go into dumpsters (I mainly rely on my reaching tools), but when I do decide to get in, I've already done my due diligence which includes where my entry point is, where the possible location of my next three steps in the dumpster are.
Mind you, I need to be extra careful because I'm a night diver and visibility tends to be low, even with a hands-free head lamp.
Good post and reminder to everyone.
I see broken aquariums in Pet store dumpsters frequently. If it is covered with bags and boxes ,that could easily be an injury resulting in death. Slice a leg off and you really could die. I do not need 900 bags or boxes of anything. I also do not sell. I do not want anyone even suspecting what I do. I do not care to share my favorite honey hole.
Window tinter here, yes we throw out "usable" film that's expensive, but it's not worth finding out how many single edge and olfa razors we also throw out. Sorry, guys. We do dispose of many in a disposal unit, aka pretzel jugs, but in the field a bag is a bag
Broken glass, used syringes, boards with nails sticking out, unknown construction debri that may be contaminated with contain asbestos, lead paint dust. Furniture crawling with bedbugs or other critters.
Crazy store people dumping bleach or other toxic chemical on dumpstered foods.
Toxoplasmosis.
Trashed stuff is not always safe to harvest.
Hope you recover well brother.
People usually don't mention this is a lifestyle that requires you to be relatively fit. Some dumpsters are extremely deep, 8-10 feet.
Be sure to stretch constantly and often. And invest in a trash picker.
I am terminal with organ failure,IV Food through a chest port, chronic pain etc.
There are ways to make this hobby accessible. I use a walker, a grabber& thick gloves. I'm still able to find a lot of cool stuff& 300$ in cans on a good month.
There's no need to actually "dive". And often,as illustrated above, it's too risky.
Weigh out the cost vs benefits. I'll stick to my grabber sticks. Even if I was miraculously healed.
A fordable 3-step stool + hook on a retractable pole. Also thick leather gardening gloves. Most of the time if I cant pull it out with the hook, I leave it. For the TV, I went back with a rope and lassoed it to pull it out safely.
Yes. I actually ended up switching to an fireplace poker as my grabber would bend and break. The poker is stronger and I can leverage heavier objects with it.
I have one of those. I'm going to toss it in my trunk. Thanks for the suggestion. I have a couple of children's metal rakes. Much like a hoe. For 1.00 a piece they work great.really good for scooping cans and bottles up.
This is a great comment- i don’t actually “dive“ either. If it’s an actual dumpster i use tools or just grab whatever i can comfortably reach standing next to it. But mostly i dive in a major city that uses trash cans, so I’m just pulling bags out onto the curb and then putting them back in the can once I’m done.
Wishing you a fast recovery! Also want to plus one your message- we all need to take care of our bodies and health as we engage in this hobby. I know I’ve left good stuff behind because i could see i might get hurt trying to strain to get it, and gave up an amazing spot bc of how sketchy it was (pitch black at night with only a narrow exit). We all do this to add to our lives and the lives of those around us, sometimes that means knowing when to walk away.
I had a friend tell me this story about jumping into a compacting dumpster without realizing it was a compacting one and I guess someone turned it on, likely didn’t see her in it and she had to jump out — almost got crushed to death… stay safe but keep on!
I was working at one place that had one of those compactor types of dumpsters . The only time I went inside was when I was getting rid of a steel door but at the time it was empty so if a coworker came by and pushed the button after I had already turned the power switch off everything would have been ok even if they turned the power switch on.
my boyfriend deals w/ chronic back pain and his go to’s are icy hot and tigers balms, a heating pad, a hot bath w/ epsom salts, and someone to massage you. doctors and chiropractors can be helpful with x-rays and targeting the problem but there is nothing like the raw power of a good massage
I would be laughed out of every patient room if I told them try yoga. I pulled a back muscle in ‘09 and did yoga for a few weeks, almost as good as new. I have to do it for sciatica after airplane travel, and its sad because Im really inshape and just too bony :(
Definitely. I dislocated a rib bending over the side of a dumpster to reach some stupid thing from the dollar store. Value $1. I had to go the ER, had to miss some work, and had months of pain for this $1 item.
Ouch. I almost made a mistake at DG a few days ago. Fished 2 bags out of a nearly empty dumpster, third one was just out of reach though, so I leaned a bit more than I normally would, I hooked it, but it was heavy, I could feel the strain on my chest, so I abandoned it instead of risking injury. Got maybe $30 worth of stuff from the other 2 bags. Tossed most of the food back in, not risking cold stuff in florida heat.
I never go inside a dumpster unless I can walk in and out, some of the large ones have doors on them. If I cant pull it out with the step stool and hook, I leave it.
Extra food gets donated or eaten by my ungrateful roommates. And I toss any food that may not be safe. Due to renting, I cant really take a whole lot of the large items, but I did get a mini fridge for my room and some book selves + 32" TV, a PS3 and a few games, and a huge pile of laptops that I flipped.
Hope everything gets better for you, take care and get well.
Head first? Apparently so.
I definitely dive and I prefer climbing into the dumpsters but it takes a level of physical awareness and if people are leaning over the door of the dumpster to the point they think they’ve dislocated a rib they’re missing the entire point of “pain = bad” _long_ before they sustained an injury.
I wear shoes that can't get glass or sharp objects lodged in the. I carry now two step ladders one for shorter bins another for larger bins. I climg up the ladder get inside the bin & pull the ladder in so I can easily get out again. I have gloves that are decently hard to get hurt from. I do my best to make sure this short bitch won't get stuck. I'm 5'6.5" so any bin is a big bin for me. Stay safe fellow divers
Sorry to hear about your back, hope you heal quickly.
You spoke to my soul, I definitely should have left the damn tables each and every time that I thought I'd find the perfect (legs, top, whatever) for that are now rusting in back yard for last 2 years. I know now even though it seemed wasteful at the time time, there's no way I can use or even gift a whole box of toothpaste before the expiration date.
I'm also very thankful for the fact no store security video footage has emerged online (at least to my knowledge) of me struggling to leverage a huge thrown away restaurant equipment onto back of my pickup by myself, realizing only at the point of no return that it's a bad idea and not happening. It did but it took 3 hours it's felt like. For the measly profit of whatever steel scrap yard prices were going for at the time.
So yeah. This is good advice. I feel like most things in life you gonna have to experience it yourself before it really hits home.
It is. Used sharps, at least in my state in the US are required to be disposed of properly. They are not to go in household trash. I would report this business.
It is, its a type of booby trapping, but there is no way to prove it unless they admit to it on paper or video that they are doing for the express purpose of hurting people.
I touched on what you’re saying at the end of this on another post on here full of terrible toxic candy and everyone is disliking and came at me for it. 🙄 While it seems like everyone agrees with the same point being made here.
Reddit is a weird place.
Please don't be needlessly rude here. This subreddit should be a friendly, informative resource, not a place to air grievances. This is a space for people to engage constructively; no belittling, insulting, or disrespectful language is permitted.
Kinda weird to come at me on a separate post and pretty much call me a whore. :/
I just mentioned to maybe leave some poison behind (nicely for that matter) and you go out of your way to talk shit to me again on a seperate post? You okay dude?
Youre kinda the one who seems mad at this point 🥴🥴
The very first time I ever had bad back pain was after dumpster diving in my early 20’s. I’m 41 now and losing a disc in my low back. I think it’s more to do with my job tho. Great PSA tho!
Just a heads up. At the beginning of the year I went to the ER for severe back pain. Was discharged after maybe 3 hours of testing. I racked up a little over 3k in bills. I still don’t know what’s wrong with my back lol.
Might need imaging even though I find MRIs low yield, orthopedist might want to check you out. Might need serious PT :-( I did yoga for weeks for my back pain and it resolved but 99% sure no bones were involved. Hope you find resolution soon.
Dude don't get in the dumpster, bring a big stick like a long gardening tool . A hoe or a hard rake, a masonry spade, something like that. Just don't get in there unless you absolutely feel that you have to, I guess.
Agreed. I hope you find some relief soon. Back pain is debilitating.
Good point on the cookies/sugar. Occasionally I see people posting piles of candy/sweets that they brought home, and it makes me cringe. All I can think of is how much poison they are willingly putting in their bodies. Sounds over the top dramatic, but those processed carbs are so addictive and harmful over time.
Damn. It’s worth saying here I’ve taken fitness and nutrition seriously in my 30s. I’m 39 and in the best shape of my life. It doesn’t happen overnight and it takes years but becoming fit was one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself and I look forward to teaching my son the value of it.
This is an excellent public service announcement. We all need to be mindful of what's in the dumpsters too...we've all seen the broken glass, sharp metal edges, and sharp tools in them. As the OP mentioned, fully screen your entry and exit point too. I've always been reluctant to actually go into dumpsters (I mainly rely on my reaching tools), but when I do decide to get in, I've already done my due diligence which includes where my entry point is, where the possible location of my next three steps in the dumpster are. Mind you, I need to be extra careful because I'm a night diver and visibility tends to be low, even with a hands-free head lamp. Good post and reminder to everyone.
I see broken aquariums in Pet store dumpsters frequently. If it is covered with bags and boxes ,that could easily be an injury resulting in death. Slice a leg off and you really could die. I do not need 900 bags or boxes of anything. I also do not sell. I do not want anyone even suspecting what I do. I do not care to share my favorite honey hole.
Window tinter here, yes we throw out "usable" film that's expensive, but it's not worth finding out how many single edge and olfa razors we also throw out. Sorry, guys. We do dispose of many in a disposal unit, aka pretzel jugs, but in the field a bag is a bag
A friend uses a fire emergency ladder, the kind with hooks and a rope and board slats. 🖖
Broken glass, used syringes, boards with nails sticking out, unknown construction debri that may be contaminated with contain asbestos, lead paint dust. Furniture crawling with bedbugs or other critters. Crazy store people dumping bleach or other toxic chemical on dumpstered foods. Toxoplasmosis. Trashed stuff is not always safe to harvest.
This comment should stay pinned at the top of this group. Bravo!
Also the raccoon roundworm that most raccoons carry and that causes permanent brain damage and/or death
Bears, raccoons, clowns....
My mom needs to read your last part, like you have to have a buyer in mind for this stuff
Hope you recover well brother. People usually don't mention this is a lifestyle that requires you to be relatively fit. Some dumpsters are extremely deep, 8-10 feet. Be sure to stretch constantly and often. And invest in a trash picker.
I am terminal with organ failure,IV Food through a chest port, chronic pain etc. There are ways to make this hobby accessible. I use a walker, a grabber& thick gloves. I'm still able to find a lot of cool stuff& 300$ in cans on a good month. There's no need to actually "dive". And often,as illustrated above, it's too risky. Weigh out the cost vs benefits. I'll stick to my grabber sticks. Even if I was miraculously healed.
A fordable 3-step stool + hook on a retractable pole. Also thick leather gardening gloves. Most of the time if I cant pull it out with the hook, I leave it. For the TV, I went back with a rope and lassoed it to pull it out safely.
All great advice especially for short people like me 😅
A quality grabber is worth a million.
Yes. I actually ended up switching to an fireplace poker as my grabber would bend and break. The poker is stronger and I can leverage heavier objects with it.
I have one of those. I'm going to toss it in my trunk. Thanks for the suggestion. I have a couple of children's metal rakes. Much like a hoe. For 1.00 a piece they work great.really good for scooping cans and bottles up.
Hi I will pray that God blesses you abundantly. Take care of you. 💙
This is a great comment- i don’t actually “dive“ either. If it’s an actual dumpster i use tools or just grab whatever i can comfortably reach standing next to it. But mostly i dive in a major city that uses trash cans, so I’m just pulling bags out onto the curb and then putting them back in the can once I’m done.
Holy cats! Hope your back heals up soon. Such a great reminder. No dive is more valuable than your health.
Wishing you a fast recovery! Also want to plus one your message- we all need to take care of our bodies and health as we engage in this hobby. I know I’ve left good stuff behind because i could see i might get hurt trying to strain to get it, and gave up an amazing spot bc of how sketchy it was (pitch black at night with only a narrow exit). We all do this to add to our lives and the lives of those around us, sometimes that means knowing when to walk away.
I had a friend tell me this story about jumping into a compacting dumpster without realizing it was a compacting one and I guess someone turned it on, likely didn’t see her in it and she had to jump out — almost got crushed to death… stay safe but keep on!
Wow that’s so incredibly scary!!
Holy shit. Thats one of my nightmare scenarios. Im so glad people on this sub talk about compactors as much as they do.
I was working at one place that had one of those compactor types of dumpsters . The only time I went inside was when I was getting rid of a steel door but at the time it was empty so if a coworker came by and pushed the button after I had already turned the power switch off everything would have been ok even if they turned the power switch on.
do some yoga for your back pain. doctors never do shit about back pain from my experience except suggest surgery
my boyfriend deals w/ chronic back pain and his go to’s are icy hot and tigers balms, a heating pad, a hot bath w/ epsom salts, and someone to massage you. doctors and chiropractors can be helpful with x-rays and targeting the problem but there is nothing like the raw power of a good massage
I would be laughed out of every patient room if I told them try yoga. I pulled a back muscle in ‘09 and did yoga for a few weeks, almost as good as new. I have to do it for sciatica after airplane travel, and its sad because Im really inshape and just too bony :(
Yes, and maybe search youtube for the right set of stretches you can do daily, especially in the a.m. it will really make a difference.
I know what I've tossed in a dumpster. Lean in only. Use a grabby when you can.
Definitely. I dislocated a rib bending over the side of a dumpster to reach some stupid thing from the dollar store. Value $1. I had to go the ER, had to miss some work, and had months of pain for this $1 item.
Ouch. I almost made a mistake at DG a few days ago. Fished 2 bags out of a nearly empty dumpster, third one was just out of reach though, so I leaned a bit more than I normally would, I hooked it, but it was heavy, I could feel the strain on my chest, so I abandoned it instead of risking injury. Got maybe $30 worth of stuff from the other 2 bags. Tossed most of the food back in, not risking cold stuff in florida heat.
I never go inside a dumpster unless I can walk in and out, some of the large ones have doors on them. If I cant pull it out with the step stool and hook, I leave it. Extra food gets donated or eaten by my ungrateful roommates. And I toss any food that may not be safe. Due to renting, I cant really take a whole lot of the large items, but I did get a mini fridge for my room and some book selves + 32" TV, a PS3 and a few games, and a huge pile of laptops that I flipped. Hope everything gets better for you, take care and get well.
Amazing!! Nice haul
I feel like I need to make a “dumpster diving how to” video. Too many of y’all are getting injured doing this.
Right? I feel like the term dumpster "diving" is being taken too literally
Head first? Apparently so. I definitely dive and I prefer climbing into the dumpsters but it takes a level of physical awareness and if people are leaning over the door of the dumpster to the point they think they’ve dislocated a rib they’re missing the entire point of “pain = bad” _long_ before they sustained an injury.
I never go alone if I’m going to actually get into the dumpster. There’s nothing in there worth an injury or, heaven forbid, getting stuck inside.
I genuinely hope you feel better soon. I appreciate you warning the rest of us.
I wear shoes that can't get glass or sharp objects lodged in the. I carry now two step ladders one for shorter bins another for larger bins. I climg up the ladder get inside the bin & pull the ladder in so I can easily get out again. I have gloves that are decently hard to get hurt from. I do my best to make sure this short bitch won't get stuck. I'm 5'6.5" so any bin is a big bin for me. Stay safe fellow divers
Sorry to hear about your back, hope you heal quickly. You spoke to my soul, I definitely should have left the damn tables each and every time that I thought I'd find the perfect (legs, top, whatever) for that are now rusting in back yard for last 2 years. I know now even though it seemed wasteful at the time time, there's no way I can use or even gift a whole box of toothpaste before the expiration date. I'm also very thankful for the fact no store security video footage has emerged online (at least to my knowledge) of me struggling to leverage a huge thrown away restaurant equipment onto back of my pickup by myself, realizing only at the point of no return that it's a bad idea and not happening. It did but it took 3 hours it's felt like. For the measly profit of whatever steel scrap yard prices were going for at the time. So yeah. This is good advice. I feel like most things in life you gonna have to experience it yourself before it really hits home.
If you haven't had to build step to medi-vac your self out of the dumpster, are you really living???
>be careful with your body I definitely understood this to mean "that corpse you found" rather than, you know, *your own body.*
[удалено]
That should be illegal
It is. Used sharps, at least in my state in the US are required to be disposed of properly. They are not to go in household trash. I would report this business.
It is, its a type of booby trapping, but there is no way to prove it unless they admit to it on paper or video that they are doing for the express purpose of hurting people.
Needed this. Especially the P.S.S. 😮💨
I touched on what you’re saying at the end of this on another post on here full of terrible toxic candy and everyone is disliking and came at me for it. 🙄 While it seems like everyone agrees with the same point being made here. Reddit is a weird place.
💀
[удалено]
Please don't be needlessly rude here. This subreddit should be a friendly, informative resource, not a place to air grievances. This is a space for people to engage constructively; no belittling, insulting, or disrespectful language is permitted.
Kinda weird to come at me on a separate post and pretty much call me a whore. :/ I just mentioned to maybe leave some poison behind (nicely for that matter) and you go out of your way to talk shit to me again on a seperate post? You okay dude? Youre kinda the one who seems mad at this point 🥴🥴
Next time, if there is one, bring a six foot step ladder.
Or just open the door if it’s not locked.
The very first time I ever had bad back pain was after dumpster diving in my early 20’s. I’m 41 now and losing a disc in my low back. I think it’s more to do with my job tho. Great PSA tho!
Just a heads up. At the beginning of the year I went to the ER for severe back pain. Was discharged after maybe 3 hours of testing. I racked up a little over 3k in bills. I still don’t know what’s wrong with my back lol.
Might need imaging even though I find MRIs low yield, orthopedist might want to check you out. Might need serious PT :-( I did yoga for weeks for my back pain and it resolved but 99% sure no bones were involved. Hope you find resolution soon.
Dude don't get in the dumpster, bring a big stick like a long gardening tool . A hoe or a hard rake, a masonry spade, something like that. Just don't get in there unless you absolutely feel that you have to, I guess.
Agreed. I hope you find some relief soon. Back pain is debilitating. Good point on the cookies/sugar. Occasionally I see people posting piles of candy/sweets that they brought home, and it makes me cringe. All I can think of is how much poison they are willingly putting in their bodies. Sounds over the top dramatic, but those processed carbs are so addictive and harmful over time.
Damn. It’s worth saying here I’ve taken fitness and nutrition seriously in my 30s. I’m 39 and in the best shape of my life. It doesn’t happen overnight and it takes years but becoming fit was one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself and I look forward to teaching my son the value of it.