Things I Found In The Dumpster Today

I love this town especially for it’s dumpsters. Down in Amerikkka, they don’t have dumpsters. Not like this. Here we have several of them, and you say the dumpster but you mean a big circle of dumpsters and a covered platform (the give-away platform) that is a big chaos of clothes and furniture and stuff.

Last night I went to the other dumpster in the two-AM-dark with a flashlight and picked my way through the circle of dumpsters. It was me and another woman. We didn’t talk. I started on the side opposite her, worked my way around. I found a bookshelf, but not much else that I wanted.

Today I went to the dumpster on the other side of town with my sister. On the way we picked up a hitchiker who lived near the dumpster. “I call it the mall,” she laughed, leaning into me with her hard liquor breath before we let her out.

At the dumpster I got:

Three tiles to put on my new kitchen counter, because it seems like I have a new kitchen counter, or I’m probably about to. (Keep your fingers crossed.)

One big brand new thermos.

A nice big wire basket.

A really nice wood dish rack. You know, the fancy laminated kind.

Two big grocery bags of fur scraps – hare, fox, and a luscious black fur that I’m not sure about. I can get cheap leather mittens and sew the fur on like trim and bead them. I could sew them all together and make a hat of patchwork strips. And still have lots!

Some fancy paper.

And a pretty shiny red toolbox.

Tomorrow I will probably work, because I haven’t in a couple weeks and I want some money.

0 comments

  1. Dumpster diving and dump picking are great sport! Oh what fun. Most of the furniture I have, even some tools and many good books were gotten in that way, – as well as hard cash from scrap metals.

  2. Yeah, it’s hippie christmas down here right now with all the students moving in/out. I already got two huge wire racks for my bathroom and some really nice corning ware some left in their yard.

    The only furniture I own that I haven’t gotten dumpster-diving is a bookcase my mother bought me for my birthday a few years ago.

  3. D, Bro is good. I’m babysitting my sister’s dog tho, who’s having some kind of neurologic episode. Was that in my chart?

  4. In the mid-Florida, liberal arts, hippie college I go to, we have a Free Table. What you don’t want, you put there, and what you want of what’s there, you take. AMAZINGLY useful construct for practical trash-into-treasure living.

    Additionally, the art school down the street starts its summer break before us. One or two people yearly make dumpster diving runs and bring back CARLOADS of art supplies for the Free Table. It pretty much rocks.

  5. I once knew a guy that would find nice clothes out of a dumpster behind GoodWill in my old neighbourhood. One person’s garbage is another person’s treasure. Or so they say!

  6. We used to live in South Tampa were lots of well to do people lived. We were young and in an apartment but it seems like every time we went some were we would stumble upon someones “trash” that was not really trash. Good times! I also found an old rocker and recovered it, used it for years..

  7. There are few things in life that make me happier than dumpster diving! (I mean besides the obvious things, like my kids,sex and all that stuff).

  8. Hi! On a different note…
    I see that you and Davka are no longer friends?
    You are no longer linked to each other’s pages?
    What happened?
    It seemed like she was becoming you.
    Peace and good luck in your journey.
    Loyal Fan/Reader

  9. yay dumpsters!

    😎

    i hope you are doing well, darlin! come visit colorado again sometime! i will eat glass next time, i promise!

    :mrgreen:

    for real though, i am glad you are doing well.

    drowning in a sea of proper nouns,
    daisy loveless (or RS from SW)

  10. After reading several of your posts I am know inspired to write about what I love the best besides traveling cheap in Asia. Skinny Dipping ! Do you have a favorite place where you like to go and hang all out? for me it is a beach in Sihanoukville Cambodia that is very cool to jump in at night with all of the photoplackton going off!

    Keep up the good work!

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