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I Forge Iron

Hazards of Dumpster Diving


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Its been awhile since I took the plunge but one thing I can relate from experience is that Law Enforcement folks aren't amused when they see a dark figure poking around in the shadows in the wee hours.
One plant I worked at allowed the employees to dumpster dive to their hearts content, in fact it was encouraged with the idea that less pick ups cost them less.
The back of the plant was a jumble of lumber piles, odd equipment and a large roll off dumpster. Anything in the dumpster was fair game, outside of it was hands off. Most guys were after wood to feed their woodstoves at home so it worked out real nice, the company didn't have to pay to have it hauled away and we all got free ash & oak to heat with.
I worked second shift, first had about eighty employees, on second we were only about twenty or so and I was the only one on second with a woodstove. Of course everyone else left right at one a.m. quitting time. I went out back to load up. That's where I met up with Officer so and so who was maybe all of 22 years old. He swooped in behind the building and blocked in my car in front of the dumpster with his spotlight on me, poking my head up over the side.
That was no fun because he jumped out and yelled at me to put my hands where he could see them. I told him I couldn't, I would fall or have to climb out... it was a nervous moment. Finally he let me climb out but he made me get on my knees and put my hands behind my head. Then he came up behind me and handcuffed me. He pulled my wallet and asked who I was, what I was doing, etc. I told him the whole employee/firewood thing and he seemed to be mulling it all over. I could see then how young he was and figured he was still walking around with high school lunch in his gut.
He then got me to my feet and put me in the back of his car, telling me I wasn't under arrest. Then he walked in front of the car and used his radio that had a mike on his shoulder. This was kind of comical because I could hear every word he said over the radio in the car that was on. He was talking to the chief, told him what I said and gave my name and license number to the chief. A second later I heard a female voice chime in with "no warrants". Then the chief again who said "hang on a minute", just then the chief pulled in driving a suburban and talked with junior. He took my wallet from him and had a look see in there, producing my company swipe card. Then he came around and let me out and actually aplologised to me. Fife left and then so did the chief.
All in all it wasn't a funny experience. Dan.

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I've always found it easier to ask permission and do it in broad daylight. You meet a better class of folks that way...Promising to leave it neater than when you started and having PPE goes a long way towards getting permission.

I've had my run ins; never fun though---save for the ones where the cops stay for an hour talking knifemaking with you.

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One of the hazards that I didn't notice being mentioned is when a building is being gutted for renovation. Often the drywall and or insulation can be filled with some real bad mold. Locally we just had some bad flooding and the mold issue is real bad. These molds are very toxic!

Around here dumpsters are protected property and you can get into some pretty stiff trouble. You not only have to have the property owners permission but also the permission of the company who owns the dumpster. Even if you get the first you will pretty much never get the second thus the laws take on the trespassing thing!

Now all that being said, man I have found some awesome stuff in the dumpsters around here. I seen one place cleaning out a building a few years ago as I drove by and seen a table saw going into a dumpster. I turned around and got permission to return after they was off that day. I nearly emptied that dumpster of it's contents to get to some of the stuff on the bottom. I didn't even take enough to fill my pick up truck, but because of how I shuffled things around the dumpster what was a full dumpster ended up being stacked and packed to only about 1/2 full. I dropped back by the next day and thanked them and found they had been separating things out on the ground with the hopes I might return because I saved them from having to order a second dumpster. That was by far the best dumpster dive I have ever had, the second load I took reaped $250 dollars worth of copper, and $150 worth of brass. Not to mention a slew of old tools and scrap iron.

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My favorite dumpster is at a truck repair/spring place. Lots of tie rods, leaf and coil springs, ... I always ask first. One of their employees is their blacksmith, so there's a little empathy there.

It's probably a good idea that, when you do ask, you're wearing good, dirty, work boots, gloves, grubby clothes... You want to look like you know what you're doing and won't clobber yourself.

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  • 10 years later...

WE ARE DUMPSTER DIVERS .......  AND I am ADDICTED ,,,,,,   I WEAR RUBBER GLOVES .. FACE MASK ..  BOOTS ....  HAND SANITIZER...   I GRAB METAL  ... COPPER ,,   CANS....  ALSO CAT FOOD DOG FOOD  TAKE TO  PARKS FEED THE  WILD ANIMALS ...   BIRD SEED ...   STORES THROW AWAY EVERYTHING ...  brand new items .....   coffee pots   ....  crock pots .. dishes .  if people return them and say they dint work ... stores dint restock them trash it ...  everything i have brag home all those items ,, have all worked .. also  have gotten a brand new twin fold up bed was a floor model. still in plastic ..  cases of soda still in plastic missing one ....  no problem  FREEEEE

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Welcome aboard Tazzynbeav glad to have you. If you'll put your general location in the header you might  be surprised how many members live within visiting distance.  

No need to shout without need please, we can read normal tones. You might want to make sure spell correct is enabled in your browser. I keep spell "Check" on so it underlines words I get wrong or it guesses should be something else.

Agreed, a person can do quite well dumpster diving. Married? 

Frosty The Lucky.

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I always suggest reading this to get the best out of the forum. READ THIS FIRST

Usually when we talk about dumpster diving, it refers to the scrap metal bins. Not knowing where in the world you are located, I can't speak to the laws governing dumpsters, but here in Arkansas once property is placed in a commercial dumpster it belongs to the company that owns the dumpster and you had better have written permission to remove anything from it.

6 hours ago, Tazzynbeav said:

WE ARE DUMPSTER DIVERS

 

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I know this was partially covered, but I still think it's really important: 

Check where the dumpster is!!! If It's outside a hospital like somebody said before, don' t touch it. Also if you see plastic trash bags, batteries, or something that looks like a dead animal (ok that's too dark humour) don't touch it! We want to live long enough to get back to the shop and use the good stuff, don't we?

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Years ago,  I worked in several hospitals,  doing medical research.

That said,  Those places had hazardous waste taken well care of by contractors who employed highly qualified personnel, and specialty equipment.

Such material is quarantined and eventually incinerated in very high temperature kilns.

Medical tissues, fluids, equipment, and any other material is similarly destroyed.

That includes medical waste, research material, needles, scalpels etc. etc. etc.

Their waste stream  is "cleaner" than most household, wastes.

 Frosty, I know that you were just  joshing, but I suspect that the medical waste coming out of the C.D.C.,  (Center for Disease Control), is well taken care ('supra'). and not much ends in the  municipal trash

Indeed, for example,  the air from their highly hazardous level three and four laboratories.  is incinerated before it is exhausted to the environment.

Dumpster diving,?  I've been doing it for years.

SLAG.

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