I say we should lock everyone's garbage up so no one can take anything or make garbage picking against the law. I hate it when people go through my trash!!!! To many times, I have left my trash on the curb only to find the bags ripped open and trash spewing out everywhere...guess who has to clean it? Me! One lady actually parked in my driveway while she was going through my garbage...when I asked her to leave because she was blocking my car, she said "I'll just be a few more minutes" Are you serious??? She's parked in my driveway and expects me to wait until she's done going through my garbage before I can leave???I don't want people going through my trash in front of my house and I know I am not the only one who feels this way!!! Seriously....its rude and an invasion of my privacy plus it's just plain gross!  Go to the local city dump-hole and wade around in there for awhile...stay off someone else's property for pete's sake! A better idea would be to get a job being a garbage man...you can get your pick then!!! People don't appreciate you being in their garbage bags and trash bins people!!!!!

I am a veteran at rummaging through trash piles. I found a transistor table radio in a trash pile when I was 12 years old that was in perfect condition and have been hooked ever since. But I really kicked it into gear when My cousin and I started building a fishing camp in the marsh of south Louisiana. Other than the main structural lumber we have built a large percentage of our camp from trash piles. I have salvaged old decks, fences, stacks of paneling, windows,  doors, furniture. I have found unopened and perfectly good gallons of paint. Unopend boxes of nails, tar paper, half a pallet of bricks, you name it. The bricks make excellent erosion barriers. They are organic and have holes whcih fill with mud and promote plant growth. it might not be much but we are helping with coastal ersosions. Old abandoned crab traps work great too. Bottom line,  it doesn't make sense to spend all of that money on something that will eventually get destroyed by a hurricane. After hurricanes Lili,Katrina and Rita we acquired many truck loads of perfectly usable storm debris. Much of the stuff we have acquired by driving around the bayous  in our boats and fishing stuff out that was blown into the water during the storms. It saves us money and helps remove hazards to navigation. My wife was always embarassed by it until I brought home a computer table that she deemed too good for the camp. We used it in our home office for many years.  Dumpster diving is good for the environment and good for the pocket book.

Living in a college town i have gotten ALOT of stuff at finals time. Several large TV's and computer moniters, high priced software (Windows XP, etc), and more. Dumpster diving is the fastest way to recycle!

When we have something  to get rid of that would normally go in the trash but is not trash we just but it out in the front  yard with a sign that says free. things never last more than an hour. We have gotten rid of so many things this way from appliances and furniture to extra floor tiles and plants. We have also been the recipients of items this ways.

I actually "display" items on the curb that  I think someone else can use. Its called "recycling" - if it doesn't end up in the landfill I think its great! In our community - curb shopping is almost a competition. There are often antique shops and vintage stores working the curbs and you have to get there before they do.  We have lots of old homes being renovated so there are gorgeous architectural items that can be re-used as well. We also have salvagers who hunt for items like various scraps of metal that can be recycled for cash. Our city - who is big on recycling - totally supports this kind of thing. Most curb shoppers are extremely courteous and respectful to the area and never leave a mess behind.

Dumpster diving its great ! I just get my old 70s ford flatbed and stack about 7 wooden pallets on the truck, climb up my sturdy pallets, get on the top pallet, lick my finger to see which way the wind is blowing and just then a big smile appears on my face which can be seen all the way from some condo owners bedroom, and I just dive on in, sometimes with a swan dive or even a cannonball its great! I once found some old items that that were belived to belong to Ron Jeremy, they were a little used but I still managed to get the stains out of them once I got them back from my pitbull who stole them from me and wouldnt give them back, so all in all its a great new sport which I belive might make it to the olympics one day.

A few years ago my sister passed away, she died at her home after a long illness(cancer).

On that day my family  took all of the  bedding, clothing and whatever else that had been  in direct contact with our deceased sister and put it out for the Trash Collector.

I was amazed to see, within minutes, two girls digging through those discarded items

and determining what was or was not of value.

Was I offended by their actions? Of course not.

My Sister was a loving, caring human being and was a giver to the nth degree. But she was also a Nurse and I'm sure she would have been appalled to see the risk those two young girls were putting themselves in.

I don't mean to imply that "dumpster diving" is dangerous....But I do wonder at the medical conditions that people might have that is very likely transmitted via those Trash Cans.

Many communities also have a "large trash pick up" day scheduled the same time every month and a couple of days before the pick up date is a great time to find "curbside deals".  

I worked as a maintenance man in an apartment communities for 30 years. It is simply amazing what I would find in the dumpsters. Clothes with the price tags still on them, kitchenware , house hold goods, furnitture, toys. I would clean these items and take them to Salvation Army & Goodwill at least once a month.

I've been a Diver for 30+ years. I've been ill for about 3 years, and I'm doing better now. My daughter has been using my truck, so I just got another one, and I'll be back out there next week.

I used to get upset when new Divers would come along to take over my territory. Most don't last long though. It doesn't bother me so much now because the new rich are throwing away treasures more often. In most cases the quality of treasures has gotten better also. Sometimes when friends comment on some of my treasures, I just give them away. They talk about how nice the treasure is, and how happy they are to have received it. Then I tell them where it came from. I haven't gotten many returned because of where I got it.