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Why Dumpster Divers are justified

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  1. #1
    Lazen started this thread.
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    Why Dumpster Divers are justified

    Get out that bin!
    The voice echoed it was the thrift shop woman again.
    Leave that trash can alone or I will get the cops!
    Peeking under the lid the brass silver and copper jugs glimmered enticingly.
    This 'Charity'so in need of money had just condemed the whole lot to everlasting
    destruction in landfill.Straight to landfill no filtering.
    Is she 'thick'?
    Someone had donated those probably treasured family heirlooms and this moron had
    thrown them in the trash.Some third world worker broke his back digging that valuable metal out the ground
    and she is trashing his efforts unknowingly.
    She has a large SUV no doubt paid for by the Charity costing about $40,000
    $30-40 of valubles obviously mean little to her.
    Here she is screaming blue murder to ensure these heirlooms are destroyed good and proper
    and by golly no lazy good for nothing starving bum is going to dine off those.Nor Anyone!
    The Charity has no system in place as far as I can see to reccyle metals.
    Its the same with many other categories of item.
    Next day big viscious brass padlocks and chains appear drilled into the dumpster lids.
    Like the stone in front of the tomb.
    A fellow diver relates she threw hot scalding coffee over him in a tussle about a pair of holed socks
    one afternoon.
    Later a high wire security fence and jail like CCTV was added to the store.
    What is going on in there?
    What are they so scared of?
    When folks hand in gold coins where do they end up?
    Paying for gas for the SUV I wonder?

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  3. #2
    hobo finds's Avatar
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    Contact the thrift store owner, ask them if you can place a trash can or bin for recycling in the back of there shop, tell her it will lower her amount of garbage maybe she could cut back on a pick up and save some money for the charity. Set up a schedule for pock up with her and make a few dollars.
    Better than the dump!

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  5. #3
    auminer's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by hobo finds View Post
    Contact the thrift store owner, ask them if you can place a trash can or bin for recycling in the back of there shop, tell her it will lower her amount of garbage maybe she could cut back on a pick up and save some money for the charity. Set up a schedule for pock up with her and make a few dollars.
    Did that. A couple months later they realized the "gold mine" they were giving me and decided to do it themselves.

    They even had the audacity to think I would show them the ropes! LOLOL

    I was like: Good luck with that!

    Couple weeks later I heard some guy was paying them by the pound for all scrap. That was right about the peak. I hope he got an adjustable rate clause!
    Out of clutter, find simplicity. --Albert Einstein

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  7. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lazen View Post
    Get out that bin!
    The voice echoed it was the thrift shop woman again.
    Leave that trash can alone or I will get the cops!

    Is she 'thick'?

    Here she is screaming blue murder to ensure these heirlooms are destroyed good and proper
    and by golly no lazy good for nothing starving bum is going to dine off those.Nor Anyone!

    A fellow diver relates she threw hot scalding coffee over him in a tussle about a pair of holed socks
    one afternoon.

    What are they so scared of?
    Small minded Beyotch with a stick up her arse. Everything right and proper in her narrow little world. Scared $hitless of everything and everyone though she puts up a good front. Got to keep up appearances ya know ?

    Of course she shows disdain for the poor. It makes her feel superior. ( Again ... the deep seeded fear & insecurity. )

    LOL ... no amount of security fences, padlocks, chains, barbed wire, and CCTV's will ever make her feel safe.

    < Shrugs > Just walk away and be happy in your life Bro. People are who they are ... ya know ?

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  9. #5
    t00nces2's Avatar
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    Look elsewhere. Don't dwell on what you cannot change.

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  11. #6
    jimicrk's Avatar
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    The lady is a b**ch so you are justified in taking her scrap. Nice.

  12. #7
    hills's Avatar
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    Max Ehrmann


    Desiderata

    Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
    and remember what peace there may be in silence.
    As far as possible without surrender
    be on good terms with all persons.
    Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
    and listen to others,
    even the dull and the ignorant;
    they too have their story.

    Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
    they are vexations to the spirit.
    If you compare yourself with others,
    you may become vain and bitter;
    for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

    Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

    Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
    it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

    Exercise caution in your business affairs;
    for the world is full of trickery.
    But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
    many persons strive for high ideals;
    and everywhere life is full of heroism.

    Be yourself.
    Especially, do not feign affection.
    Neither be cynical about love;
    for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
    it is as perennial as the grass.

    Take kindly the counsel of the years,
    gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
    Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
    But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
    Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
    Beyond a wholesome discipline,
    be gentle with yourself.

    You are a child of the universe,
    no less than the trees and the stars;
    you have a right to be here.
    And whether or not it is clear to you,
    no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.


    Therefore be at peace with God,
    whatever you conceive Him to be,
    and whatever your labors and aspirations,
    in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

    With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
    it is still a beautiful world.
    Be cheerful.
    Strive to be happy.

    Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.
    Last edited by hills; 11-16-2019 at 07:13 AM.

  13. #8
    HoustonJunkCarBuyer's Avatar
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    I would not worry about this place at all. They are idiots! As someone else stated move to the next place. If you have to hit dumpster, do it after hours.

    Top Dollar Paid for Cars or Trucks Running or Not.
    Houston Junk Car Buyer
    Houston Areas


  14. #9
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    I always leave the place tidy or tidyer that when i got there.
    And with more space in the dumpster than there was when i started.

  15. #10
    hills's Avatar
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    I suspect that lazen is of the opinion that the contents of the dumpster are " collective " property. Therefore ... he's well within his rights and fully justified to dumpster dive wherever he chooses.

    He is from the U.K. I believe they have a socialist economic model there ?

    It seems that it could be in keeping with the socialist / communist worldview.

    It pi$$es him off when somebody says MINE !

  16. #11
    aph's Avatar
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    I despise dumpster divers,because they ALWAYS leave a mess.
    Numerous times I had convos with them abiut how I let them do it if they just keep it clean.
    No chance, those idiots always burned the bridge by leaving you guessed it - a freaking mess.
    Another reason is, she likely does not like it that you make money because you know more about it than you.

    Our local Goodwill is one of the worst offenders.
    I used to buy all their excess books and many times glimpsed at their 'trash'. I pulled some of the nicest stuff out of it.
    Against their 'rules' of course. The regular workers and warehous esupes loved me, the PITAs where the office *****es with their 6 figure incomes. I could tell so many stories.
    They are a fairly big operation. You will not believe how much trash they produce. Also during peak donation times they many times dumped brand new donations into the compactor.
    I think they paid over 300K a year in trash fees.
    Unreal.
    I even jokingly offered them, that they can dump of their trash at my warehouse for half that fee.
    I KNOW (that's NOT a JOKE) that I could have made a fortune. 80% of their trash was recyclable not to mention the crap loads of better than scrap items in there.
    Would just need a 20,000 sq ft or bigger warehouse and super efficient sorting operation.

    A friend of mine had the green light to dive at a smaller local small chain of thrift stores and made a great living doing that.
    Often times the stores are overwhelmed with donations and just dump it, or they don't know what something is and just being lazy they toss it.
    Also doesn't help having careless employees not giving a rats ass about what they are handling.
    Time is Money - Crunch the Numbers - It's a Numbers Game!

  17. #12
    ChildhoodDream's Avatar
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    Most places are worried about law suits if people get hurt. That is why it is tough to find thrift shops and other such places interested in letting people dumpster dive.

    I had 3 larger dumpsters that I placed at a local Salvation Army as I did a little volunteer work doing carpentry and fixing things that required a bit of knowledge.

    Was 17 years or so until I started having problems getting paid for gas money and removing old couches and other large items that were trash that people would leave outside the store. I was VERY reasonable as it had gotten to be little of value to me in what I was hauling home.

    The Salvation Army stores like to change out the Captains and other officers as they don't want them getting to friendly with the "poor folk" and workers in the thrift stores.

    The new Captain they had was a single woman with a attitude and stress it seemed. She told me after a few months of them not paying the couple hundred they owed me that they didn't have it in the budget.

    So I pulled my dumpsters out and brought them home. A couple months later they tried to get me to do it again and ended up offering me a nice price to haul off what I had been taking for many years. But I said no as I had been over that bridge before. The reason they tried to get me to provide the service I had in the past was that their trash bill went up $1500.00 or more a MONTH. I had saved them ALOT over the years as for about 15 years I had not charged them for gas and most times I hauled the old couches and such off for free or very little.

    They closed up the thrift store within 6 months after I took my dumpsters home. To this day many years later they still have no thrift store as Goodwill and the churches have thrift stores in their place.

    It comes down to MONEY in the end.

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  19. #13
    kss's Avatar
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    I get curb stuff but so far have not ventured into dumpsters. I dont have anything against it, and think I would enjoy it and get some good stuff, but Ive tried to go into some before and alway get weirded out before making it to the dumpster... plus the risk of injury (and getting dirty/touching gross stuff) I feel like is far higher crawling in a dumpster than just taking stuff out at the curb. Ive never been yelled at for curb picking (in fact if anyone sees me they usually wave or say "hey I have some stuff you can take").... but dumpsters I feel like the owners usually wouldnt be as welcoming and are too worried about liability and so far havent thought it would be worth the risk or the hastle of asking for permission

  20. #14
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    After many years of doing scrap i learned some things about dumpsters, best is if your lucky enough to get to know the people/person who has/rents the dumpsters. You wont have to go in the dumpster... If you know what i mean. Plus wont have to deal with the problem of others that make a mess and want to tell you its their dumpster to pick from... If you know what i mean.
    Last edited by greytruck; 01-15-2020 at 01:15 PM.

  21. #15
    kss's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by greytruck View Post
    After many years of doing scrap i learned some things about dumpsters, best is if your lucky enough to get to know the people/person who has/rents the dumpsters. You wont have to go in the dumpster... If you know what i mean. Plus wont have to deal with the problem of others that make a mess and want to tell you its their dumpster to pick from... If you know what i mean.

    Not entirely sure I know what you mean, LOL, but I think I get the jist of it.

    Get in good with the trash/dumpster people and it avoids all the problems I listed.


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