Originally posted by Hawthorne
Have you bros ever been caught dumpster diving?
Ooh, I have quite a history with dumpster diving. When I was 17 and 18, I made hundreds of dollars by going to apartment complexes around my house (there were like forty or so within a five mile radius) and armed with garbage bags stuffed in my pockets or a backpack, I would dig through the recycling bins for empty cans and bottles. After getting as many as I could find (or sometimes carry), I went to whatever store was nearby (usually Fred Meyer or Winco) to return the containers for the deposit (five cents per container in Oregon.) Whether a trip would be worth the time was always a big 'if'.
Sometimes, I might only scrape a dollar or two and other times I would discover bags full of containers stuffed into the bins. I never wore gloves while dumpster diving, which was a pretty big risk I suppose. Well, actually, I usually avoided the dumpsters and went for the recycling containers, which are a lot cleaner. The only actual 'diving' I peformed (anyone else think that sounds kind of dirty?) was at one complex where the recyling containers are actually like large metal carts and not the normal giant blue plastic tubs. I would lift myself into them and get to work. I never cut myself on metal or glass and was never impaled by a used needle, so I have no confirmed diseases due to dumpster diving.
A lot of people are willing to just give away their containers, too. Twice, while returning cans and bottles at the store, random people drove up and asked me if wanted their collections, which turned out to be $30+ worth of Diet Coke cans or beer cans. Some people even gave me their cans (huge bags of cans) if they saw me hauling a load on my bike or digging through the bins at their apartments.
Now, I did get caught a few times and kicked out of complexes for dumpster diving. A couple of people were outright jerks and threatened to call the police if I didn't leave right away. Dumpster diving is technically a felony under Oregon law, although I don't think most cops really care that some dude is pulling cans out of the trash. The police had driven by me on several dumpster diving trips and nothing happened, so I think that supports my assumption.
My favorite brush with apartment management nazis was when I was a chased by a guy in a golf cart at some apartments across the street from my house and I got away! Though, the next time I was there, I noticed a camera had been installed in the trash center, so I never went back. Generally, whenever I was forced to leave some apartments, the manager or groundskeeper was polite about it. Most people, however, ignored me or actually gave me containers. I was kicked out of apartments for scavenging on less than 5% of my trips.
Besides drink containers, I also looked for fast food coupons in the trash. And one night, when I was feeling brave, I went for pizza... from the dumpster. I hit up Dominos first, but their trash was behind a locked gate. Papa Johns was too far away, so I went to Little Caesers and found a mostly intact pizza in a box. What was wrong with it, I don't know. It looked okay, so I brought it home, popped it in the oven for a few minutes, and then shared it with my brothers. To this day, they still don't believe that they ate garbage pizza.