Mining for suburban gold

OK, it's not really GOLD but it's easier to find and can put some good money in your pocket! More often called derogatory names like trash picking or dumpster diving it is in actuality an amazing resource for many types of materials that would otherwise end up in a landfill somewhere

Step 1: How to get started

Depending on where you are there are many methods to collect your suburban gold.

 You can walk and pull a wagon

 ride a bike and pull a trailer

 Use your car
 
 use a truck

 you may want to have gloves and a couple of good flashlights, perhaps some rope or bungee cords

Comments

[muddog15]

You Get better pay

[l8nite]

Sorry, I don't understand your comment. Curb mining augments any other kind of income

[thrillingtreasures]

Here in upstate Ny, that is illegal. Did you know that the salvation army stores throw out all merchandise not sold after a short period of time. They don't send it another store or anything. Right in the dumpster. There was a article last month were they arrested a guy on 5 or 6 different charges because he went dumpster diving. Just my thought, I would not want to make headlines for stealing trash.

trash.http://fingerlakesdailynews.com/news/details.cfm?clientid=16&id=41666#.UIIO7bRAi0s

http://senecadaily.com/?p=18995#axzz29nrncFJs

[l8nite]

You're right, actually jumping into dumpsters (or pulling stuff out of them) can be illegal in many areas, usually they get you for trespassing but they can also get you for theft ( the trash removal company owns what ever trash is in the dumpster) many places lock the dumpsters so you can't get in them. The few dumpsters I do hit I have permission to for or they are in apartment complexes who don't care (when in doubt ASK)

I primarily focus on curb pickings but be sure to NEVER go in a city/county provided recycling bin, they'll really get you for that !

[Covert Koala]

Great Instructable, I never thought of using consignment shops. Have you ever run into another miner working your area? There are at least 3 other miners just in my part of town.

[l8nite]

definitely there are lots of others out searching the same areas, I look at it in 2 ways, 1st not all are looking for the same things, many are just looking for scrap metal. 2nd there is no schedule for when people take out their trash on trash night so just because I see another miner come out of a neighborhood I don't let it stop me from entering although I may move to a different area and come back later. Also I live in a large metropolitan area and each night there is a huge area to cover so even with a lot of others doing the same thing its not to bad.

My truck is recognizable and people know I'm out there, 2 weeks ago a guy flagged me down and gave me a used but like new pwr whls jeep and said he had been watching for me, last night I got flagged down and the guy said his kids love my truck and he gave me a working weed eater, an edger and a gas leaf blower ( he had bought one of the multi yard tools) and a lady waved me down to get a dresser from her garage.

 Consignment and 2nd hand shops don't pay alot but it's often easier than trying to sell something yourself and it pays for gas money. I have probably a dozen stores I hit regularly, if one doesn't want something one of the others usually will and after a while you learn what different stores will consider.

[l8nite]

grrrrrrrrrr... stupid uploader !

[electfire]

@l8nite Do you ever sell any of the metal scrap online? Specifically the brass and copper? I am having some trouble sourcing (locally) any brass and copper for my projects.. Also where I am living now they don't have "Big Trash Day" like I had before, so stuff is hard to find. Buying from Goodwill and other small antique/junk shops is okay,but doesn't often yield a good find, and they tend to be a bit expensive, if one is just collecting odds and ends for various projects...

[l8nite]

I'm not sure what you mean but I'd be willing to sell online if the price was right but then you have to add in shipping costs so it's probably not cost effective. Brass and copper are also difficult to find and since I don't just focus on metal scrap I go out later than the other scrappers, which means it takes me a while to gather enough to make even a small bucket full. Talk to some plumbers and or HVAC people, most that I know have several buckets of scrap copper and brass, just offer them a little better than going scrap prices.

[electfire]

Thank you, and you are right about shipping. It's the main reason I am hesitant to by metal scrap,parts, and stock online. I will keep an eye out locally, and thanks for the tip about asking plumbers and AC... I wouldn't have thought of that.

[EmcySquare]

I do that too from time to time in a "oocasional" non professional way.
I got some computer that ended up un school classrooms and many other things.

Also: IT'S GOOD FOR THE PLANET !!!

[l8nite]

I had to laugh at "non professional" but I've been doing it for probably 30 years to one degree or another so I guess I AM a professional trash miner ! Thank you for commenting and keep watching those curbs !

[EmcySquare]

Thinking more seriously about it, I realized that this attitude somehow b elongs to my family: I remember my father and my grandfather doing it from time to time...

I also realized that there are different ways of doing it: ie I mostly collent:

1) what I think can be seen as "raw materials": sheets of plastic, metal, wood boards, rods, anything that can be reused later as part of a project. It is litterally FULL of it.

2) Books : good, high quality, classics. Never the last fancy best seller. I have a copy of "Orlando Furioso" dated 1810 with rat bites on it. I'ts marvellous

3) Tools: sometimes they need some fixing but as long as they work it's OK. That's where the pots I use for candle making come from...

In a world where 90% of "STUFF" goes to the junkyard afther 6 months or less is hard to belive you need to buy more stuff...

Give a look at

http://www.storyofstuff.org/movies-all/story-of-stuff/

[l8nite]

My grandfather built a 2 story, 5 bedroom,3bath home at the shore using 99.7% recycled material, of course that was back in the late 1940's or early 50's and it wasn't considered as cool to be "green" so it runs in my family as well.

On the other side of the dumpster, my daughters sister in law doesn't even like touching her own trashcans let alone someone elses but she will ask us to be on the lookout for xyz !

I barely scratched the surface of whats available out there, there are a lot of people out there who only mine for the scrap metal, some who will only rescue furniture to restore/redo or just focus on e-waste but there are many like myself who will gather anything that looks to have value.

With todays economy and massive unemployment there are more people mining the same streets than ever before but there are still massive amounts of materials to be had!