I have and still dumpster dive.
In the past, I used to harvest electronics, books, and furnishings that were discarded at the end of the academic year. I'd resell everything and make great cash for a few hours of work.
I never had it as bad as freejohn, but when I was a few fresh out of college, on my own, and scraping by, yes I used to pick perfectly good canned and baked goods from behind the Safeway and (my favorite) the local gourmet grocery. A local pizzeria used to give me the unsold pizza slices when I would come in at closing time.
Nowadays, I'm in the top tax bracket and, yes, I still dumpster dive. For what? The piles of discarded vegetables behind the grocery go right into my compost piles. And I still occassionally drive around a couple of choice neighborhoods on trash night and have score some great decorative pieces and antiques. A little restoration work and it's off to the antique dealer. Even better is when I go around my neighboorhood and pick up items (lamps, exercise gear, electronics) people left on the curb for the trashmen, take the items, clean them up, and sell them at the neighboorhood yard sale.
The sad truth is that many in this country are extremely wasteful. No conservative, in my opinion, should look upon wastefulness and laziness and make excuses for it.
I agree about how wasteful this country can be. I have pulled many a useful item out of the trash in my time. Never have dumpster dived food, but anything else is fair game.
“No conservative, in my opinion, should look upon wastefulness and laziness and make excuses for it.”
BUMP! :)
The next year he got lawn mowers, most were just out of gas or needed a carburetor cleaning.
truth is now considered ‘snark’? I don’t think so