Okay, I can't believe I literally did this myself but whatever... So I took out the trash (which I do almost daily) and in the dumpster (btw, currently live at an apartment complex) was two two-liter of Dr. Pepper, completely unopened. Luckily, they were on top and not in any messes and such. So I was able to take them out. Took them both inside and did a quick smell + taste test (smell being when you first open bottled pop and such... Any soda/pop lover would know what I'm talking about) and ye'h... It was Dr. Pepper for sure. Nothing was bad or anything! Ofcourse washing the bottles would be smart but the pop inside is still good...

So... Ye'h. I kinda dumpster dived for free pop XD. Is this a bad thing? I don't know because I'm kinda happy about it. (It's still good and such)... Also, a bit curious... Has anyone else done something similar?

I've never done it, but a guy I used to work with opened a junk/antique shop from his diving. He was an odd duck though. I don't know if that means anything.

You checked to make sure the product wasn't tampered with, and didn't have to get stinky/dirty, so you're fine.
People constantly throw away perfectly good items, and if someone else can use them, than go for it.

Not having to actually get into the dumpster was a bonus... I don't think I would go that far unless it was a brand new electronic equipment or something really valuable.

I always see people abandon perfectly fine furniture beside dumpsters, and someone else usually comes along and hauls it home. It's recycling!

I know people dumpster dive all the time and find stuff but just be careful doing it.

i've never dumpster dived for edible or perishable items before..


although, back in college I was walking to class one day, it was garbage day and around 3 houses down from my apartment building, there was an old NES game sitting next to a cardboard box someone had left out for the Garbage collectors.

went up and grabbed the game, it was a copy of dragons quest.. out of curiosity, i took a peak in the cardboard box.. it was a complete NES system, power and input cables, controllers, games, Zapper gun and all..

decided I had plenty of time before class started, (I was one of those guys who always arrived on campus early to either play pool or one of the few arcade machines [which pretty much only i played] in the student lounge) so i took it back to my apartment, grabbed a CRT tv out of the closet and plugged everything in.. worked fine, and still works to this day

Back in the day when PS2 was new, I found one in the dumpster myself but my mother wouldn't let me take... It was actually unopened too, or at least it looks like...

Now if I would've found that NOW, I would totally take it since I'm grown-up and have my own choices... So good job on finding that.

When I was younger I did some dumpster diving. Found some pretty neat stuff too, but not once did I ever do it for food or drink, I just think it's nasty.

There's actually a decent sized group of people who are quite intellectual as well as often not poor that do this known as https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZoUleklIx4. Our society throws away a lot of perfectly good food. I know I always feel guilty when I go to a restaurant, order something, and because it's much bigger than I'm used to eating, cannot finish it, but because I'm not going to go home any time soon I have to have it thrown away by the restaurant.

It's a personal thing with me. I find it to be nasty, if others want to do it, that's on them, more power to them, but for me it's a no go.

What if you saw the food dropped off, and it wasn't thrown in the trash but just put on the curb? All fully contained, no seals broken, and expiration date still not passed.

I don't do dumpster diving myself, but if I saw perfectly good food put out all sealed up, I'd definitely consider taking it if it was something I liked.

you just reminded me of that thought experiment show they had on the discovery channel.. where they had to renovate the second floor of an old warehouse into a luxury loft apartment using only left over materials from dumpster diving, or asking for spare pieces of wood from construction projects.. what was the name of that show..

EDIT: Junk Raiders, thats what it was called

I don't think it's a bad thing. I dumpster-dived in my youth during a three-year period when I was homeless. It kept me alive and I would do it again if I needed to.

I've always been a pretty independent guy. I've always managed to find a way of making it on my own, even in the midst of my younger...more irresponsible days. Of course that meant eating a whole lot of mac and cheese, and a few frozen dinners, but I still made it and didn't have to rely on anyone's good will to get me through the next day(s).

But to be fair, on a few occasions (2, I think) I did join some of my lesser fortunate neighbors at the mission to get their meal for the day. I didn't need the free meal. While it wasn't anything to write home about, it was certainly edible, but not an experience I wanted to repeat too many times. That was food that should've gone to somebody who needed it more than I did.

Never dumpster dived. I'm not an uncivilized savage.

If you're able to find something in good condition that was thrown away wastefully, I'd say take it, regardless of where it is from. I've personally never looked through dumpsters. Just not something I've thought about doing really, or not all that appealing being that it is a dumpster.

Before dumpsters we used to go trash heap diving, because back in the day businesses would dump perfectly good items on the trash heap because they didnt sell, so you'd get a truck from a large department store could dump a whole lot of mixed stock, got alot of good toys and model kits off the trash heap, then they fenced them and put trespass signs and made it illegal to remove anything.

Place i used to work at the furniture makers next us used to throw out sheets of craftwood, in a huge industrial dumpster we'd sneak into their driveway after work and take sheets because most were in good condition and it was an amazing waste, and you could make a bit of money off selling them.

Things my family has dumpster dived for: Furniture, electronics, a [censored] sword.

I'm not above saluaging furniture, clothing, electronics and so on. Food however? That's just disgusting and sounds like a big health risk.

When people say they dumpster dive, I imagine it's because they're fetching something salvageable. Furniture, electronics, toys, shoes, clothes, bottles, or anything that a creative mind can use. Eating or drinking something out of the trash is...something else entirely.

Jusey, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKC5jjFkfgo. You are now a bum.

Unless it麓s messy/slimey etc, I say go for it. I麓d do it too if I had dumpsters nearby

Nope, you're good.

It only becomes a bad thing when you try it with a double back flip with a half twist and a full gainer.. that can get messy.

Nope, just another way of recycling. Look out for sharps though(broken glass, discarded needles, ragged tin cans etc).

I've dumpster dived since I was a little kid. Coming from a very poor family, we often didn't have enough money to even buy food. Reading all the comments regarding it as disgusting made me sigh for the middle class once again

Only when you know that some people throw away their poop in the trash...

why wernt you allowed to take it ?