The relentless pursuit of renovating ourselves and having the latest and trendiest stuff has driven us to throw away things that are in perfect condition and still work. Dumpsters are full of these authentic gems that end up becoming someone else’s prized possession. As the saying goes, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”
Reddit users have shared the objects that they’ve rescued from dumpsters, and we at Bright Side were so impressed that we’ve decided to show you pictures of some of the most incredible finds.
1. “Didn’t even have to go far... Sitting right by my apartment dumpster (colors are more vivid in real life).”
2. “My mom found a Prismacolor Deluxe Edition set with all the colored pencils while dumpster diving. Some barely used. It’s crazy what people throw out.”
3. “My dad pulled this gigantic canvas out of the dumpster at the school he works at. I taped the one tear it had, covered it in black gesso, and painted this.”
4. “Found in some illegal dumping, such an antique prize.”
5. “Local greenhouse is at it again.”
6. “Why would someone throw this away??”
7. “Local game store closed yesterday.”
8. “I don’t know if this constitutes dumpster diving, but I cleaned up some ice skates I found in an abandoned skating rink.”
9. “Me and my mom went dumpster diving.”
10. “We are such a wasteful society. This was found in one CVS dumpster.”
11. “Hand-carved vintage liquor cabinet on the curb!”
12. “So excited about this curbside find!! The wife wanted new barstools to replace our wood and cloth ones. Found a set of 4 of these with a sign that read, ’Free! I’m vegan now.’ HA! Cleaned up the leather already and going to do some chrome repair: as good as new! Thank you, vegan stranger!”
13. “My latest dumpster dive all cleaned up. Found the box spring leaning against the dumpster. Ripped it apart, sanded and stained it.”
14. “This morning dive revealed a bunch of nice paints. Mostly acrylics but all are sealed.”
15. “Found in the box behind an office supply store! Perfect condition.”
16. “While walking the dog in the rain, we stumbled upon a white whale among a pile of trash. A working KitchenAid mixer that cleaned up pretty well.”
17. “Had a nice haul today!”
18. “Just found a 10K gold bracelet while dumpster diving. Total weight is 37.6 grams, which totals at just over $925 melt value. It’s a nice-looking chain with no damage, so I should get more if I decide to sell it.”
19. “Curbside find! Found next to a restaurant dumpster while on a run. Hid it in a bush and came back for it an hour and a half later! Probably not worth much, but I’m so excited to look through these Legos!”
20. “My sister found this chest in a dumpster behind her work. Pretty awesome, great for storing kid’s toys.”
21. “Found today, tag still on... Just a week after I discovered an unfixable rip in my boots!”
22. “Rescued two of these green beauties from a dumpster at the office building I work at.”
23. “I found her while dumpster diving this morning. I was able to find homes for her two sisters, but nobody wanted her. Looks like now I have a cat.”
What’s the most amazing or strangest thing you’ve found in a dumpster? Have you ever restored anything you found lying on the street?
