25 Pictures That Prove One Man’s Trash Is Another Man’s Treasure

There are 2 types of people in life: those who love to collect things because “someday they will need them,” and those who prefer to buy new things over and over again. Not surprisingly, members of the first group almost always recycle much of what the second group throws away. But what would happen if real treasure appeared amid so much “junk?” There is no one better to tell this story than those who have lived it.

At Bright Side, we made a compilation of objects that were headed straight to the trash, but someone gave them a different destination.

1. “An update from yesterday, my first dumpster dive ever :)”

2. “Did I really find a $500 almost perfectly functional aluminum bike in the trash and take it home?! Yes I did!”

3. “Dumpster food: it’s grrrrrrreat!”

4. “Found a Dyson vacuum in my neighbor’s trash. It worked perfectly fine once I removed the Legos that were stuck in it.”

5. “Someone threw out a 40” 4K Smart TV that works perfectly. Madness, but mine now."

6. “Pokémon trash find! Found these at the bottom of a trash bag.”

7. “Our dining room ft. a painting we found in the trash (Bridgeport, CT)”

8. “I dumpster-dived these a couple of weeks ago from my apartment college dumpster where I live.”

“A lot of them were filled with old food, so I cleaned and sanitized them all. I’m so happy.”

9. “Easy upcycle from gross, roadside trash to treasure”

10. “Unused shirt haul!”

11. “A few months ago, my husband and I quickly drove past a Boston Fern in someone’s trash can. I walked back afterward to retrieve it.”

“I repotted, fertilized, and named him Fernando. The second photo is what he looks like today.”

12. “32 ft ocean kayak dad scored at an apartment dumpster”

13. “Neighbors found some smol criminals in their trash.”

14. “Just got hired to clear out a guy’s basement. These 2 vintage keyboards and amp were part of what he wanted to get rid of.”

15. “Dumpster diamond”

16. “I’ve died and landed in dumpster nomad heaven.”

17. “I found this in the trash. I’ve never used an Xbox before.”

18. “Built a desk out of mahogany baseboards taken out of the dumpster! My gaming chair was picked up from the curbside.”

19. “Found in the trash vs After a few hours of work with my 11-year-old son”

20. “Upcycled this plant stand I found while on a walk in my neighborhood.”

21. “So glad I looked in this bag!!!”

22. “Here’s a La-Z-Boy chair I found on the curb. I now have a brand new luxury chair with 3 screws I put in it in less than 5 minutes.”

23. “Just found a 10K gold bracelet while dumpster diving. Total weight is 37.6 grams, over $925 melt value.”

24. “Found a handmade Persian rug at the recycler’s today.”

25. “I was digging through the trash of someone who appeared to be moving, and I found a set of earrings marked as 18k gold with white sapphires.”

What has been the best find you have ever made and where did you find it? Are you one of those people who keeps things for when you need them one day or do you prefer to constantly renew everything?

Got some cool photos or stories and want to be featured on Bright Side? Send them all right HERE, right now. Meanwhile, we’re waiting!