best things found in trash

[Mike S.]

In out town they have bulk trash pickup twice a year. This is like a super free yard sale to us. Usually start in the middle class neighborhoods then move to the richer side of town and it's fun. This past spring I loaded the pickup full. I picked up a 8 ft piece of a new laminate countertop, no holes cut in it, has the backsplace and rolled edges. (must have been cut wrong or wrong color), a old oak 6 drawer dresser, fixed a few drawers and touched up the finish and gave it to my daughter. A couple of exterior steel entry doors with the double insulated glass panels, not sure how many gallons and quart cans of name brand paints. Most of them half full or more. Also several sheets of treated latice. As I always said, one mans trash is another mans treasure.

[toller]

My big score was an unused $300 rowing machine.

[Lawrence L'Hote]

-----snippage-----

That's my kind of event!!! I'd be like the sow that found the door to the corn crib open.

Larry

[Hansen]

Had that same thing in Denver last week. My father was able to get a Craftsman Table Saw. The only thing that was the matter with it is that it look like somebody tipped it over and a corner of the table snapped off. Yes it may not be pretty but it is still on square and he had to take a grinder to the corner to make sure there were no rough edges. Pretty cool.

[Joe]

Federal law states that it cannot be illegal in a certain small town or city if the trash is placed at the curb. There are a few cases where federal law enforcement took the trash of a homeowner to search for evidence and the homeowner claimed it was still their property until the garbage man showed up. They lost.

If police can take it as discarded material without a warrant, it is public domain so says the court ruling. Of course, you'd have to fight your Rochester-based ticket in court to prove that...

Regards, Joe Agro, Jr.

eBay:

[Joe]

You should check out the newsgroup alt.dumpster. It's kind of spam filled, but there are dedicated curbside recyclers there like none you've ever met. Some great ideas and tips on where and how to find stuff as well as legal perspective.

[brocpuffs]

I'd sure love to do that too. It's illegal in our city (Rochester, NY) though. Damn!

James [e-mail]

[Lawrence L'Hote]

also see

[Norman D. Crow]

Same thing here in Jamestown, NY James. It's called "scavenging", and they will stop & ticket you during the Spring/Fall cleanup.

[Robatoy]

7-foot stainless chemistry-lab countertop with integral sink in absolutly mint, dent and scratch free condition with 1 1/2" edges all around. It now lives next to my BBQ outside awaiting the day I get a wine-making station set up in my basement...that will be..mmm 2025? I wasn't a regular visitor here yet, because, believe-you-me, I would have gloated. 0¿0

Rob

[Rick]

BUT ... is it illegal in the 'burbs surrounding Rochester? My FIL harvests the curbs around Henrietta and Greece on a regular basis.

Rick

[toller]

I didn't know that! I will put the rowing machine back. ;) I almost forgot the Nordic Track, but that needed a $5 bearing replaced.

[TrailRat]

You could also try freecycling. Where people give away stuff by leaving a message on a website dedicated to your area. I've got mountains of timber that way.

[Joe]

Addictive group. Once you start reading, you find you have "needs" for things you really don't necessarily have room for.

...I participate in a few local freecycle groups and try to give stuff away but find myself picking stuff up from time to time too...

Regards, Joe Agro, Jr.

eBay:

[brocpuffs]

Aw. Just leave an anonymous note where the stuff was, saying you didn't realize its frowned upon and you will say a few words of penance. Something like that-

From what Nahmie said, it may be a local ordinance kind of thing. Not really sure. Aw, grab it while you can!!! That law makes no sense to me.

James [e-mail]

[Lawrence L'Hote]

You know it, Joe!!! All this dumpster talk ...and I had to get my dd fix. Went by some of my favorite dumpsters and picked up a large piece of 14 gauge sheet, some square thinwall and 5 nice drawers from a bureau beside a Salvation Army dumpster. I had to leave the bureau because I already had a full load and it needed a little more than TLC to get it back in shape. I'm making a return visit to that dumpster where I picked up the steel to pick up some wire merchandise display baskets and some more of that thinwall.

drawers, notice, have machine cut dovetails front and back and the sides look rather exotic. The brass hardware pulls look useful.

[makesawdust]

a furniture store - sofa, bed, etc. The only thing I had to buy was th cinder blocks for the book shelves. A friend who was studying interio designed referred to it as being decorated in the style o "neo-ecletcic poverty"

-- makesawdust

[d.kessell]

Absolutely the best dumpster find was about 80 identical pieces of software (cd with manuals) still shrink wrapped and in boxes, behind the local phone company. They were cleaning out and just trashed it. Sold them on eBay for about $90 each. I was a very happy diver. Of course, this type of thing only feeds my addiction.

Dan

[Silvan]

You can do a gloat ex post facto. It's allowed. Just not more than once in any one calendar year.

You suck.

[Prometheus]

Too bad you weren't around when I was moving- I got rid of all sorts of stuff that wasn't even really junk, it just never got used. Aut inveniam viam aut faciam