Forum dedicated to increasing awareness of green living through beneficial dialogue.

of course I have a picture... I had 20 minutes to kill before the wife came home from work to take me to the hospital to have the hand X-rayed... Besides I wasn't feeling a thing I was in shock. I have other shots too but that was the best and the one I have on photobucket. I'd like to say it was photoshopped but two things keep me from saying it. 1. I remember the pain like it was yesterday and 2 I haven't got the computer skills to photoshop anything.

ouch... that looks like a very clean hand though, so i assume it didn't cause you any lasting damage. As for gloves, i would think it was standard issue

May 16th---

Behind an "cubicle Minor" I found a computer tower and a Schwinn electric scooter. (not what you'd find behind an cubicle supply place)

behind "Peddler Moe's" Oranges, flour and a raspberry tart. Lots of bread and pastries that I left.
Behind "Dock 2 imports" 2 Chinesses tea cups.
Behind "All the D" 8 boxes of Mac and Cheese.

May 20th---


3 NOAA weather alert radios value over 80.00ea.
Shipping labels, return address labels, cell phone cases, postcards, index cards, stress meters, a paper cutter, post-it note pads, talking desk organizers/beer cozies, 2 cases of decorative dish towels
a squirrel (poor thing was trapped in the dumpster and scared the hell out of me when I move the box he was in. I Set him free)
Food items include. Strawberries, pineapple, apples tomato paste, 6 pk of soda, mini brownies, suzy Q's, Twinkies, cupcakes, pies and take & Bake rolls.

Found some good stuff. Oh and for the record... The plural of shipping labels is shipping labels I found multiples of all of those things listed. It never stops amazing me to see what our capitalist system produces in terms of usefull waste.

I'll dive again tonight.

That last list is amazing UF and a little scary. Who throws stuff like this away?? EIGHT weather alert radios?? 2 cases of decorative dish towels? I mean the odd one here or there.. but 2 cases?? The waste is staggering.

With food it is a little different, as I know some people are very picky, and since they started printing 'sell by' dates on everything, people seem to think that anything that reaches that date is no longer good.

Holy ****!!! June 12, 2009 will go down in infamy. Once again I went to my local office supply place. Briefly here is what I found...

30 plus rolodex business card holders (the kind that you carry with you)
30 Desk top rolodex phone number/business card organizers.
8 packs of foam picture frames.
5 packs of rolodex hole punches
12 kids art supply packs by crayola (color explosion and others)
White out tape.

Total value-- 600.00+ original retail value.
What a waste. And to think that this was all thrown away.

as for food I didn't get much last night. 3 of my locations had people outside or doors open 1 location had employees present and I didn't feel like risking having them start destroying product because the notice a diver in their bin. I did get a squash, fruit Ice pops and a box of crumbtop donuts. Oh and half a case of potato chips. (single serving size)

Those are some incredible finds, Urban_Forager.

I notice a "Don't Climb In" warning on a dumpster in our building. Do you have a technique for safely getting into the bins?

I'm sure some people have tipped them over onto themselves or been hit by falling lids at times.

i guess if you are determined and fearless, there is alot you can find if you know where to look.. Got to say though that some of your finds are a bit scary to be honest. That last lot of stuff in the Office Supply place.... You sure they are really throwing all that stuff out? I wonder if some employee is maybe scamming the firm, by hiding stuff out back, expecting to go back and get it later.

Can hardly complain if it is not there when he gets there can he?

Stav-- I wish I could write it off to some employee but when I visit 2 different locations and find similar or the same things I can't say it's a dishonest employee. It is however a disconnected and unsympathetic company. They do this kind of stuff on a regular basis with no regard to the environment or people. I know that I am a radical in my thinking but this is the kind of stuff that makes me question the need for a supply based inflationary economic system like the free market capitalist one that the world is embracing. When we produce waste by producing more than people are buying or need I question the logic behind the practice. That topic is for another thread though.