O dumpster diving how I love thee!

Five lines of gratitude and adoration for dumpsters

By Sam SpinelliPublished 2 years ago • Updated 2 years ago • 1 min read

O dumpster diving how I love thee!

Photo by Bruno Guerrero on Unsplash

I have seen a glory of treasures trapped in your rusting heart: clothes, legos, plants, tools, even books!

I have felt hot slush and cold grit under my boots when I have climbed to be inside you

I have smelled your perfume: dog shit and roses and other secrets

I have tasted your charity: pickles and hot sauce, cheese and salsa

And I have heard flies buzzing but they are shouted down by the ringing bells of dinner and victory

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Fresh flowers I found in a venue dumpster after a wedding

My favorite bowl. Found in a roll away dumpster by a restaurant

I’ve found a fair amount of books dumpster diving. Usually I just donate them, but kept this one for my kids

Found this spooky boi piled with residential garbage on the roadside. Found the pumpkins in a garbage bin at the park

Found all these nerf blasters and an awesome lightsaber in a haul away bagster

Found in dumpster with a bunch of other wood puzzles

Found in the dumpster behind a harbor freight. Good tools! The tire pump is dented up but works fine and some of the other stuff just needs to be de-rusted :)

Haul from a while back, mostly from dollar general

Found in a dumpster outside an apartment

Halloween shower curtain, found in the same dumpster as the awesome mug

Found a bag of legos in a dumpster by an Aldi, turned out to be kit 41340. Still in the process of putting it all together

Firefly petunias (bioluminescent flowers), thrown away after a wedding at a local venue. Gave these to my grandma :)

LED string lights, found with several bags of clean clothes in a dumpster near an industrial building

Cool art I found in a dumpster behind a shopping center

Mermaid snuggy, found in the same dumpster as the legos. (Washed it before letting my daughter have it of course!)

Food that Expired last month. Still totally fine. Dollar tree dumpster. (Always check for recalls, damaged packaging, or signs of spoilage if you’re gonna dive edibles)

Friend I met dumpstering a while back

My all time favorite dumpster find. Rescued this beautiful blue crystal drinking glass from the dumpster at the park where I work

About the Creator

Sam Spinelli

Trying to make real art the best I can, never Ai!

Help me write better! Critical feedback is welcome :)

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Written by Sam Spinelli