I’ve Collected $20,000 Worth of Stuff by Dumpster Diving – Best Times to Go
A 22-year-old has found $20,000 worth of brand new items by bin diving. She is proud of her hobby.
What started as a late-night curiosity quickly grew into a passion. Today, Melanie Diaz of Tampa, Florida, has over 2.5 million followers on TikTok who follow her every dive.
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Thanks to her daily visits to stores like Bath & Body Works, Five Below and TJ Maxx, she can decorate her entire home for free.
She even found 12 pairs of brand new Nike Air Jordans in a dumpster outside a store.
“I started dumpster diving about a year ago,” Diaz said. “One day, it was like 1 o’clock in the morning, I saw a video about all the dumpster diving. I couldn’t believe it.
“So I decided to go check it out for myself and see if it was true. I remember the first place I went was Five Below — the dumpster was full of stuff.”
Since then, Diaz has fully embraced the dumpster diving lifestyle.
“I’ve been doing this for about a year and a half,” she said. “I do it full-time — every day.”
From the first catch, Diaz was sold.
Nowadays she regularly visits the waste containers of various shops, always making sure not to enter private property.
“I normally don’t go to private property because I don’t want to go there,” she said.
“But I go to places that aren’t marked ‘private property’ and I dive into the trash cans there.”
While some might expect a random collection of discarded junk, Diaz found some truly amazing items.
“I think the best thing I ever found was 12 pairs of Jordans,” she said. “That’s one of the craziest finds I’ve ever had.
“If I go to Home Goods, I find home decor. If I go to Five Below, I find toys. So, it depends on which store you go to.”
One of her biggest hauls was a huge haul worth $1,200.
Go in the morning 30 minutes after the shops open because that’s when they throw their stuff away.
Melanie Diaz
Another highlight was eight bags full of candles from Bath & Body Works.
“That was the other craziest find,” she said. “When I first started, I would go to TJ Maxx and the dumpster was full of Christmas stuff, little Christmas trees, decorations, dog toys, lights, stuff like that.”
Dumpster diving is not without its dangers, however. Diaz takes precautions, wearing leggings and using her clothing to protect her hands from sharp objects.
“Sometimes there’s broken glass,” she said. “As soon as I get home, I take a shower.”
Despite her incredible finds, Diaz makes no money from them.
Instead, she donates many of the items she saves to friends, family, and people in need.
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“I don’t sell any of the stuff I find,” she said. “I mostly donate the stuff — give it to my friends, my family — and keep some for myself.”
Her unique hobby is receiving a lot of support online.
“My TikTok account is the largest with 2.5 million followers,” Diaz explains.
“From that point on I started working on my Instagram, where I posted content every day, and on YouTube, where I now have 40,000 followers.
“I am extremely happy with all the support I have received during my dumpster diving adventure.
“I started dedicating myself full-time to content creation and I’m also a photographer,” she adds, explaining how she combines her passion with a new career.
“I bought a house five months ago and I used some of the stuff I found to decorate my house. And I still do that every time I find stuff.”
For those interested in dumpster diving, Diaz has a few tips.
“Go 30 minutes after the stores open in the morning because that’s when they throw their stuff away,” she advised. “Also go 30 minutes after the stores close at night.”
Diaz is proud of what she does and the awareness it creates about waste.
“It’s crazy how stores waste so much product that’s brand new,” she said. “And I’m glad I can go into the trash and save those parts, so they can have a second chance.”
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