Table of Contents
A COUPLE who tried dumpster diving have had a baby together. She sleeps in a crib they found in a garbage can.
Erin Sheffield, a 39-year-old charity coordinator from Buffalo, New York, and her husband Dave, 35, met in a dumpster in college and hit it off because they love rummaging through trash for valuables.
5
5
The couple have been together for 15 years and married in June 2021.
In July 2023, they found out they were expecting a baby and started rummaging through trash cans for supplies for their new child, including a baby swing, a crib, and unopened bottles.
In April 2024, they welcomed their daughter Evelyn.
And they couldn’t wait to take her dumpster diving.
“Evelyn is doing great. She’s growing so fast. We’re really happy,” Erin said.
“We found a portable bed that she now sleeps in, as she has outgrown the basket.
“Brand new, it would have been worth $150. We found it in a long dumpster in the back of a big box store where they were throwing out all their baby stuff.
“They had car seats, but we already had them. Luckily my husband came across another car [mom] who was dumpster diving and who took the chair?
What one person considers his trash is another person’s cute encounter
The couple met in 2009 when Dave was studying at the University at Buffalo and Erin moved to the city to work in a bike shop.
Months later, their friendship grew into a relationship and they went hunting for treats together.
“We met in a dumpster. I saw him, stuck my head over and asked what he was doing,” Erin said.
“He jumped out, and we cleaned everything up and went dumpster diving all day.
“We exchanged numbers and started hanging out. We’ve been diving together ever since.”
“When we started diving together it was pretty sporicidal,” Dave adds.
“Usually at the end of the semester, when the students leave.
“One of the things we came across a lot was school books. After the year, the students just threw them away.
5
“We found calculators, detergent and office supplies, and we usually resold them.”
UPDATE
Erin and Dave said they started dumpster diving more during the pandemic because they had more free time.
They found scrap metal, furniture and everyday objects and sold them on eBay or Facebook Marketplace.
Dave says the couple makes an average of $20,000 a year selling stuff they find in the trash.
I found roses in a dumpster for our wedding day – they were perfect [and] they weren’t even old yet.
Dave
“I divide things into three categories: You have the scrap metal that I can sell,” he said.
“Things I can find and sell on eBay or Facebook that we can then donate or keep.
“I think we make $20,000 a year from resale.”
GARBAGE GIFTS
They got married in 2021 and often rummage through trash cans for each other’s anniversary gifts.
“I found roses in a dumpster for our wedding day – they were perfect [and] “They weren’t even old yet,” Dave said.
5
“I find a lot of them, especially in the months before Christmas.
“If I find something that I know Erin will like, I’ll take it.
“I bought her coffee mugs, candle holders, candles and flower pots as she is an avid gardener.”
We found baby swings and a baby seat. I also found some unopened bottles at the Salvation Army that I saved.
Erin Sheffield
The couple welcomed their first daughter, Evelyn, who weighed 10 pounds, in April 2024 at Mercy Hospital in Buffalo.
Before she was born, Erin and Dave would often scavenge for items for Evelyn in trash cans, including cribs, bottles, and swings.
“There was a baby store that went out of business, and we found some great stuff there,” Erin said.
5
“We found baby swings and a baby seat. I also found a few unopened bottles at the Salvation Army that I saved.”
Now that Evelyn is born, Erin can no longer dumpster dive, but David still goes a few times a week.
They hope to take Evelyn with them when they go diving for supplies.
“I’m taking a break, but my husband is going dumpster diving,” Erin said.
“We used to go car rides together. We try to convince Evelyn to like car rides, but she doesn’t like it.
“We hope she will enjoy it more as she gets older so we can take her with us when we go dumpster diving.”
