- Published
Darryl Baker was shocked to see piles of clothes dumped beside the recycling bins outside her local supermarket.
asserted
piles → publish → supermarket
On several trips to the dumpsters she has also found a host of other items, such as "a perfectly decent" Ikea picture frame and children's scooters.
asserted
she → find → frame
Always on the lookout for ways to save money and appalled by the waste, the thrifty mother-of-two from north London asked supermarket staff if she could take some of it.
uncertain
she → save → it
Permission granted, "I got my children entire new wardrobes," says Darryl, 39, adding that she's stuff put away for years to come.
asserted
she → grant → years
During a six-month stint this year, "I have probably saved hundreds of pounds," says the freelance journalist.
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journalist → save → pounds
Darryl reels off the names of brands she has salvaged - Ralph Lauren, Nike and The North Face, among others.
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she → reel → others
"My mind was blown," she says.
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she → blow → ?
"This stuff is just strewn all over the floor."
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stuff → strew → floor
In addition to finding clothing for her children and her nephews and nieces, she keeps some for herself.
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she → find → herself
Others she donates or sells, including recently getting £30 for a men's Barbour jacket.
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she → donate → jacket
Darryl has joined the ranks of so-called dumpster divers – people who rummage through commercial bins for treasures.
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who → join → treasures
Motivations include saving money, giving items to charity and disgust at how often perfectly usable items are being consigned to waste - or a combination of all three.
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items → include → three
'I'm a bit of a Robin Hood'
Texan Jeff Ferrell has been rooting around in trash for more than 50 years.
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Ferrell → root → years
"I still dumpster dive every day by bicycle," says the 72-year old, who lives in Fort Worth, and has written books on the topic.
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who → dive → topic
"I still enjoy it as much, or more, than ever."
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I → enjoy → it
Jeff considers himself a "bit of Robin Hood mixed with anarchist direct action", only scrounging in more affluent neighbourhoods and giving away many of his finds.
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himself → consider → finds
"Almost everything in our home is scrounged, and I never buy, for example, soap or toiletries or medical supplies, or shoes and clothes and tools and garden supplies," he says.
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he → scrounge → soap
Jeff looks for discarded metal to sell at a scrapyard which, he says, earns him around $150 (£110) every two weeks.
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he → look → 150
His wife sells his other finds, such as "an antique or piece of jewellery", on eBay.
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wife → sell → eBay
Through savings and selling the more valuable items, he estimates his finds are worth "tens of thousands of dollars a year".
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finds → sell → dollars
'If something catches my eye, I'll grab it'
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I → catch → it
While dumpster diving may have been considered taboo in the past, it's now something many people are proud to do and post about online.
uncertain
people → consider → past
Millie Diamond, a London-based stylist, posts videos on TikTok of her rummaging through bins.
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her → base → bins
But she has a very specific aim - to unearth fabrics and clothing that she can salvage and refashion into new items, some of which she then sells.
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she → have → which
She estimates that one dress she found was worth £600.
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she → estimate → ?
I like collecting things off the street or anywhere that there's a freebie.
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I → collect → street
If I see something that catches my eye, then I'll grab it."
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I → see → it
Millie, 36, began bin diving after spotting some fabrics discarded by a business that had shut down.
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that → begin → business
"I literally clambered into the bin.
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I → clamber → bin
It turned out it was loads of vintage clothes."
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it → turn → clothes
'I haven't bought shampoo for years'
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I → buy → years
Her best finds come when students at Essex University head home for the summer and ditch anything they don't want to take with them.
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they → come → them
This includes half-filled toiletries.
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This → include → toiletries
"I haven't bought shampoo for eight years," says the 44-year-old sales assistant.
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assistant → buy → years
"I'd say that has saved me some money."
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that → say → money
Like other dumpster divers, Charlotte gives a lot of her finds to charity.
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Charlotte → give → charity
But she has also filled her house with salvaged objects, and sells on some valuable items.
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she → fill → items
Food, as long as it remains sealed, is fair game too.
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it → seal → ?
"I've found tins of Heinz baked beans, perfectly fine.
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I → find → beans
I'm quite happy to eat those," Charlotte says.
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Charlotte → eat → those
…and 8 more, not listed.
The Aporia
