How to Find Treasures in Garbage

There may be some treasure in there!

For many people garbage is simply garbage. But what they throw away could be incredibly useful to you, especially if you are an artist or a handyman who can easily transform things. You can find treasures in garbage with a few simple steps.

Things You'll Need

• Bags
• Gloves

Instructions

1. Find out what days are garbage pickups, bulk garbage pickups and recycling days in different areas around town.

2. Scour the respective streets on those days, armed with bags and gloves. Walking works best for easiest scanning of garbage. If you find something too big to carry, you can always go back and get a wheelbarrow or car.

3. Look only at the top few levels of trash, where most people put the most useful items. Anything lower will be covered in dog food and coffee grounds, anyway.

4. Visit your local recycling center and landfill, applying the same methods to find treasures in garbage. Again, stick to the top few layers of trash.

Tips & Warnings

• Visit wealthy neighborhoods, where you are more likely to find treasures in garbage, useful items that people have simply gotten tired of.

• Most of the treasures you find will need some fixing up. Keep that in mind as you scour.

• Make note of where garage sales are happening or people are moving and check that house’s trash bin when the sale or move is over.

• You may get odd looks or even yelled at. Ignore them and keep on scouring.

• Do not leave a mess surrounding the trash or recycling bin. Leave the area as neat as you found it.