A dumpster diver recently scored big at their "gettin' spot" — a university dumpster — with a discarded PC, two workstation graphics cards, and a vitals monitor.
The Redditor shared the impressive haul on the r/DumpsterDiving subreddit with a photo for evidence, and the caption read: "Haven't tested the workstation cards but my gettin' spot never disappoints.
While the workstation cards hadn't been tested, the original poster did share updates on the PC and the vitals monitor.
They said the vitals monitor and an additional one they later found worked consistently and within around a 1% range of other blood pressure machines.
The OP followed up with a photo of the PC also functioning and noted that it was "quite slow but it looks like it was literally hucked in the dumpster." They added that they plan to wipe the computer's memory and reinstall it, which could improve its performance.
While the fate of the graphics cards remains in the balance, the student's find illustrates some of the impressive tech discoveries available for those willing to dumpster dive.
It's worth pointing out that dumpster diving is legal in 50 states, but those who want to do it should follow best practices and abide by trespassing laws to do it safely and properly.
The student's actions here are commendable beyond potentially providing utility to them and saving money, just like others have in finding thrown-out devices like keyboards, flatscreen monitors, and gaming systems.
By grabbing these items, they are helping cut down on e-waste. E-waste is a problem, as metals and plastics from products can end up dangerously leaking into water and food, while increasingly taking up space in methane-producing landfills that warm the planet.
Companies are innovating in the space, such as France-based Back Market, which creates a marketplace for refurbished phones and video game systems. Solutions like these can save old tech from landfills and reduce the overproduction of new products.
Old tech isn't the only thing needlessly getting tossed into the trash. Food, clothing, and personal care products have been saved from landfills by other industrious dumpster divers.
Redditors chimed in on the student's bounty.
"Bonus points if you can get the monitor to interface with the pc and have it read the PCs vitals," one joked.
Another user found the vitals monitor discovery "surprising," and said, "in my experience medical devices have every last ounce of use squeezed out of them, often long after they became technically obsolete."
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