One Redditor hit the jackpot and shared their delight with the r/DumpsterDiving community after finding several abandoned monitors.
"Words can not express how excited I am," they wrote in their post, which included photos of some cords and eight monitors leaning on a bin.
The original poster nabbed them outside their local National Guard recruiting office, which was undergoing renovations. They took half of what was available — including a pair each of Samsung and Hyundai devices — and left the rest for their fellow dumpster divers who travel the same route while they embark on their own hunt for hidden gems.
While the idea of sifting through one person's trash to find a potential treasure might be off-putting, the practice saves money on functional items and is environmentally friendly.
If not for the actions of this Redditor, these monitors would have joined the 146 million tons of municipal solid waste that gets landfilled every year in the United States, where the items would've emitted planet-warming gases such as carbon dioxide and methane as they broke down.
That the user saved electronics is an added bonus, as e-waste can leach toxic chemicals when incinerated or improperly recycled.
According to the World Health Organization, 68 million tons of e-waste were generated in 2022, but under a quarter of that total was recorded as being collected and recycled. E-waste can release over 1,000 harmful chemicals, including lead and mercury, that threaten human health and wildlife.
Some Redditors have found a brand-new drawing tablet or a classic NES gaming console, while other dumpster divers have unearthed a vintage Pyrex dish and a perfectly edible haul of produce.
The OP mentioned that they planned on using the monitors as "a photo frame with scrolling pictures" so long as they didn't use too much energy. Commenters were impressed with their pickup, offering congratulations and advice on how to utilize the devices.
🗣️ How do you usually dispose of your old electronics?
🔘 Throw them away 🗑️
🔘 Donate them 📱
🔘 Sell them for cash 💵
🔘 Store them at home 🏠
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
"That's great. Mount to a wall and throw a fire stick on there!" one person wrote.
"Selling those is probably out of question," someone else responded. "But you could build something out of it, like an info screen for your house or a smart mirror. DIY has no limits."
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