Many people may not consider dumpster diving when seeking used items, especially if a thrift shop is nearby. However, one dumpster-diving Redditor was surprised to find an eclectic mix of items in place of the rocker in a sealed Fisher-Price Infant-to-Toddler Rocker box.
"This box was taped shut so I assumed it had its original contents and took it without looking," they wrote in a post to r/DumpsterDiving above a series of photos of the items.
Instead of a baby rocker, the Redditor became the new owner of broken pottery pieces, a Brazilian handcrafted "A Christmas Carol" stein, a handmade piggy bank, a ship in a bottle, and a stuffed Wishbone toy.
If you think broken pottery is useless, the art world and Japanese culture beg to differ. Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold or silver. This form of upcycling often makes the reconstructed ceramic piece look more beautiful than the original unbroken one.
Further, a collector's item like the beer stein may sell on sites like eBay and Etsy.
If you're willing to try dumpster diving, you may get expensive items in mint condition, like stereo speakers or scrap material, without spending a dime.
Don't forget about the positive effect finding used items has on the environment. Every day, as much as 4.5 pounds of items go into American trash bins, which later sit in landfills. Dumpster diving keeps a portion of these items out of the landfills, preventing them from contributing planet-warming methane to the environment, as a third of human-related methane pollution in the United States comes from municipal solid waste, according to the EPA.
The OP may have initially been disappointed by not getting the cool Fisherprice rocker they assumed was in the box, but their child got a cute toy, and mom got a handmade piggy bank.
Other users filled the post's comment section with positivity.
🗣️ What's your primary motivation in shopping at thrift stores?
🔘 Cheaper clothes 🤑
🔘 Trendier items 😎
🔘 Reduced environmental impact 🌎
🔘 I don't thrift 🚫
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
One commenter stated, "Some of my favorite flower pots came broken, from a dumpster and I put [them] back together."
Many commenters were delighted by the Wishbone toy, with someone exclaiming, "My family's first dog was a Jack Russel named Wishbone! This was so nostalgic to see."
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