I think that I'm developing sonar in my feet when I kick black trash bags.
My walk last night started off well with a $90 surge protector (in the Target bag), and a working NASA-designed Airocide air purifier with good cartridges. It's pretty expensive new and has good resale value.
After deciding to keep an expensive Rabbit HEPA air purifier I showed in my last post, I'm going to keep this one instead since it catches tiny pollutants that HEPA filters don't. The health benefits seem better and it'll save space.
I was thrilled to head out on this walk after the gym because I was going to return to the same spot I hit a monster jackpot at last Thursday. I'll post on this soon once I take good pictures. This score included a Tiffany sterling silver/gold bangle, a Chanel necklace from 1996, a Chanel brooch, Valentino sunglasses, along with several gold and silver pieces. I also found a pair of Louboutin shoes with a bunch more high end items thrown out by a very wealthy family. I know this because they threw out their external hard drive with the laptop image from 2017 on it without a password. I won't abuse their information, but their photo library shows them seeing dozens of famous locations all around the world -- so I can sort of feel like I've been there too.
Sadly, my hunch that this purge might last another week was wrong and I only found a $50 insulated half-gallon metal thermos. It was either a one-time purge, or I'd caught only the final week of previous trash nights there.
As I marched on, I eventually kicked a bag that told me to pop it open. This was the result:
What a shame! My first thought was of duty to save and donate it, so that's just what I did.
As I was taking this picture, a tenant came outside in a robe to walk her humongous Great Dane/body guard. She gave me a look like "I'm alone but I have this huge dog," and walked down the block and back. When she returned, I explained that I was saving the cat food someone in her building threw out. She relaxed and was impressed. I asked that if she ever figures out who tossed it, that she please tell them that it was saved and donated -- and that they should do that next time.
Bagged up and ready to carry on...
Ironically, I found this 2004 iMac set shortly after, but had to set it aside for someone to hopefully take. It was too much to carry with two bags in my hands and a full backpack. The vest was Lands End.
I also found a bunch of factory sealed and unexpired diabetic glucose needle boxes, which are very easy to sell. Only some are showing in this picture, as I found more after I took it. These were light and easy to add to the cat food bag.
Normally the weight of what I find it no issue, but I lifted traps very heavy that evening at the gym, so my forearms and grip were feeling it. I sucked it up and considered it more training, but it cost me the bulky and heavy iMac.
TIME TO DONATE TO SHELTER CATS!
I let the can labels dry all day since they were wet in the garbage bag I found them in. Ironically, there was heavy rain all afternoon the next day, so while they were mostly dry by then, I got my shoes and pants wet on the walk to donate.
By the way, the expiration dates on all confirmed as good with room to spare! The jackass who tossed them had reason to thrown them out when prominent shelters are nearby.
Off to the ASPCA with a backpack, bag and umbrella!
The last time I was here was when I brought a smoke-inhalation poisoned cat that firefighters handed to me when my apartment floor had an apartment completely engulfed in flames last year. It was admitted for a few days and survived. (Casual random mention there.)
The fun part. Donation time...
Into the bin with better bags given to me by the security guard...
Confirmation:
The weight of the cat food was 13 pounds. This excludes the cans and packaging. I'd imagine that the ASPCA will recycle the cans to help with that part of the equation, but at least these were not crushed in a compactor truck
Bonus Fact: This is the third time I've found wet food like this. I dropped those two other smaller batches off at a vet's office where they board cats.
That's the end of this tale. Hope you enjoyed one of my typical days over here.
If you're seeing my recycling post for the first time, the value in it isn't in the entertainment from the handful of items I show as saved/sold. It's from the passion and hustle I consistently exhibit off-chain to produce the items for posts, and my goal of motivating others to address our global waste problem.
Thanks as always for your interest and support.
Please reuse, repurpose and recycle. If you aren't able, donate to shelters, churches, or thrift stores.
No excuses, or you're part of the global problem.
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I really enjoy this kind of post, I've read them before when you shared jackpot findings. So cool and it makes me long for these areas where you'd find stuff that has any value. In this area where I live, they have 2 of these days a year where the whole district can put the unneeded furniture and garbage (bigger items too) out and it will be picked up by the government. Usually, the gypsies already took most of it by noon lol.
But congrats on your findings, keep sharing these cool stories please :)
Do you ever go out and try to beat the gypsies? With everyone putting stuff out, there must be enough to go around. If it's just two days a year, get lots of sleep and plan to attack!
No, why? Simply because the biggest part of what's been put outside is garbage and often very dirty. And this is truly not the neighborhood you want to be strolling around for gems :) I think 95% of the people living here live in poverty, so the gems are probably not there much. On top of that it's still a mystery to me when these pick up days are, I tried finding the date for our district yesterday after someone asked us what's going on outside (he's new to the city) people everywhere etc. We assumed this was the pick up day, but we could not even find it, as the announcements here are just shit if you dont speak the language.
I would get joy from strolling around any other place but our neighborhood so I would not choose to do it here. The reason I tried to look it up yesterday was actually because I thought we got lucky and could drop some leftover items we won't take to Spain next week, outside without getting fined.
Ps it's a shitty second hand market here too, I have been dealing with people after listing items for months now, and I wish it was over as I started to hate how people behave and have idiot expectations for something costing 3 bucks. Like me bringing it somewhere and then give me a big mouth when I say I won't.
I did take a lot of joy from these things in the past in my home country though, and if I see an opportunity to do this in Spain, I will sure try it. I remember that in the town where we lived they also put everything outside every evening and gypsies would take it or locals hunting for it before they did. There it was actual fun and not disgusting like it is here.
I've never found stuff like you share though, I can totally see how that feels awesome to find! :)
That's good karma. promoting this on Listnerds for all to see.
Thanks for the assist. I feel that good karma is often at our fingertips if we take some steps to earn it.
Right on. We don't have an animal shelter within an hour of us but being a small town we can always find out who is fostering cats and dogs so when we get some decent food we can't use we always try to find someone. It's such a waste to chuck it when it's so easy to give it to a neighbour or someone else.
As for the other stuff, that is crazy. How could people care so little? These things could do so much for others and they throw it away and as far as they know it is going to be crushed and put in a landfill.
We don't have garbage day like that anymore because the district gives everyone a roller bin that the truck can pick up so you would have to pull over at everyone's house and start rifling through their bins which is the bear's job and he would be upset with me if he caught me stealing his work.
Nice finds though. It must really help to be in a metropolitan area where you can be somewhat anonymous with your sales. Here I would put something on marketplace and someone would comment that they just threw it out because something didn't work, then nobody wants to buy Steve's castoffs. lol
Being in a metro area has its advantages for the sheer volume. This motivates me a lot and makes it fairly easy to find stuff. However, the tradeoff is the constant reminder of how enormous the waste problem is, and how wasteful people are. This gets me down. If only we had bears roaming around to scare off people from putting stuff in the trash in the first place.
I get the down part. I look at the dump here and shake my head. I couldn't imagine multiplying that by 8000.
What an interesting and praiseworthy work. I wholeheartedly support your initiative. There is so much we can do in this regard... There are no limits to creativity, solidarity, and empathy! Well done!
Thanks for the appreciation. I don't post as much as I used to, but I'm always doing the hard work and trying to make impact behind the scenes. Comments like yours give me a boost that people do see the value of the sacrifice and effort to pursue what I feel is the right thing for me to do.
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Amazing what people throw away. I am sure your donation wae greatly appreciate at ASCPA.
This type of stuff is just the tip of the iceberg. I also often find regular food and leave it out on the curbs for the homeless. A recent example is from when I found the luxury goods I mentioned above. I also found 2 sealed cans of tuna with pull tabs that were good until 2024 and put them on the curbs. While outside around 4:30 AM at the spot pulling out more jewelry, a homeless man walked up from out of nowhere and asked for money. I offered him the cans of tuna and he took them with thanks. While he seemed disoriented, it still felt good to be able to have a double impact.
Hey Matt, everything all right? Missing your posts!
Kind regards from Germany!
Hi Felix - thanks for asking. Everything’s ok. I just have had a mental block on posting for some reason, but will try to get back into it. I certainly haven’t stopped salvaging stuff for sure.
I know this post is old, but I always love seeing your salvage posts and am just now following you on this account (hi this is @phoenixwren, lol). Thank you for donating the cat food! As someone who has struggled with no money many times, it gets my goat that the person couldn't even be bothered to list it in a Buy Nothing group, drop it off at a shelter, or even leave it outside with a note saying "free" so that anybody strolling by would have seen it who could have used it. People are so thoughtless.
Thanks for your comment and for checking in while I’ve been away. To your point about leaving it outside with a sign to take for free… precisely!!!
Hi Matt! I think you're in my city and doing similar things to me! I'm in Queens, but by the looks of it you live in Manhattan? I recognize some of the those streets, lol!
Hi Jenny - nice to meet you. For privacy and security, could you please edit/remove the part of your comment pinpointing potential whereabouts? Are you using Discord where we could chat there?
Sorry! Changed! Sure - we can chat on Discord!