Dumpster rentals are plastic helmet a common sight that can be found on construction sites and other areas where large amounts of trash is being produced. They are also commonly found behind many stores where unused or unsold products must be discarded. What do these various places have in common? They all throw away items that someone else may want.

Dumpster rentals may seem like somewhere where the vast majority of individuals never want to find themselves climbing through, but you may be surprised at the number of people who not only tolerate the practice of diving through dumpsters, they actually seek it out.

‘Dumpster diving’ is a practice that is quite common in countries around the world, and is commonly known to yield significant results for the experienced diver. In attempting to separate the potential treasure from the obvious trash and make sure a potentially filthy dive is worth one’s time, energy and laundry bill, the key is simply knowing where to look.

It is also important to know that there are typically laws on the local level that govern the practice, and it is always best to look into it’s legality in an area where you may plan to partake in this filthy endeavor. While there are technically very few laws that govern the practice itself, trespassing and privacy laws often leave it on potentially shaky ground.

Dumpsters will typically contain material only as useful as the site they are placed on, so depending what you are looking for, it’s best to keep in mind where to look to potentially have the best shot at a successful dive.

Construction sites are a common location to find dumpsters and can yield some of the most useful results if materials such as lumber and other related scraps and debris is what you are looking for. Because most construction materials are used in certain measurements, excess and extra pieces of perfectly good material is commonly available.

Grocery stores can offer significant salvage opportunities as well, but only for the brave. Because these stores are required to discard food items by their expiration dates, there can be edible food left in dumpster rentals. Whether you want to push your luck and tread the thin line between edible and non-edible is a risk entirely in itself.

Book stores and other retail stores must also discard irregular, marked or certain unsold items after a specific amount of time. These items may be partially broken or contain a defect of some sort, but can still be useful and acceptable if found before they are allowed to decline in condition.

Perhaps most important to keep in mind, however, is the fact that many dumpster rentals simply contain trash. Diving in them is an often-disgusting risk all in itself and should not be undertaken lightly.