Dumpster diving proves environmental, practical

Free stuff is just a garbage can away.

Some Kirksville residents take advantage of what other people don't want by dumpster diving, or rifling through dumpsters for a wide range of items, including construction and art materials, food and furniture.

Junior Hannah Hemmelgarn is a self-professed dumpster diver.

"Usually I just kind of happen upon things, like I'll be out walking or biking and I'll realize that someone's thrown away something that could be valuable to me," Hemmelgarn said.

Hemmelgarn said her main reasons for dumpster diving are environmental and practical. She said dumpster diving is another way to recycle items that other people don't want anymore.

"I don't spend money on stuff because I find it [dumpster diving]," Hemmelgarn said. "Other people spend money on stuff, and I profit from that."

Hemmelgarn also said dumpster diving is more than just a way to find stuff she wants or needs.

"It's kind of a hobby, too, you know," Hemmelgarn said. "Once you realize how much good stuff there is, it's like a garage sale all over the place, and it's free."

Hemmelgarn said one of her best finds was a set of chairs that her dad fixed up after she pulled them from the trash.

She said she tends to have the best finds at wealthier houses because the people living there tend to be more wasteful. She also said spring is one of the best times for dumpster diving because people are cleaning out their homes.

Hemmelgarn said she does not dumpster dive for food because of the health risks.

"It can be really messy and dangerous, I would say, which is why I don't do the food route," Hemmelgarn said. "You really have to be careful washing everything off, and there can be raw meat spilled everywhere, and glass, and that can be pretty nasty."

Hemmelgarn said that if money is tight, dumpster diving can be a great way to cut back on food costs.

Senior Sam Pounders said people should make their own judgement calls when it comes to dumpster diving for food.

"People assume that you're going to contract some virus or get real sick," Pounders said.

Pounders said she has never been sick from eating food pulled from a dumpster, but she has opted not to eat some foods before.

"There's definitely been times where I've made judgement calls and said, 'No, I'm not going to eat that,'" Pounders said.

Pounders said she and her housemates used to rely on dumpster diving for about 30 percent of their food. She said she hasn't been as active recently because she started growing and canning some of her own food.

"One of the major downsides to dumpster diving is the fact that the food quality, the kinds of food that you get, is super processed, … not really things that I want to put in my body all the time, even though they're free," Pounders said.

Pounders said a lot of Kirksville residents rely on dumpster diving for food. She said she didn't want to name specific businesses for dumpster diving because they might stop throwing food away for liability reasons, or people might get in trouble.

"I would like to say that if you are at the bar, or whatever, late at night, you should check the dumpsters in the alleys back there because a lot of times there's food in dumpsters right there in the Square," Pounders said.

Pounders said one of her best finds was several untouched pizzas, which she used to feed several people at an event.

Pounders said some general places to look are behind restaurants or grocery stores. She said many grocery stores compact their trash, so it is impossible to get food from their dumpsters.

"It just seems like a real waste to have that stuff all driven here from Chile or something like that and then just get compressed at the end of the week because it goes bad," Pounders said.

She said she recommends talking to somebody who dumpster dives to find the best places.

"If you see someone digging through a trash can, just ask them," Pounders said.

Professor of biology Michael Kelrick also said he thinks dumpster diving is an individual's own choice.

"If you're smart and you're careful, you can probably make judgments that are reasonable," Kelrick said. "That is not to say that I'd recommend people run out and start dumpster diving."

Kelrick said he has dumpster dived for construction materials before. He said he also has had people take things from his trash pile and had a water heater taken from his curb recently. He said his best find was a beautiful old hospital sink, which he used in his old house.

"I am deeply committed to recycling, and that's in the broadest sense of the word imaginable," Kelrick said.