From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Dumpster diving, or trashing, is the practice of rummaging through trash, whether commercial or residential, to find items of use that have been discarded. It takes advantage of the fact that as a whole, people and businesses are very wasteful. The term "Dumpster Diving" comes from the image of someone climbing into large rubbish bins, called "dumpsters", but the practice is actually more like fishing around than diving in. Dumpster diving, often shortened to dumpstering, is often done in order to acquire no-cost items. To those who are unfamiliar with it, the idea of dumpstering often conjures up degrading images of digging through messy, rotting trash like that of a restaurant; however, depending on where one dumpsters this could be quite to the contrary. Offices, factories, department stores, and other commercial establishments often throw out nonperishable items that were returned or have minor damages.
