Stories

Tue, 03 Nov 2026

Tue, 03 Nov 2026 From scooters to shampoo - the people saving hundreds from dumpster diving

The men and women who rummage through commercial bins to take clothes and other items.

* Darryl Baker, a freelance journalist from north London, has been finding usable items in supermarket dumpsters and taking them home for herself and her children.
* She estimates she's saved "hundreds of pounds" over six months by rummaging through bins at her local supermarket.
* Other dumpster divers interviewed included Texan Jeff Ferrell, who has been doing it for over 50 years and claims to have earned "tens of thousands of dollars a year".
* Millie Diamond, a London-based stylist, posts videos on TikTok of her bin diving and refashioning discarded textiles into new items.
* Charlotte Bayford in Essex also dives for bins, but with a focus on timing - she knows when students at the local university will be getting rid of unwanted items.
* While dumpster diving is generally considered acceptable in the UK, it's illegal in some US cities and can lead to trespass charges if done without permission.