TRASH TREASURES
I’ve made $80k by dumpster diving – I’ve bagged speakers & straighteners, Aldi & Starbucks are my favorite stores
ONE MAN'S trash can be more than just another man's treasure.
One dumpster diving mom named Tiffany Butler makes over $80,000 from reselling her top trash finds.
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The thrifty mom who fishes thousands of dollars worth of waste from rubbish bins has revealed her top spots for a shopping trip – and they’re more common than you’d think.
Butler, from Denton, Texas, recently hit the headlines for revealing she has scored an estimated $80K in two years from dumpster diving – reselling groceries, make-up and electrical goods.
Now, the mum-of-four, who has turned her hobby into a full-time gig, has shared her secrets, including where to find the best stuff, what to take and what to leave.
Tiffany, who sorts items into bins which she then goes through at home or at her warehouse, rescues thousands of items from landfill.
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Her husband, an electrician, helps make the required repairs and the pair then sell around 75% of her finds, donating or keeping the remaining items.
The re-loved treasures include everything from pricey hair wrap tools to fish tanks, treadmills, makeup and snacks – which are later shared with her 2.5 million TikTok () followers.
Users are shocked at her impressive hauls and have long been asking for tips on how to find bargains of their own – with Tiffany now spilling the beans so others can follow in her footsteps.
As for the best places, she recommends popping by dumpsters near shops like Aldi, Starbucks and other high street stores for goodies like speakers, food and even clothes – though the latter can sometimes prove a challenge.
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"Stores toss a lot of clothing. Sometimes they cut it though to make it unusable," Tiffany said.
Talking to NeedToKnow, she added: “Most people say that they are glad that I'm saving good items from the landfill.
“I've found that Aldi tosses a lot, but at closing you could get bakery items from Dunkin' Doughnuts or Panera.”
“[I only go for] packaged food. If it's cold, I make sure it hasn't gotten hot."
The mum always wears a sturdy pair of boots and will bring gloves along, in case things get messy but she's not worried about germs, saying they "strengthen your immune system".
Her favourite find to date is a dumpster full of brand new treadmills.
In the state of Texas, dumpster diving is fully legal but Tiffany urges wannabe divers to look up their local laws before pursuing the activity themselves.
However, she has no qualms about other people seeing her trawling through trash.
She said: "...I've been seen. The most they can do is ask me to leave. In that case, I just come back. later."
“Check your city's ordinances.
"Buddy up if you're scared and don't make a mess.
"Always leave the dumpster cleaner than you found it.”
During a recent dive at a CVS store, the mum discovered dozens of packets of unopened snacks, supplements and jarred foods that hadn’t even hit their expiration date, while another dive at Aldi resulted in a bin full of food still good to eat.
Elsewhere, Tiffany found a $230 speaker and demonstrated to her fans how she was still able to connect it to her phone and get it to play.
A third clip showed the savvy mum pulling hundreds of dollars worth of hair tools from a dumpster outside Ulta Beauty.
TikTok users have been left blown away with many upset at the "waste" – and considering dumpster diving themselves to score bargain buys.
“Why do they cut them? Just so nobody can find them and use them?," wrote one user.
Another person said: “Man this makes me want to dumpster dive so bad. Those hair tools are $150.”
“The destroying is such a waste," added a third user.
During another dive, Tiffany discovered dozens of unopened Starbuck’s coffee syrups, which she refers to as “liquid gold”.
One TikTok user said: “I would have no shame and take them all. Expired or not, I’d still use them, it’s mostly sugar anyway.”
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Another person said: “If they’re expired, go for it, take it. If it’s not expired, it’s in the bin for a reason.”
As a final tip, Tiffany warned users: "Just do it. But beware, it's addicting..."
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