Daytona Beach News-Journal

Trashy treasure sheds 'ick' factor

By JIM HAUG
Business Writer

Last update: July 28, 2005

"HOLLY HILL -- Paul Smith goes on a treasure hunt every day after work, pedaling his bicycle by three Dumpsters on his way home.

He has found TVs and stereos buried in the trash. He earns enough money from aluminum cans to support his cigarette habit.

The rewards outweigh the decaying smells or feelings of "ick." He shrugs off any sense of shame.

"I've furnished my apartment," Smith said. He estimates that he makes $10 an hour from collecting cans.

Smith began looking through Dumpsters last year when he lost his job after the hurricanes. While Smith has since found new work as a crane operator, he still likes the thrill of the hunt.

Just as interesting is seeing who Dumpster-dives.

In the alley behind the Winn-Dixie on Nova Road in Holly Hill, for example, Cadillacs and minivans have pulled up to the supermarket's Dumpster, according to a resident in a nearby neighborhood.

These seemingly well-to-do Dumpster divers have retrieved whole watermelons and boxes of canned goods.

Winn-Dixie officials declined to comment, but Dumpster divers are shedding their shyness. Meetup.com, a Web site that arranges meetings for people with common interest, has a Dumpster-diving category..."

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