Dumpster diving

Images via Instagram: @DumpsterDivingMama

Trash or treasure? Lady makes R14k monthly from dumpster diving [watch]

An enterprising Texas woman ditched her 9-5 and now makes over R14 000 a month dumpster diving and reselling her finds online and at garage sales.

Dumpster diving

Images via Instagram: @DumpsterDivingMama

A young woman and former canteen server has kissed her 9-5 goodbye after she found a new and surprisingly bizarre way to make her money – dumpster diving. The mother of four makes about R 14 000 a month digging in dumpsters and according to her buzzing social media pages, couldn’t be more satisfied.

Goodbye canteen hello dumping site

An enterprising 32-year-old has brought new meaning to the saying “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Tiffany She’ree aka DumpsterDivingMama from Texas made the decision to leave her unfulfilling job and do what many people would consider unthinkable – dumpster dive.

The crazy decision has turned out to be quite a lucrative one for her as she makes around $1000 (just over R14 000) while looking through trash for valuables that she sells at garage sales.

Tiffany had been dumpster diving for years before discovering that she could actually make real money from doing it. She has since amassed over 2 million followers on TikTok as people watch in awe as she turns trash into everyday items that other people actually want to buy.

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“I’d never heard of or thought about dumpster diving before I randomly saw a video on YouTube of these girls dumpster diving. When I saw the haul they came back with I knew I had to try it for myself,” says Tiffany in a Ladbible article.

She also reveals that the first time she went dumpster diving in 2017, she came across a useable skincare range that usually costs almost R17 000.

Her husband Daniel didn’t want to miss out on the action and found himself joining her on her next trip to the trash can where they discovered a coffee machine worth R10 600. On a different occasion, the couple also found an unopened makeup set that is also worth a couple of thousand.

Of course, not everyone thinks Tiffany and Daniel are doing good work and have criticised her for “stealing.” She pays no attention to the mean comments however and prides herself in playing a role in recycling and keeping our planet clean.

“I’m happy that I’m saving items from landfills and doing my bit to help the environment and keep the planet clean,” she says.

Dumpster diving in SA…

A few years ago Lizl Naude, a South African entrepreneur shared how she turned her dumpster diving hobby into a decent stream of income.

In an interview, she explains how she picks up rubbish that was thrown away and then turns it into functional pieces of furniture that people line up to buy.

Watch the clip below:

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