26 April 2002

Outfitting Your Laboratory. Part 1: Dumpstering

by David Dechant

When I renewed my SAS membership several weeks ago I enclosed a note thanking Shawn and Sheldon for the hard work they’ve invested in retrieving surplus scientific equipment from Brown University. I also mentioned how I had acquired literally thousands of dollars worth of scientific equipment and components at little or no cost to outfit my own personal laboratory. They were very interested in the way I went about doing this. When they asked if I would be willing to share my experiences with the SAS readership and I decided it was time to let the cat out of the bag. There are a number of ways I obtain equipment and supplies to fill my needs as an amateur scientist: dumpster diving, curbing, thrift stores, a small amount of soliciting, and government auctions are the primary ways I have employed over the years.

I had heard the term "dumpster diving" about ten years ago and thought it was an interesting concept but not something I thought I would ever do. This term is as accurate as it is descriptive as that is what one does when they retrieve an item cast off by an individual or corporation into an open commercial dumpster. Several years ago, I returned to college as an electronics major and needed "raw materials" to put into practice what I had been learning in the electronics laboratory. I found the cost of many basic items to be reasonable enough but more complex components were cost prohibitive, the result being that many electronics projects were beyond my financial means to construct. I found that dumpster diving had the potential to inexpensively fill most of my needs for constructing the foundations of many electronics projects. The money saved on housings, power supplies, indicator lamps, etc. allowed me to purchase the more expensive components and keep my overall costs relatively low. I ultimately obtained the equipment, supplies, and the know-how to construct electronic projects from schematic to completion (including circuit board fabrication) since I could do it so inexpensively.

Click image to enlarge

My first practical experience came one day when I spotted a large dumpster full of ancient computer mainframe equipment in an industrial park adjacent to where my children had soccer practice. This dumpster was clearly destined for a landfill as it also contained carpeting, drywall etc. Being the environmentally conscious individual that I am, I decided to do my duty and recycle as much of the electronics as I could. By the time soccer practice was over, I had obtained a pickup truck load of good "stuff." My first load ultimately yielded LED’s, power supplies, power cords, connectors, lots of wire, ribbon cable, and a whole pile of cast aluminum which I could recycle for cash. I was sold on this method of obtaining raw materials for my hobby and of making a little extra money to buy new components with. Eventually my wife Julie and I (and many times with our children) checked out all of the dumpsters we could get into in the area and what we found was almost beyond belief.

We found in addition to many different types of electronic equipment and supplies (including lasers, optics, precision mirrors, and board level components), new office supplies, medical supplies and equipment (new), building materials, work surfaces, power tools, and the list goes on. In a nutshell we found so much stuff from this one industrial park that we decided to start an industrial waste recycling company. We recycled predominantly aluminum, brass, copper, wire, and precious metals. In a two-year period of time, I obtained enough scientific raw materials to last me several lifetimes over so I basically stopped dumpstering and started using what I had acquired. Here are some nuts and bolts on Dave’s dumpster diving techniques.

Click image to enlarge

First and foremost I cannot over emphasize the importance of your own personal safety while engaging in this activity. Keep in mind that many people see open commercial dumpsters as an easy location to dispose of wastes they cannot figure out how to get rid of legally. This would typically be hazardous or dangerous in some way if you came in contact with it. So a great deal of common sense must be employed while out there treasure hunting, for instance if you see a dumpster riddled with bullet holes, well maybe you should just move on. Also keep in mind that once an item is in the dumpster it becomes public domain, those companies that do not want people obtaining their trash utilize sealed dumpsters or lock them in some way. Never attempt to break the lock on a dumpster, it is a crime to vandalize property in this way. If you see a no trespassing sign on a dumpster leave it alone. Also:

Since dumpster diving is rather popular you will ultimately meet other people engaged in the same activity who may be looking for the same materials as you are. Be courteous, you may want to adjust your schedule at that location and just don't be too greedy if it becomes a problem. I rarely found other individuals looking for the same type of material I was looking for. In the years I have been engaged in dumpster diving, I have never been cut or injured and have met some really nice people. Here are some great web sites, a Google search recently returned over 11,000 hits demonstrating that this is a popular way to get some good stuff: www.allthingsfrugal.com/dumpster.htm,www.geocities.com/kindhippie/dumpster.html, and www.geocities.com/CollegePark/union/7807/index.html. In the next installment I will cover some good spots to hit and how to work with a company that consistently discards items you can use. Here are a couple of pictures of some tools and electronic stuff I have found this represents about 0.1% of the stuff I have at my disposal for scientific activities.