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I am a dumpster diver. I look for things that other people consider trash. Incredible. I pick them up, check if they're worth anything, and sell them. It's going to sound a bit ridiculous when I say, "Oh yeah, I make six figures going through dumpsters." But if you only knew what rich people and corporations with too much money throw away. Found this in the trash. I took this from the trash. You don't understand. My name is Carter Stevens. I am 31 years old and live in Nashville, Tennessee. I make a living by damster diving. I received approximately $130,000-140,000 in total sales revenue.
I prefer dry bins. I like trash cans that aren't filled with food waste. I won't touch the food waste bin. I'm not. I'm not Mr. Grouch from.what's his name? That trashy guy from Sesame Street? Let's see. There is something heavy here. Shroom Tech Inject and Grow. Grow your own mushrooms. I do n't think I'll ever walk past a dumpster that looks promising. I found so many cool things that I think I'll always be curious about what's in that trash. When I first found something truly valuable in a trash can, I didn't believe I would go from having $400 in my account to being able to live comfortably for many more months.
I studied in college as a Geographic Information Systems major, which is mostly map making and data management. In my last year, I was prescribed Adderall. At first it helped, but then it became a crutch and an addiction, destroying my mind and preventing me from finishing my studies. I dropped out of college. We found this near the dumpster. The screen may be faulty, but maybe we can plug it in and it will work fine. Oh yes, this thing works. Such things are sold on marketplaces for $300-400. It's not in perfect condition, but I can sand it down, paint it, clean it, and make a couple hundred bucks quickly. almost impossible.
I applied for so many jobs. I wasn't even scheduled for an interview. I opened a store on eBay selling clothes, and somehow it all worked out for me. At the peak of my clothing sales, I was making $25,000-$30,000 a month. I was very disconnected from everything and lived very recklessly, especially financially. Some of the stupid things I bought are, first of all, my Mercedes-Benz. I was paying $3,000 a month for my car loan and insurance. Birkenstocks from Christian Dior, for which I paid $1,200. I smoked weed, went to Costco and said, "Give me the biggest TV you have." I bought an 85-inch plasma, brought it home,
we watched the World Star Hip Hop video on it, and I never turned it on again. Eventually, vintage clothing ceased to be profitable. I lived in a Nissan Sentra for three weeks. I lived in a warehouse for a while I barely got out of this hole. I needed to do something, I was ready to do anything to pay the bills, and it so happened that I came across a dumpster with a bunch of nice things to sell, and a cheap bag. Tent. Devil. It seems to be broken. It doesn't matter think I'll probably take this. It's like an air conditioner.
I just didn't stop because I never stopped finding beautiful things in these trash cans. This is my apartment. Almost everything here came from the trash. I didn't pay a dollar for this couch I'm sitting on. I picked it up from the trash. This is a Gus Modern sectional sofa that costs $3,000. This is my favorite bean bag chair. This is Lovesac. They cost about $1000, but I got it for free at the dump. Most people would say, "ugh, that's disgusting," but I assure you, it was perfectly clean. This is a very common thing that can be found if you go " garbage diving". This is an iPad that was part of a kiosk, I got it out of the trash.
I also pulled these trash-can- shaped Macintosh computers out of the trash. This is one of the most expensive models that Steelcase produces. It costs between $1,500 and $2,000, and I found it in a dumpster. When I tell people what I find and how much I earn, they don't believe me, and I don't blame them. It's completely normal for people to throw away perfectly usable things because it's more convenient. This is how our world is arranged. That's how everything works in America. So, this year, from September 2025 to September 2026, I received approximately 130-140 thousand dollars in total revenue.
My best-selling products, which have brought me the most money, are office chairs Businesses, offices, they throw them away very often. I'm cleaning them. I check if they are working and put them on Facebook Marketplace. The most ridiculous thing I found in the dumpster was a batch of 190 office chairs that I ended up making over $30,000 in profit on. This chair has been refurbished and is ready for use. I replaced the backrest. All functions and mechanisms work as they should.
I'm going to sell this for 400 bucks and it'll go fast. For the most part, many of the things I find are in excellent condition. Most of the time I don't have to do much with them. If it's something electronic, I plug it into an outlet and check if it works properly. Yes. It works. I don't feel guilty selling people things from the trash because I'm doing a good deed by taking them out of there. You know, someone buys this and saves money that they would have spent on a new thing that costs much more. I get some money to pay the bills. So I don't see anything wrong with that.
The irony is that I myself was "remade" in the process. Yeah, I can definitely sell this for probably $300 on Facebook. To some extent, I thought I was finished. I got my finances in order. I saved some money. I have done very well and will be able to finance the next chapter of my life, whatever it may be. After that crash, I really realized how important it is to have good financial habits. And when I'm at the store and I want to buy a $15 steak, I stop, think twice, grab a package of ground turkey and make chili.
