Dumpster diving is legal and totally allowed in Portugal. However, people may not like it when you dive into their personal dumpster. Be aware of that.
For those of you who don’t know, Dumpster diving is a way of searching the dumpster or skip or a bin for items that could be useful for you which are discarded by their owners.
I have done dumpster diving quite a few times in Portugal. I have found a couple of furniture items, electronics items, and some utensils like plates and cups from the dumpsters.
I don’t keep the items for myself. I donate the items to the poor and needy.
I know a guy who usually goes to Lidl (Supermarket) at around 5 pm in the evening and dives in their dumpsters. He always finds some vegetables like onion, tomato, carrot, radish, and spinach. The veggies are a bit wasted, but you can clean them and cook them.
Should you go dumpster diving in Portugal during the day?
The best time of day to go dumpster diving is usually late at night or in the early morning hours when the store/place is closed and there is minimal foot traffic. If I were you, I would hit supermarkets, department stores, and restaurants first as they often have a larger volume of discarded items.
Should you ask before dumpster diving in Portugal?
It is the best way to ask the owner of any dumpster for permission to enter if you see something you want. This way, you avoid any trespassing issues. A simple way to do this is to find out who owns the dumpster and ask.
Do grocery stores lock their dumpsters in Portugal?
Some of them do, and some of them don’t. The majority of grocery stores in Portugal don’t lock their dumpsters. Some of them lock their dumpsters and even put them behind fences which makes it difficult to access it.
Can you make money dumpster diving in Portugal?
In fact, yes. You can make money dumpster diving in Portugal. The most consistent find in any dumpster is sellable scrap. Those who know what they’re doing can make hundreds of Euros per month just dumpster diving for scrap and selling it.
What kinds of things can you sell from Dumpsters?
- Electronics
- Metal Scrap
- Furniture
- Home Decorations
- Construction Supplies
- Clothing
- Car Parts
- Sporting Goods
Where can you sell your dumpster finds in Portugal?
You can sell your findings from a dumpster in a lot of places. The first place is to sell it in a local shop.
If you want to avoid shipping your finds, focus on things that you can sell locally. The main advantage to selling things locally is that it opens up the possibility of selling larger items (furniture, for example) that wouldn’t be practical to ship.
You can sell them on Facebook Marketplace, Craiglist, OLX, eBay, or nearby flea markets.
Can you get sick from Dumpster diving in Portugal?
There is always a possibility of getting sick from Dumpster diving in Portugal, especially in the summer. Dumpsters can contain rotten things, used toilet paper, used sanitary pads, and a lot of other items which aren’t healthy for the human body.
If you have any questions regarding dumpster diving in Portugal, please let me know in the comment section below.
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