The Ultimate Dumpster Diving Guide For Florida, Orlando
I love watching dumpster diving videos on YouTube of people in the United States who dumpster dive on a regular basis. Some of my favourites include Brefkast, Grab it Fast and Steph and Steve. I’ve been watching these videos for years so you can bet that when I went to the States, I did some Orlando dumpster diving!
However, during my time dumpster diving in Florida, I learned so much! Some channels on YouTube make it look so easy like you can do it whenever you want and nobody is going to bother you, that is NOT the case and dumpster diving is not for the fainthearted.
If you’re looking to dumpster dive in Florida make sure you read this post, there are loads of helpful and handy tips that will mean you’re more successful and less likely to get caught and told to leave. Use the handy table of contents if you need to find something specific and if there’s anything I’ve left out of this post, let me know.
Dumpster Diving Florida
We had a blast dumpster diving in Florida. I will admit there are quite a few things you need to know about dumpster diving before you start. If you’re a Brit like us and have never been dumpster diving before, make sure you know what is what. Make sure you know what to take and follow the rules that are in place so you don’t get in trouble.
Is Dumpster Diving Legal In Florida?
Yes, dumpster diving is legal in Florida. In fact, dumpster diving is legal across the United States although some states will have their own rules around how, where and when you can dumpster dive but thankfully most states are relaxed when it comes to dumpster diving and the police don’t give you any trouble.
Dumpster Diving Florida Laws
Dumpster diving is legal in Florida.
I’m no law expert but a quick Google search will tell you that dumpster diving is legal in all States as long as you don’t make a nuisance. Although dumpster diving is not illegal in Florida, stores will put signs up if they don’t want people dumpster diving.
Rules For Dumpster Diving In Florida
So when it comes to is dumpster diving illegal in Florida, it isn’t but there are rules you should follow. The police won’t trouble you unless they’re being asked to move you on by the store staff, which is why it’s better to dive at night if you don’t want to get caught.
- No trespassing signs. If there are no trespassing or no dumpster diving signs, you should leave. If you go against these signs there is a chance you can be arrested, not for dumpster diving but for trespassing. One place that has this sign is Dollar Tree, but not all stores.
- Do not make a mess. If you’re going to dumpster dive, make sure you don’t leave a mess and scatter rubbish all over the floor. Otherwise, you might see more no trespassing signs going up.
- Don’t argue with the staff. If you get caught and argue with staff members asking you to leave, you may find yourself in the back of a cop car and banned from the store.
So for all the people asking, are you allowed to dumpster dive in Florida, yes but follow the rules so you don’t get told to leave.
The Best Way For Dumpster Diving In Florida
So you have your rules that you should follow. These are all rules that I’ve picked up watching people on YouTube dive on a regular basis and their content is amazing, they hardly ever have issues so they must be following the rules.
The Best Times To Dumpster Dive In Florida
The best time to dumpster dive in Florida is at night, if you want to minimise your chances of getting caught. There will be no staff around at night, as long as you make sure it’s at least an hour after the store has closed. Dumpster diving in Florida at night is better for people who want to enjoy the experience but do not find tons.
The best time to dumpster dive in Florida is during the day. This is if you want to find more products in your dumpster. If you want an easy dumpster dive with minimal interaction, do it at night and if you want to find more, go during the day.
That being said we dived during the day and mainly found fruit and veg in the dumpsters which was a great shame as they could have been easily donated.
The Best Places To Dumpster Dive In Florida
The best places to dumpster dive in Florida are Dollar General, Aldi and Five Below.
We found that these three stores were the best to dumpster dive at over a three week period, which meant trash day had been and gone. They don’t have any signs asking you to leave and there was less foot traffic during the day. They also have dumpsters and not compactors.
The Worst Places To Dumpster Dive In Florida
The worst places to dumpster dive in Florida are Publix, Walmart, Books-A-Million and Dollar Tree.
Dollar Tree have signs up around their dumpsters saying no trespassing so they are the worst place. It’s a shame but places like Walmart, Publix and Books-A-Million all had compactors when we visited and I hate to think about the number of products or food that have been wasted and sent to landfill.
Can You Dumpster Dive At Premium Outlets?
You cannot dumpster dive at Florida Premium Outlets. This is due to there being no access to their dumpsters and the majority of stores using compactors. The area is locked at night and there is a security presence 24/7 to ensure people do not trespass.
It would be great if you could dumpster dive at the Disney Character Warehouse but this isn’t possible and I doubt they ever have anything to throw away.
Why Go Dumpster Diving USA?
One of the things I love about the USA is that dumpster diving is legal as long as you follow the state rules and any restrictions put in place by the stores. It means that hundreds of products can be saved from landfill and given more purpose. It’s a big shame that in the UK dumpster diving is illegal, although our stores do donate a large portion of food to charities unlike in the USA where it just gets thrown in the bin.
On our trip, we found items such as a whole dumpster full of bananas, empty dumpsters, giant photo frames (glass damaged so thrown out), clothes and shoes. There was a lot more but unfortunately, we weren’t able to bring it home and there was no food to donate that we could salvage but I’m looking forward to the next time we go dumpster diving.
What Do You Need To Dumpster Dive?
If you want to go dumpster diving you’ll need heavy duty gloves, a torch, a grabber, strong clothing and bags.
If you’re looking to dumpster dive you’ll need the basic dumpster diving gear. If you’re putting your hands into a dumpster without a clue of what’s inside, wear heavy duty gloves. If you’re going dumpster diving at night I would suggest a torch, I know people use their phones but just for a moment think about dropping your expensive phone in a dumpster and then dropping your cheap torch in the dumpster.
I would also suggest wearing sturdy clothes, which are also old as they might get ripped or dirty and take some bags so if you get a good haul you can bag it up quickly.
Dumpster diving is easier with a car and it means you can get away quickly if you need to. There’s nothing worse than being asked to leave and then walking away with the staff members watching you with every step you take!
Dumpster Diving Information
Hopefully, this post has given you some of the information you need to dumpster dive in Florida. It’s not for everyone and it can be very nerve wracking but at the same time it’s a lot of fun and if you’re in the United States and want to give it a try, go for it!
We don’t know everything and dumpster diving laws in Florida can change at any moment so make sure you research all of the latest rules and legistration about dumpster diving before you go. This counts for any state you may be in.
We hope you found this dumpster diving in Florida post helpful, it’s a great starting point for people who live in the United States and want to dumpster dive or for tourists that want to give it a try. You can bet that if we lived in the United States I’d be dumpster diving a lot!
Is Dumpster Diving Illegal In UK
Yes. Due to the UK laws if you remove anything from a dumpster that is on the property of a business you can be arrested for theft.
It’s such a shame that you can’t dumpster dive in the UK due to laws that would rather overfill landfills! I know a lot of people do still dumpster dive in the UK which is great to see but at the same time, a lot of stores will lock their dumpsters or keep them behind locked gates so that makes it a challenge.
So if you’re trying to figure out the important question, is dumpster diving in the UK legal it isn’t. That being said, can you run faster than a police car?
