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dumpster diving

or Dumpster diving

noun

  1. the practice of foraging in garbage that has been put out on the street in dumpsters, garbage cans, etc., for discarded items that may still be valuable, useful, or fixable.

dumpster diving

/ ˈdʌmpstə /

noun

  1. the practice of searching through dustbins for discarded but still usable or valuable objects such as food or clothes
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of dumpster diving1

First recorded in 1980–85

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