Thrift stores, garage sales, and dumpster diving share two truths: Every trip is a treasure hunt, and every “treasure” is someone else’s unwanted trash.
It might be accurate to say that we’re living in the golden age of thrifting. In fact, writers, designers, purveyors, collectors, and the fashion set are all pulling inspiration from the overlooked, the forgotten, the donated, and the found.
For dumpster diver Ryan Kobylarz (@ryan.kobylarz), the found—and therefore the free—serves his curiosity.
In a recent TikTok, which curious viewers have watched 339,200 times, he films a first-person POV of the inside of a Michael’s Arts & Crafts dumpster. The bin itself is not terribly surprising. Though it does kind of beg to be checked out. There’s no telling what precious materials have been discarded.
As he zooms in on a small black box bolted to the side of the bright blue dumpster, Kobylarz says, “Well, this is a first for me at the Michael’s dumpster.”
Stare Long Enough, Someone Might Stare Back
Then he swings the camera view around so that viewers are now peering deep into the belly of the beast.
Tucked in the corner, there’s a security camera attached to the bin.
“There’s a frikkin’ camera in the dumpster,” says Kobylarz as he walks back around the bin to take a look at how it’s attached. Then the video ends.
Capitalism Strikes Again?
In the comments section, users are spinning out. They’re worrying about safety, slinging accusations about draconian management, and speculating about spray paint.
“The sheer effort they put into making sure no one gets anything for free is so disgustingly capitalistic its ridiculous,” fumed Auroris (@auroris76).
“Camera IN the dumpster? That’s a free camera,” another quipped.
“Companies are so greedy they dont even want to share their garbage,” another said.
What Is It For?
But a consensus did emerge—one fueled by the intersection of artificial intelligence and safety. Some people are suggesting it’s a way to make sure no humans or animals get hurt or stuck in the bin. While others suggested it’s an anti-theft measur to monitor employees who might “throw away” high-value items for later retrieval.
But a little digging into waste management suggests that what this technology actually does is audit the levels and materials in the dumpster. The ADT site explains, “The devices monitor waste levels, helping reduce unnecessary trash hauls.” It also allows sites (with cameras) to be monitored for unauthorized dumping.
So You’re Going Dumpster Diving
Even though the Supreme Court has ruled that dumpster diving isn’t illegal, it exists in a kind of legal grey area. That’s because local laws and regulations may prohibit this quasi-spelunking activity. Also, if it’s located on private property, you should proceed with caution.
It’s also worth noting that trash, bins, and dumpsters usually do not enjoy the legal protections of private property. The case where the Supreme Court ruled that dumpster diving isn’t illegal, California vs. Greenwood, is the same logic that allows law enforcement to search waste at will.
However, a more recent case, Smith vs. State (2004), favored the citizen’s right to an expectation of privacy on private property. They interpreted that the use of the roll-off dumpster on private property was communicating an expectation of privacy, reports the site Ultimate Dumpsters.
So before you go adventuring through that Michael’s dumpster looking for those really expensive beads, check your local regulations. Wear gloves, and watch out for raccoons.
BroBible reached out to Ryan Kobylarz via TikTok direct message. We’ll update this if he gets back to us with any treasure-hunting tips.
We also reached out to Michael’s via email.
@ryan.kobylarz Camera in the Dumpster at Michael’s