ONE man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
And that saying rings particularly true for Leonardo Urbano, who has made a killing by rummaging through bin bags.
The 31-year-old estimates that he made over £50,000 last year alone through his unconventional job.
He rummages through bin bags and skips lining the streets for gems that he can sell on.
The practice was coined in the US as “dumpster diving”.
Among Leonardo’s finds are Prada, Fendi and Coach handbags, as well as gold jewellery, vintage furniture worth thousands and even a painting worth £4,000.
On two occasions, he has found top of the range Dyson hoovers – yes, the cordless kind worth over £300.
Every morning after breakfast, hospitality worker Leonardo hops on his bike to scour the streets of Sydney for rubbish piles.
“You could see mountains of stuff – like literally, mountains – and that’s when I find most of the stuff,” he told CNBC.
“That’s where the big items will be, like fridges and wardrobes and couches.
“My friends are shocked at how much good clothing, like perfect clothing, ends up in the trash.”
When he finds designer goods, Leonardo tries to verify their authenticity by checking the serial numbers on sites like Entropy.
He also calls on the expertise of his friends who sell luxury goods.
Some rich people even leave wads of cash in their discarded clothes and accessories, meaning the bin fiend gets a better payday than expected.
Leonardo has been rummaging through bins for over six years, and ramped up his operation in the pandemic.
He said that he gives lots of his finds away for free, because his passion is saving perfectly good items from landfill, rather than making a mint.
“I give stuff away as I don’t have the place to store it all and I like to help the community and reduce waste, but some I sell to pay for the expenses of renting vans,” he added.
In the UK, rummaging through bins – also known as “dumpster diving” – is a nuanced issue.
Once rubbish is placed in a bin for collection, it is technically still the property of the person getting rid of it until it is collected by the local council or a waste management service.
In some instances, taking from these bins could be considered as taking someone else’s property.
Some local councils also have specific bylaws that prohibit taking items from bins or interfering with waste collection.
These bylaws can vary, so it’s important to check the regulations in your local area.
If you liked to earn extra cash the way Leonardo does, it may be worth seeking permission from the property owner or to do so.
Or, you can rummage in areas where it is known to be more permissible, such as at events where surplus goods or food are intentionally left out for collection.
Based on new research from Finder, an estimated 22.8 million Brits are using side hustles to top up their income.
Among those aged 18-23, 68 percent have a side hustle in 2024.
Those aged 24-42 aren’t far behind, with 65 per cent having an additional source of income.
Side hustles are less popular among older generations, with 40 percent of those aged 43-54 having one.
Whereas 23 percent of people aged 55-73 and just 7 per cent of those aged 74 and over are earning extra cash this way.
