It's the weekend so there aren't any bags on the curbs to pick from. As consolation, and to feel like I'm doing something to raise awareness, here's another post of more high-quality items I've personally saved and sold.
Please let me know which is the most interesting or shocking to you below.
As always, everything is picked from the curbside trash and recycling in my neighborhood for free (plus some skill and a lot of hustle).
The Sales:
This vintage LARP battle armor was found late at night last November. After debating it for a Halloween costume, I listed it in June and it quickly sold for $350 PayPal with $30 shipping.
The pieces were split up between a few bags, but I found everything. The only thing that wasn't there was the helmet.
^Note that time...
This set had no branding, but I knew it was high quality by the material and construction. I noticed that both knee hinges had damage, which is likely why the prior owner decided to toss it. The buyer informed me that this was a discontinued and hard-to-find set from a retired manufacturer in Nova Scotia. He was mainly interested in the distinct breastplate, and said that he could repair the damaged knees. He was going to wear it at future reenactments.
Salvaged weight of 28 pounds 2 ounces with recycled packaging. Overall a pretty unique score and something I'll regret not wearing to SplinterFest if I attend.
Believe it or not, this small laboratory pipette holder from Japan sold online to Harvard for $248. This came from the massive fertility lab haul I posted here, which I've been starting to sell off for solid returns.
I have one more of these holders and another that's slightly different right in front of me here that I need to list. I should get on that after I post this.
Salvaged weight with recycled packaging of 5.5 ounces. This will live on at Harvard.
I found 20 of these textbooks last year along with 10 others for French language. I sold 7 of them this month for the back-to-school rush, likely to home-schooled kids, for a total of $444. The rest should sell within the next week or two. As less schools rely on textbooks, I'm seeing a lot of these outside. It's a damn shame, but I'll save what is practical for me to handle
Total salvaged weight of these 7 books with recycled packaging was 40 pounds 7 ounces.
This Ophthalmoscope/Otoscope diagnostic set was found in a trash bag filled with a doctor's stuff. I found a precious antique in the same bag from ~1860 that I'll post on another time. This scope set lit up and worked perfectly, so it was an easy sell for $115.
Salvaged weight with recycled packaging of 4 pounds 12 ounces.
This vintage airlines wall clock was found in a clear bag in the daylight on an early pre-walk. It worked great and I sold it online for an easy $123. The biggest challenge was shipping this safely so that the movements didn't get damaged from impact or vibration. I was lucky to find styrofoam casing in my building on my dreaded walk to find some outside that worked perfectly. This was more exciting than finding the clock itself since it helped me keep shipping costs way down.
Salvaged weight with recycled packaging of 2 pounds 11 ounces.
Stats:
- Revenue: $1,320
- 29% received as cash
- 76+ pounds saved
- Repair Costs: $0
- Other Costs: $10 cab ride with the textbooks to make it back to be on time for plans.
**Thousands upon thousands of pounds saved over the years. Follow along to continue to see plenty of proof. Please let this motivate you to save a few pounds today.
If you're seeing my recycling post for the first time, the “value” in it isn't in the entertainment from the handful of items I show as saved/sold. It's from the passion and hustle I consistently exhibit offline to produce items for posts, and my goal of motivating others to address our global waste problem.
I'm personally diverting all of this from our waste processing centers and landfills.
Thanks as always for your interest and support.
Please reuse, repurpose and recycle. If you aren't able, then donate them to shelters, churches, or thrift stores.
**Please follow my new account on Instagram. Enough of my friends pushed me to join and I can use the boost.
