Dumpster diving is the practice of searching through trash containers, such as dumpsters, garbage bins, or other waste disposal sites, to find discarded items that are still usable or valuable. People dumpster dive to retrieve a variety of items including food, clothing, furniture, electronics, and building materials that others have thrown away but can be repurposed or reused

. The activity has multiple motivations:

• Economic necessity: Some individuals dumpster dive out of poverty or financial need to obtain food or goods without cost.
• Environmental sustainability: Others do it as a form of protest against overconsumption and waste, aiming to reduce landfill contributions by rescuing usable items.
• Thrill or principle: Some engage in dumpster diving as a lifestyle choice or hobby, embracing it as a guerrilla sustainability movement

Dumpster diving is not limited to residential trash but also includes commercial, industrial, and construction waste containers. It can involve searching through curbside trash, rental property disposals, or construction site dumpsters

. In information security, dumpster diving refers specifically to searching through discarded materials to find sensitive information like passwords, access codes, or organizational data that could be exploited to gain unauthorized access to computer networks

. While dumpster diving can reduce waste and save money, it carries risks such as potential injury, legal issues related to trespassing, and social stigma. Safety precautions and awareness of local laws are important for those who engage in it

. In summary, dumpster diving is the act of salvaging useful items from discarded waste, driven by economic, environmental, or personal reasons, and encompassing a broad range of materials and contexts from food to information security