By Josie Adnitt
**EXCLUSIVE**
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THIS MUM quit her job after managing to make £730 per week through DUMPSTER DIVING – and she has used her finds to dress her kids and decorate her house.
Tiffany She’ree (32) from Dallas, Texas and her husband Daniel Roach (38) met in September 2016. They both had kids from prior relationships – Kaylee (17) and Blake (8) from Daniel’s side and Mia (9),and Ruxton (7) from Tiffany’s side and have since merged into one big happy family.
Around the time that they met, Tiffany saw a YouTube video of a group of girls out dumpster diving and decided she wanted to try it for herself.
After going out for the first time in January 2017 and finding a box of brand new makeup worth around £875 (£1200) in makeup and skincare products she returned home to Daniel and showed him her haul.
The next night, they went out together to see what they could find and since then they haven’t stopped.
For nearly five years, they’ve consistently rummaged through their dumpsters locally and further afield to do everything from house decoration to clothing themselves and their kids, as well as selling their valuable finds.
Just over a year ago, in 2020, Tiffany quit her job as a lunch lady to pursue dumpster diving full-time. Through dumpster diving, she’s been able to support herself entirely including paying her half of bills and living costs which come to around £580 to £730 ($800 to $1000) a week.
She now runs a popular TikTok account, @dumpsterdivingmama, that has two million followers who eagerly await updates on her dumpsters ‘scores’.
Many of her followers are keen to let her know how much she inspires them, and she regularly receives messages from people sharing their finds and telling her she’s inspired them to start diving too.
While they get a lot of negative feedback – Tiffany estimates that 90-percent of the comments she receives are positive.
Commentators have suggested that she doesn’t shower or that she’s ‘nasty’, and have even asked her if she’s poor or homeless.
Tiffany thinks you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover and that dumpster diving gets a bad rep as nasty or dirty.
“Daniel and I met through Tinder and had our first date at the Rainforest Cafe,” said Tiffany.
“I told him that I was a package deal with my two kids and he told me he was too – we’ve been together ever since.
“I’d never heard of or thought about dumpster diving before I randomly saw a video on YouTube of these girls dumpster diving. When I saw the haul they came back with I knew I had to try it for myself.
“Daniel and I went out diving together and since then it’s been consistent for almost five years now. A little over a year ago I quit my job to do this full-time.
“We’ve furnished at least seventy-five per cent of our house with dumpster finds, from couches to tables and chairs to decor and more.
“I’ve found bedsheets, pillows, blankets, towels, little odds and ends, even pet products like cat trees and dog cages.
“So far in 2021 alone, I’ve saved at least £2100 ($3000) – in previous years, I was saving this across the whole year so 2021 has definitely been a better year.”
Globally, 2.01 billion tonnes of waste is generated annually, with at least 1.3 billion tonnes going to landfill every year. Proponents of dumpster diving argue that it helps reduce the amount of waste going to landfill and has a positive impact on the planet.
The legality of dumpster diving varies from country to country – in America, it was found to be legal by the U.S Supreme Court in 1988 whereas in England and Wales it may qualify as theft under the Theft Act of 1968.
Tiffany has had her TikTok videos removed by the platform multiple times for violating their community guidelines as they claim her videos include ‘illegal activities and unregulated goods’.
“I just really want to show people what’s possible through dumpster diving,” said Tiffany.
“I had never heard of TikTok before and then the first video I posted on there just blew up and I immediately gained fifty thousand followers.
“It went viral so I just kept posting and inspired a lot of people to go dumpster diving.
“I definitely still get negative comments but I think it’s ninety per cent positive nowadays.
“I’m happy that I’m saving items from landfills and doing my bit to help the environment and keep the planet clean.”
- For more information visit www.dumpsterdivingmama.com
- For more information visit: www.mediadrumworld.com
