Leonardo Urbano, a 30-year-old Sydney resident, has turned trash into treasure, amassing an impressive AU$100,000 (approximately Rs 56.20 lakh) last year alone by sifting through discarded items in the city’s trash piles. Urbano’s daily routine involves setting out on his bicycle or car, exploring the streets for overlooked valuables among discarded goods.
Dumpster diving: An inspiration
Australia’s local councils offer free rubbish pick-up services multiple times a year, prompting residents to discard large items such as furniture and electronics. Urbano has uncovered various treasures, including Fendi bags, coffee machines, gold jewellery, and even cash. “When they want a new gadget, they buy a new one and throw away the old just because the battery may not be as good anymore,” Urbano told CNBC. Many items only need minor cleaning or repairs before being resold.
Bringing his finds back to his apartment, Urbano selects a few items to keep or gift and sells the rest on platforms like Facebook Marketplace. Due to space constraints, he aims to sell items within a week or two, giving away those that don’t sell to make room for new finds. Recently, he sold a small Fendi bag for around $200. Urbano ensures the authenticity of luxury items by checking serial numbers on sites like Entropy and consulting friends who deal in luxury goods.
Urbano’s dumpster diving has inspired others to join his treasure hunts. His impressive hauls last year included over 50 television sets, 30 fridges, 20+ washing machines, 50 computers/laptops, up to 15 couches, 50 vacuums, 150+ pots and plants, 100+ lamps and decorative paintings, and $849 in cash.
Its worth it!
Having been dumpster diving for four years, Urbano uses his earnings to pay rent and furnish his apartment at no cost. Among his remarkable finds are a painting by two-time Archibald Prize finalist Dapeng Liu, valued at $3,000, an antique Victorian English centrepiece, and a $400 Italian coffee machine. Additionally, he hasn’t needed to purchase cleaning products for years, thanks to partially used bottles he finds during his hunts. “So for years and years, I kept finding laundry detergent 30% to 40% full, so I will just bring it home,” Urbano said.
Urbano’s unconventional approach highlights the potential value hidden in discarded items and underscores the benefits of resourcefulness and sustainability.
