A content creator based in Florida, USA amazed netizens after showing some of the expensive and sometimes brand-new items he found while doing dumpster diving.
37-year-old Euhannes Tubigan migrated to the foreign country in 2021 to live with his partner, John Bickley. He said he did not immediately try dumpster diving after watching videos online.
“Before, I was just curious kung totoo. Kasi nung nasa Pilipinas, I’ve seen a lot of vloggers, hindi lang dito sa US na nagdu-dumpster diving. Sabi ko, ‘Hala, ang dami naman nilang nakukuha sa basura, bakit tinatapon?’” Euhannes told The Philippine STAR.
Euhannes started vlogging in 2019 when he was still in the Philippines. Since he decided not to apply for work in the US, he tried doing dumpster diving sometime in November 2022.
“We really didn’t dumpster dive right away. Wala pa akong mga kaibigan noon eh. Siguro, mga three to four months pa (upon migrating) before ako mag-start. Especially, sa atin ‘di ba, na parang, ‘yung mga pagkain na hindi pa tinatapon, hindi pa expired, parang bihira lang tayo makabili nang ganito like ‘yung mga mamahaling mga chocolates. So parang doon ako na-enganyo,” he noted.
“Nung nakita ko na siya mismo, sabi ko ‘Ay wow. Bongga pala! Totoo pala talaga.’ So anything, mga stuff toys, mga accessories, ‘You’ll never know what you’ll find… TV, shoes, refrigerator sa mga kalsada, tinatapon lang nila. Sobrang dami talaga. Malulula ka talaga,” he added.
Euhannes said that he is lucky to have a supportive partner in doing dumpster diving. It also became their everyday bonding moment together as a couple.
‘Yun din ang pinagpapasalamat ko kasi ‘yung mga other couple parang nahihiya sila na nagdu-dumpster dive. Si John kasi is a chef. When we dumpster dive, may nakikita kaming karne. For example, frozen pa siya like ‘yung mga pork ribs, ganyan. Mga beef, steak.. Kinukuha talaga namin, lalo na ‘pag hindi pa expired. Kinukuha namin at niluluto nang maayos,” he said.
From home appliances such as a 60-inch TV, small refrigerator, accessories, and food items, Euhannes can get almost everything they need from dumpster diving.
“The dumpster diving really catches people’s attention. Shoes, I just got new shoes out of the dumpster. We got a king size comforter recently that we just had it washed and then put it on. It’s like, why did they even throw something like this away?” John shared.
“That’s another side to the dumpster. What they throw away makes no sense at all. A lot of the things can be donated, but they don’t put the effort. It’s kind of sad in a sense,” he added.
The couple said that they personally use the item they’d get from dumpster diving, while some were sent to Euhannes’ family in Cotabato.
“Malaking kabawasan siya sa expenses. Alam mo ‘yun, para sa akin, ha? Kasi hindi ko na-try ito na mamigay sa amin dati. So ngayon, may capacity na ako magbigay ng gift, na libre lang ‘yung effort ko lang ‘yung ginamit ko. Kagaya nito, 20 dollars, sobrang dami na niya, pair pa siya,” he said.
“Nagulat talaga sila ‘pagbukas ng box na sobrang dami ng mga laruan, na first time sa buhay nila na makatanggap. Kasi even ako, hindi ko naranasan na mabigyan ng ganun noong bata pa ako,” he added.
Euhannes has a message to fellow Pinoys who want to try dumpster diving: “Huwag silang mahiya. Huwag nilang isipin ‘yung sasabihin ng ibang tao.”
