Carter Stevens, a 31-year-old resident of Nashville, Tennessee, has generated approximately $140,000 in sales over the past year by retrieving discarded items from dumpsters. According to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It, Stevens earned this amount between September 2025 and September 2026. He specializes in finding high-value goods such as hand-crafted Persian rugs, premium office furniture, and even samurai swords. After cleaning and restoring these items, he sells them through online platforms like eBay and Facebook Marketplace.
Stevens operates primarily in areas with office parks and luxury condominiums. He notes that his approach keeps shipping and supply costs low because he often finds cardboard boxes and packing tape in the same dumpsters where he sources his inventory. He estimates that he does not have to pay for these supplies approximately 90% of the time. While he sometimes asks permission to access trash by marketing himself as a junk removal service, he also frequently searches without prior notice, though he tries to avoid trespassing and respects signs indicating restricted access.
The entrepreneur’s journey into this line of work began after a period of personal and financial struggle. Stevens grew up in an affluent household as the son of a five-time Grammy Award-winning music producer. However, he developed an addiction to prescription Adderall during college, which led him to drop out in 2018. Without a degree, he faced challenges securing full-time employment and accumulated debt, reaching approximately $12,000 in liabilities before he began dumpster diving in March 2024.
Prior to diving into dumpsters, Stevens attempted to build a resale business by sourcing vintage apparel from thrift shops. He was inspired by successful resellers featured on YouTube, but his early efforts were inconsistent. He often spent his profits on luxury items or drugs, including a $1,200 pair of sandals and a down payment on a Mercedes-AMG sedan that he eventually lost. By mid-2023, he was living in a storage unit and later in his car, an experience that motivated him to control his spending habits more strictly.
The turning point for Stevens came in March 2024 when he found a pair of black Nike Air Force Ones in good condition next to a gas station. He cleaned the shoes and sold them for $35, realizing that discarded items could be profitable. This discovery hooked him on the process of salvaging goods. He describes his largest single haul as 190 Steelcase office chairs found outside an office park. After transporting them using a used pickup truck and a self-built trailer, he sold the chairs for a combined total of approximately $27,600, with most of the revenue coming from a bulk sale.
Stevens works alone and limits his travel to locations within a few miles of his apartment to save on gas. He prefers corporate environments where dumpsters contain dry goods rather than food waste. He notes that office trash is particularly valuable during company downsizings, as he once found 120 standing desks outside a building. In residential areas, he has also recovered electronics, power tools, and furniture from brands like West Elm. He states that almost all the furniture in his current apartment came from dumpsters.
Despite his success, Stevens acknowledges that the income is not entirely predictable. His earnings are heavily concentrated in his highest-earning months, and he does not assume he will replicate the same level of income annually. To ensure financial stability, he saves a large portion of his profits and avoids unnecessary purchases. He is also studying real estate wholesaling as a potentially more secure long-term career path, though he remains enthusiastic about the unpredictability of dumpster diving.
Stevens views his work as a way to escape his past financial mistakes and build a tougher mentality. He continues to search for valuable items with curiosity, stating that he does not see himself turning down a promising dumpster in the future. His story highlights the potential for profit in waste streams and the resilience required to turn a side hustle into a substantial source of income.
