Man makes unbelievable tech find after looking into dumpster: 'You just found a treasure'

Dumpster diving isn't quite the stigmatizing practice it once was, especially when you land an Alienware PC tower with unbelievable specs. It's a little outdated, but "free" speaks volumes. 

"You just found a treasure!" was one of the first responses to the OP, posting in the r/pcmasterrace subreddit. 

The OP put together a lengthy, detailed description of the find — an entertaining read that tells an underlying tale about the benefits of taking a peek in a dumpster now and then. The OP wasn't technically dumpster diving, but the lesson sticks nonetheless.

It's truly baffling what people decide to throw away. In 2018, the EPA reported that Americans created 292.4 million tons of municipal solid waste, of which 2.7 million tons were consumer electronics. None of that includes construction or industrial waste. 

That's 2.7 million tons of consumer electronics waste that could be repurposed in so many ways. Raspberry Pi is just one example.

As a compact, single-board computer, capable of running Linux or other operating systems, some analysts have said Raspberry Pi, especially newer iterations, bring lower energy demands and lower risks for leading to e-waste.

That's just one facet of one category of waste out of the millions of tons that are carelessly discarded each year. The consumer benefits are potentially immense, not to mention the broader and more important goal of reducing the overall impact on the planet. 

However, there are still many places where the social stigma of dumpster diving and questionable legality are problematic. Regardless of your location, it's always a good idea to check your local laws.

One comment pointed out the obvious: "So someone threw it away instead of trying to fix it, some people, man, sad to think this might've been scrap if you didn't find it."

Others reinforced the potential advantages of having a look in a dumpster, referring to the machine's Nvidia graphics card: "The 1080 Ti is a monster of a card, basically the same performance as a 3060."

Which of these factors would most effectively motivate you to recycle old clothes and electronics? Giving me money back 💰 Letting me trade for new stuff 👕 Making it as easy as possible ⚡ Keeping my stuff out of landfills 🗑️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

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