Leonardo Urbano, 30, sat on a sofa being prepared for disposal in Sydney.
leonardo urban
They say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. In fact, Leonardo Urbano made as much as AU$100,000 (US$66,306) last year by rummaging through Sydney rubbish dumps for hidden gems and selling them.
His loot included items such as Fendi bags, a coffee machine, gold jewelry and a large amount of cash.
Every day after breakfast, Urbano would get on his bicycle or car and search for rubbish on the streets of Sydney. Every day would bring different surprises.
“You could see mountains of stuff – like literal mountains. That’s when I found most of the stuff,” Urbano said. “That’s where the big stuff is, like the refrigerator, the wardrobe, the sofa,” he marvels.
Leonardo Urbano says he sometimes finds luxury items among piles of discarded clothing, such as this bag he says is from Fendi.
leonardo urban
In Australia, provided by local councils Free garbage collection service Residents twice a year or more. Back then, people often dumped furniture and large items on the streets, which were then taken to landfills. The 30-year-old said other common finds included computers, Dyson vacuum cleaners and televisions, often in good condition.
Urbano said households with more spending power may ditch older electronics to make room for newer models, even if they are still in working order.
“When they want a new gadget, they buy a new one and then throw away the old one, just because the battery may not be that good anymore,” he said. Other times, his finds may need some cleaning and minor repairs.
Leonardo Urbano said he sells items he finds on platforms like Facebook Marketplace.
leonardo urban
He takes items he finds on the side of the road home, selects a few to keep or give away, and sells the rest on platforms like Facebook Marketplace.
Urbano said he usually tries to sell the items within a week or two because of the limited space in his own apartment. If they don’t sell, he throws them away to make room for new shipments.
“I think it’s good to give away a lot of stuff for free. Then people will start recycling and they’ll start paying attention to all the trash,” he said.
Clothes, cash and computers
“My friends are shocked at how many good clothes, like perfect clothes, end up in the trash,” he said, adding that sometimes those clothes and bags still contain large items that have been forgotten in pockets. Stack of cash.
Urbano said he recently sold a small Fendi bag for about $200. Urbano said when he finds a luxury item, he tries to verify its authenticity by checking the serial number on sites like Entropy. He said he also consulted friends who sell luxury goods.
Urbano speculated that some of the computer equipment he found may have belonged to foreign students, and that bulky electronic devices were left behind because they were too bulky.
In Australia, local councils provide residents with free rubbish collection services two or more times a year. That’s when people often discard furniture and large items on the streets.
leonardo urban
Since then, others have joined him on his dumpster diving adventure.
Urbano said his findings last year included:
- More than 50 TV sets
- 30 refrigerators
- 20+ washing machines
- 50 computers/laptops
- Up to 15 sofas
- 50 vacuum cleaner
- 150+ pots and plants
- 100+ lamps and decorative paintings
- $849 worth of cash
according to Australia’s most recent two-year national waste report In the fiscal year 2020-2021, the country generated approximately 75.8 million tons of waste. That is increased by nearly 3% Compared to the 2018-2019 financial year, about 30% of waste was sent to landfill.
Urbano calls himself “Rubbish lawyer” as he asserts that “garbage” has the right to live another day. He has been rummaging through dumpsters for the past four years. He told CNBC that he pays rent with the money he makes from selling what he finds. He also decorates for free to his apartment.
Leonardo Urbano discovered a painting by two-time Archibald Prize finalist Dapeng Liu, estimated at $3,000.
leonardo urban
Some noteworthy collections include a painting by two-time Archibald Prize finalist Liu Dapeng estimated to be worth $3,000, an antique British Victorian centerpiece and a coffee machine from Italy worth approximately $400 Dollar.
He also shared that he hasn’t had to buy cleaning products in years.
“When people move out, you need to return the apartment completely empty,” Urbano explains.
“For years I kept finding laundry detergent that was 30 to 40 percent, so I would take that home,” he said.
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