Is Dumpster Diving Legal in Portugal? [Updated: 2023]

Published Categorized as Portugal
Is Dumpster Diving Legal in Portugal

Dumpster diving is legal and totally allowed in Portugal. However, people may not like it when you dive into their personal dumpster. Be aware of that.

For those of you who don’t know, Dumpster diving is a way of searching the dumpster or skip or a bin for items that could be useful for you which are discarded by their owners.

I have done dumpster diving quite a few times in Portugal. I have found a couple of furniture items, electronics items, and some utensils like plates and cups from the dumpsters.

I don’t keep the items for myself. I donate the items to the poor and needy.

I know a guy who usually goes to Lidl (Supermarket) at around 5 pm in the evening and dives in their dumpsters. He always finds some vegetables like onion, tomato, carrot, radish, and spinach. The veggies are a bit wasted, but you can clean them and cook them.

Should you go dumpster diving in Portugal during the day?

Should you go dumpster diving in Portugal during the day

The best time of day to go dumpster diving is usually late at night or in the early morning hours when the store/place is closed and there is minimal foot traffic. If I were you, I would hit supermarkets, department stores, and restaurants first as they often have a larger volume of discarded items.

Should you ask before dumpster diving in Portugal?

It is the best way to ask the owner of any dumpster for permission to enter if you see something you want. This way, you avoid any trespassing issues. A simple way to do this is to find out who owns the dumpster and ask.

Do grocery stores lock their dumpsters in Portugal?

Do grocery stores lock their dumpsters in Portugal

Some of them do, and some of them don’t. The majority of grocery stores in Portugal don’t lock their dumpsters. Some of them lock their dumpsters and even put them behind fences which makes it difficult to access it.

Can you make money dumpster diving in Portugal?

In fact, yes. You can make money dumpster diving in Portugal. The most consistent find in any dumpster is sellable scrap. Those who know what they’re doing can make hundreds of Euros per month just dumpster diving for scrap and selling it.

What kinds of things can you sell from Dumpsters?

  • Electronics
  • Metal Scrap
  • Furniture
  • Home Decorations
  • Construction Supplies
  • Clothing
  • Car Parts
  • Sporting Goods

Where can you sell your dumpster finds in Portugal?

Where can you sell your dumpster finds in Portugal

You can sell your findings from a dumpster in a lot of places. The first place is to sell it in a local shop.

If you want to avoid shipping your finds, focus on things that you can sell locally. The main advantage to selling things locally is that it opens up the possibility of selling larger items (furniture, for example) that wouldn’t be practical to ship.

You can sell them on Facebook Marketplace, Craiglist, OLX, eBay, or nearby flea markets.

Can you get sick from Dumpster diving in Portugal?

There is always a possibility of getting sick from Dumpster diving in Portugal, especially in the summer. Dumpsters can contain rotten things, used toilet paper, used sanitary pads, and a lot of other items which aren’t healthy for the human body.

If you have any questions regarding dumpster diving in Portugal, please let me know in the comment section below.

You may also like to read:

Is Busking legal in Portugal?

Is Bullfighting still legal in Portugal?

Is Betting legal in Portugal?

Is Bitcoin legal in Portugal?

Is Airbnb legal in Portugal?

What drugs are legal in Portugal?

1 comment

  1. Look, I worked in a supermarket and it was only there that I found out that they threw things in good condition away (after all, I thought it was only the United States that did that).

    I took the opportunity to save what I could and found in the trash, especially food. Yes, food. The food was good and in good condition. They throw (I speak in the present tense, because despite not working there anymore I know that things go to the trash every day) food away with the expiry date, because 1 or 2 days have passed. I get irritated and upset to see so much food go to waste, food that despite the deadline LAST!

    In addition to the food, I also saved some toys for the animals (since it was broken, but they play), a decoration object, a pâté… There were more things, but I can’t remember right now.

    I will say what I saved from food. Chicken (it was delicious), rice, fried corn, yoghurts, cakes, pies, pies, berlin balls, mushrooms, donuts, a can of condensed milk, pâté (it had a little mouth that was open, but that exposed part was removed and the my dog ate it), bacon…

    And there were also things that I couldn’t save unfortunately. Flowers, 2 cans of sausages (both closed, just a little crushed), chicken breast, hamburgers, beans, among other things. There was a lot in the trash.

    There was a day when I saved 8 packages of chicken! All in the same day! And about 5 packs of rice. I was happy, but also amazed at how much stuff they throw away.

    That time I was working there, I made the most of it to save everything I could. Without anyone knowing, of course. I did everything without anyone finding out because I don’t know what they could do. And I spent virtually no money on account of saving so much food, because there was so much food that I had food for days, weeks and months!

    Well, I honestly thought it was illegal to do this in Portugal, but what I would really like to know is if it is illegal to do this in store containers.

    I wanted so badly to go there and save the food they throw away. Just for passing 1/2 days of the deadline they already throw it away! It’s such a waste! I would donate part of the food, as there is so much that neither my family nor I can eat it all.

    People spend money at the supermarket when so much goes to waste! It’s a waste of money!

    Well that’s. I just want to know if it’s illegal to go into store containers. The ones I wanted to go to are in a separate part where the containers are. I even called a garbage company to ask if I could go. They said no. 😥

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