Leonardo Urbano, a 30-year-old resident of Sydney, has turned trash into treasure, amassing an impressive AUD 100,000 (approximately ₹56.20 lakh) over the past year by sifting through discarded items. Urbano’s daily routine involves cycling or driving around the city to scour trash piles for valuable finds.
In Australia, local councils offer free rubbish pick-up services multiple times a year, leading residents to discard large items such as furniture and electronics. Urbano has turned this waste into a lucrative venture, uncovering everything from Fendi bags and gold jewellery to coffee machines and wads of cash.
“When people upgrade their gadgets, they often throw away the old ones simply because the battery might be less effective,” Urbano told CNBC. He notes that many discarded items need only minor cleaning or repairs before they can be resold.
Urbano collects these curbside treasures and either keeps, gives away, or sells them on platforms like Facebook Marketplace. Due to limited storage space, he aims to sell items within a week or two. Unsold items are donated to make room for new finds. Recently, he sold a small Fendi bag for about $200. Urbano ensures the authenticity of luxury items by checking serial numbers and consulting experts.
His “dumpster diving” has also inspired others to join his search for discarded valuables. Among his notable finds last year were over 50 televisions, 30 fridges, more than 20 washing machines, over 50 computers and laptops, up to 15 couches, 50 vacuums, 150+ pots and plants, 100+ lamps and decorative paintings, and $849 in cash.
Urbano, who has been dumpster diving for four years, uses his earnings to cover rent and furnish his apartment. Some of his most remarkable discoveries include a $3,000 painting by two-time Archibald Prize finalist Dapeng Liu, an antique Victorian English centrepiece, and a $400 Italian coffee machine. He has also managed to avoid buying cleaning products for years, thanks to partially used bottles he finds when people move out.
Urbano’s remarkable knack for finding value in what others discard highlights the hidden potential in everyday waste and has turned his unique hobby into a profitable and resourceful endeavor.
