Artists find beauty in others' castoffs

Sun Sentinel (MCT) - Eydi Lampasona leans out of her SUV to paw through trash for frugal finds.

It's a recent "drive-by Dumpster dive" for the artist who calls herself an "urban archaeologist." She squeals upon making a golden find _ satin cloths _ perfect for projects in her Boca Raton Museum of Art classes. Other trash treasures that day: rusty screws, a torn tennis ball, even a car part from an accident scene near some railroad tracks in Boca Raton, Fla.

Dumpster divers rummage for practical and ideological reasons; others, like Lampasona, dive for their art. The underground subculture of trash diggers is tough to quantify since it's a job most like to do solo and incognito. But one thing is clear: Dumpster divers are now getting more than they bargained for _ competition.

"I've got to be ahead of them," said Lampasona, "Because it really is a race."

Palm Beach County, Fla., residents generated 1.2 tons of garbage and trash in fiscal year 2007-08, a slight dip from the previous year. This comes at a time when more are likely to take the dive given the economic downturn.

"There are indicators that more people are lifting that lid and nosing around," said Jeff Ferrell, a Texas Christian University sociology professor who wrote "Empire of Scrounge: Inside the Urban Underground of Dumpster Diving, Trash Picking, and Street Scavenging."

David Nau recently lost a mad dash for trash as he waited for backup help to pick up an armoire left on a curb in Boca Raton. Three other women carried the coveted find away before any of Nau's friends arrived.

He and business partner Judy Dempsey have made a business out of trash. They launched Art Explosion of South Florida and rebuff, varnish and embellish furniture with painted nautical scenes or beach-themed mosaics.

"I would go out literally every night trying to find furniture that had personality," said Nau, of Lake Worth, Fla. "I just love looking for stuff; I've always been an explorer. I certainly love the hunt."

The duo circles Palm Beach County neighborhoods at night with flashlights, spacious trucks and bulk trash schedules in hand. They say the recession has not kept people hanging on to old furniture longer, so there are still good finds curbside.

Ferrell, who has been Dumpster diving for 30 years, has recently come across more trash bags that have been tampered with _ he insists the tears come from human hands, not rodents _ and people "diving" in their work uniforms. There are others who supplement their income by selling scrap metals they find or list other freebies they nab on eBay or at yard sales, Ferrell said.

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Besides the recession, there are other factors pushing people to wade through waste: "green" fads and the rise of the freegan movement, a group that protests consumerism and includes Dumpster diving as part of its moral commitment to minimizing waste.

Still, there are others who Dumpster dive for more practical reasons.

The eldest of 11, DeeDee McKenzie grew up in a cash-strapped family in Montana. The 57-year-old still leads a modest life in West Palm Beach, Fla. Her most recent Dumpster finds: a brand new coffee pot (still in the box), a digital camera and new shoes, size 6.5.

"I've never had money to buy things, 'cause all my money goes to pay my doctor's bill, and with this recession, I've got little or no money added on to that," she said. "It's even harder.

"This is a way to make ends meet. Sometimes you can even find food in the Publix Dumpster ... bread that's good," McKenzie said.

She just hopes she doesn't come across another human body in a Dumpster. She found one while living in Montana _ probably a homeless person, she assumes _ and anonymously reported it to police.

Even though Dumpster diving may be "vaguely illegal," because it can involve trespassing of private property and the act itself could be deemed a public disorder, Ferrell wants to do away with the stigma.

"We think of the word trash as something disgusting or filthy. Really, trash is something we dispose of," he said. "I think there's a great deal of honor and independence to know how to survive on your own."

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© 2009, Sun Sentinel.