‘I make hundreds going into shop bins – I can’t believe what they throw out’

Jake Stevens, 34, spends around four hours every night rifling through shop rubbish

A man who dives into rubbish bins makes £600 a month from what he digs out. Jake Stevens pops into shop bins for hidden goodies – and even has a storage unit to hold them all.

Jake spends about four hours every night going through shop rubbish. The 34-year-old bargain-hunter says he has salvaged thousands of pounds’ worth of valuable items.

Among his best finds are a £1,500 Gucci bag, antique jewellery, and even a World War One Christmas tin. He rakes in around £600 a month by selling his findings at car boot sales.

“It’s like an addiction,” Jake, from Portsmouth, said. “Some of the stuff they throw away is beyond me.

“I found £1,500 of jewellery in one night. There were gold rings and bracelets.

“I’ve found a £1,500 Gucci bag and a World War One Christmas tin. That’s a piece of history that’s been discarded.

“There are games, toys, Christmas decorations, clothes, antiques, a baby pram and a dehumidifier. I sell everything at a car boot and it helps with bills. We’re not well off.

“I’ve provided to friends and family. I give dog food to my friend.”

Jake, who works in recruitment, splashes out £70 a month to keep all his finds in a storage unit. His food shop has been cut by £50 a week as a result of the piles of bread, biscuits, flour and eggs he has found.

And Jake says he’ll keep diving for as long as shops keep throwing out “perfectly good stuff”. He is sharing his story to raise awareness of the amount of waste produced by shops.

Jake said: “Charity shops get donations every single day, and they can’t keep everything, but they should sell it for £1. I’ve donated a few hundred kilos of clothes to a charity shop that I trust.

“Security has run at me like I’m a shoplifter before, but as soon as it’s in the bin, it doesn’t belong to the shop anymore. A few years ago, dumpster diving was frowned upon. The amount we waste is not normal, and I’m breaking that cycle by making sure things go to use again.”