The fine art of dumpster diving | Thomas Dambo | TEDxFargo

How I turned my love for dumpster diving into an international art career. Thomas Dambo's journey is a real-life fairytale about how he roamed his home city of Copenhagen on a cargo bike dumpster diving materials for his first small installations to gaining international recognition as the world's leading recycling artist.
He now has over twenty full-time employees, has built over one hundred sculptures in seventeen countries, and his art is still made with the same philosophy of sustainability and recycling, truly highlighting how one man's trash is another man's treasure. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx

[@mariawesley7583]

30 years ago I knew people who lived a very "hippie" lifestyle (even though it was the 90's) as part of the Rainbow family. They dumpster dived for food. The amount of food we throw away in the US is astounding. I've spent the last decade working at grocery stores. I've worked at 2 large chains and one small. Only the small one donated the excess food. The others threw away the food into a locked dumpster. None of them allowed the underpaid employees to have any of the food, so most of us had EBT cards to access food.. I've read about Freegans and they get food from smaller businesses like restaurants that might not have a locked dumpster or make an arrangement with a restaurant to come pick up excess food at the end of the night.

[@goohee22]

Beautiful work

[@alwaysace3480]

We need more people like him

[@alvarveigalima5474]

me

[@chandlerclemens1956]

become one

[@laureneshewan1723]

Thomas, 16 years ago I started a recycling group in our 55+ community. We bring items from our home, swop them around (no money involved), and anything left over gets donated to Church yard sales or Goodwill. We have so much fun too! In the 1970's, I built a school bus "waiting station" from pallets and aluminum printing plates. My carpenter husband said it defied all the laws of carpentry, but stood strong for decades, We recently visited your trolls in Rhode Island and loved them. Keep up the good work!

[@Prettygritty111]

Thank you!!! Earth Angel 😇

[@snowwhite2178]

Agree:) In Material world our resources all has own limitations... we need to recycle ♻️ recreates their value💚sharing together☁️

[@szydlowska23]

Truly inspiring 🙏🏼

[@salvagesavior]

You are a true salvage artist. I'm so inspired!

[@ReneesatItAgain]

I'm a diver too!! Thank you for sharing your experience!!🌻

[@holeshothunter5544]

You can find just as much as you need, but never exactly what you need, and never at the right time. That's Why we buy stuff

[@elshad]

nice work

[@sandradamen-fw4zy]

!Wow!

[@parasbatala12]

Amazing

[@tetsubo57]

I salvage stuff from the side of the road. I don't really dumpster dive. My wife would kill me. I use the materials to make post-apocalyptic weapons and armour. I occasionally build utilitarian items that I need.

[@user-lu6rc5cm7e]

You are so optimistic. To meet the post-apocalyptic world you should survive in apocalypse before.

[@phyliciajoykloes]

Yes, yes, yes!!! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

[@BendeVette]

Wonderful new word. Trashure 😂

[@samrachamin]

Good on u

[@Celeste-in-Oz]

How amazing are the trolls!? 🤩

[@astridmaro]

❤

[@joncrosby8988]

Very cool. But wood is organic regardless of where it's left to rot.

[@alanhat5252]

it rots faster if it's on the ground, less fast if it's buried in landfill

[@mysmirandam.6618]

I wanna be like him. I am in a lot of ways

[@hiepkhachNT85]

Tuyệt vời

[@alvarveigalima5474]

nice 👍 🙏🏻❤🌹

[@kimchi8022]

This is the type of person that should be president of the world.

[@Voxshadow73]

👌👏👍👍 💯

[@kimballhansen2629]

Is there a map link of all the trolls he has made?

[@SneekOutside]

A thousand years from now people are going to think giant trolls ran the earth and kept human slaves until suddenly the humans grew fed up, destroyed the trolls during a big revolution to free the human race.😂😂

[@sforsolo9948]

Hii

[@lifefordummies]

Hepatitis A-Z

[@craigmerkey8518]

Great content... please be aware that hoarding can be an early attribute for Alzheimers.

[@joncrosby8988]

Sad that most of these will break apart within a few years, after all that work.

[@alanhat5252]

most things do

[@MS-ns4ki]

I would like to take a moment to let everybody know over my dead body will I ever dumpster dive over my dead body and repeat over my dead body. I am a luxurious woman. If toothy is not being treated the wrong way, nor am I sorry I’m above you .

[@m0ther.0f.mayh3m]

Rest in peace

[@ferdinandroyle8391]

Dumpster diving is great, I can afford to buy new stuff but I will find stuff that I didn't even know I wanted at the dump lol

[@owlson2527]

Based on your comment history, that proves to be a lie 😂👎

[@ferdinandroyle8391]

@owlson2527 interesting lol, so much to find out about myself based off an app I use sometimes!

[@jacobslapinski3710]

You know we're past 1984 when Ted Talks are about the insignts of dumpster diving, and people eat it up.