Many may consider themselves bargain hunters, but some, like Provo native Graham Darby, go farther than others.
Darby, 21, is a dumpster diver. He searches for rare treasure where most people just leave their trash.
'I always check when I take out the trash,' Darby said.
His complete set of encyclopedias, two 12-foot planter boxes and a lamp he uses are all treasures he pulled out of dumpsters.
Darby's friends all check dumpsters occasionally, too, he said. Even one of his professors ventures into the trash to recover usable items.
Provo City has no ordinances against dumpster diving, according to Patrolman Richard Dewey of the Provo Police Department.
Trespassing and causing a public disturbance, however, are where dumpster divers can go wrong, he said.
As long as neighbors don't complain and divers are not breaking any other laws, Dewey said he doesn't see a problem.
Officers will usually approach someone they see rummaging through the trash to ask a few questions, but nothing more, he said.
Jason Wheeler of Star Valley, Wyo., 24, a senior majoring in teacher technology education at BYU, said he doesn't intentionally look for things in the garbage, although sometimes things catch his eye.
Wheeler works as a janitor at the Talmage Building, and he sometimes sees things people have thrown away that could be salvaged.
Usually, he leaves the old textbooks and computer programs to their fate in the landfill, but he did pick up an old Book of Mormon on audiotape once.
So far, Wheeler said that's his best find.
'I keep hoping someone will throw away a Palm Pilot or laptop or something,' he said.
Books and Internet sites are dedicated to dumpster diving as a serious pursuit.
'The Art and Science of Dumpster Diving,' by John Hoffman is a popular reference for novice divers looking for some guidance.
Hoffman writes that dumpster divers can enjoy a quality of life beyond their means. His family did just that when he was growing up.
One of his more controversial diving venues is the grocery store dumpster.
The inside of a dumpster is no worse than the inside of a produce truck, Hoffman writes.
Thanks to the layers upon layers of packaging Americans rely on to keep their food safe and fresh in the stores, a lot of it never touches the actual 'garbage' in the dumpster.
Since most people would still never consider eating 'garbage,' there are plenty of other things they might think of doing with it.
Lisa Heller, a faculty member at Richmond University in Virginia, thought of selling it.
As a college student at Syracuse University in New York, she found herself scrounging through a dumpster when she lost her grandmother's ring.
She never found the ring, but she did find things she couldn't believe people were throwing away.
Eventually, she established a non-profit organization called Dump and Run.
Colleges and universities can subscribe to Dump and Run to collect items students on their campuses would otherwise throw away during what Heller calls their 'mass exodus' in the spring.
Students donate the kinds of things people would expect to find at a second-hand store, as well as things like laundry detergent and perfume.
Rather than scavenging through the trash, Heller's organization is designed to prevent it from becoming trash.
Items collected are sold at one big yard sale, and the proceeds go to a charity of the school's choice.
Last fall, the University of Chicago made $12,000 at a Dump and Run event from items it collected the previous spring, Heller said.
BYU dumpsters are not likely to be the treasure troves that other university dumpsters can be, though.
BYU-approved housing is required to be furnished, and family student complexes sponsor swap meets and yard sales throughout the year for students to participate in. BYU also has collection areas for items that will be donated to Deseret Industries.
The Dumpster Lady's Web site offers additional tips on potentially lucrative locations to dive, even if BYU dumpsters are relatively bare.
The site also offers safety tips.
Beware of trash compactors.
And diving gear can be helpful, although not necessary. The Web site lists a good source where divers can buy grabbers for reaching to the bottom of dumpsters.
Or maybe they could just find them in the trash.