James Jugan says he has been dumpster diving for decades but that he isn't making as much money today as he used to. (Courtesy of James Jugan)

By Erin Banco | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Call it a secret society.

They move quickly, and quietly, diving into dumpsters, grabbing their treasures and taking off. The dumpster diver community in New Jersey has grown significantly over the past 10 years but it is still unknown to many.

And that's good, dumpster divers say. Too many people have caught on to the practice, avid divers say, and now they struggling to make the money they used to in the 1980s and 90s. The older generation blames the newer members of the community, claiming their online advertising and promotion is flooding the market.

NJ Advance Media interviewed several people who say they are divers, but most did not want to speak on the record, because they said they feared others would criticize them for promoting themselves. Others thought the police would be more likely to monitor them if they went public.

Those interviews, however, shed light onto the secret world of dumpster diving in New Jersey and how some people say they can make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year jumping through the garbage.

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What is dumpster diving?

Dumpster diving is a practice where individuals seek out items thrown away or recycled to either consume, use or resell.

People who dumpster dive do so as a hobby, as a way to make extra money, or as a full-time profession.

The practice of dumpster diving has been known to people living in New Jersey for decades, said James Jugan, 52 from Willingboro. Jugan is an avid diver who said he began selling recycled products in New Jersey in the 1980s.

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What items do dumpster divers look for?

Divers in New Jersey look for anything they can sell.

Some divers look solely for packaged food – sauces, beans, vegetables and even bread. Many of those who dive for food are part of the Freegan movement. A freegan (the combination of "free" and "vegan") is someone who salvages food waste for consumption rather than buying food from the store.

Other divers jump in dumpsters in the back of electronic stores, hoping to find recycled video games or cords.

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Where are the best places to dive?

In addition to dumpsters with makeup products, Jugan said, there are other good place to dive. Plants that manufacture coffee pods, Jugan said, is another good place.

“They have standing inventories and instead of keeping them on the shelf and paying taxes on them, they throw them in the trash,” he said. “I used to be able to make several stops a day at those places and fill up my car.”

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What is the best product to sell?

Makeup.

Jugan and others interviewed for this story said high end recycled makeup is more valuable than other products, he said. When stores throw out their inventories, many of the makeup tubes and cases have not been opened or used, they say. All divers need to do is clean and sanitize them for sale.

"You spend hours like mad scientists searching. You can be amazed how you can make these things submerged in nasty stuff look like it came off the shelf," Jugan said, adding that he sells expensive makeup at 25 percent of the retail price.

A representative at Ulta in Clark said the store is aware people diving into their dumpsters and said the store actively monitors the situation.

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Is dumpster diving illegal?

There is a bit of a grey area when talking about the legality of dumpster diving. There are a few exceptions to the rule. The United States Supreme Court ruled in California v. Greenwood in 1988 that police didn't need a warrant to search someone's trash left on the curb.

That ruling did not specifically determine that dumpster diving was legal, but it stated that an individual should not have a reasonable expectation of privacy if they throw something away in the trash. The ruling only applied to trash left out in the public.

The issue is that most, if not all, dumpsters are on private property.

If someone in New Jersey is dumpster diving on private property they could be in violation of local trespassing laws. If a diver is not careful of signs and markings, they could be questioned, ticketed or arrested by the police.

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(Paul Sableman | Flickr)

How do people dive and avoid law enforcement?

The Clark police department responds to "a handful of calls" about dumpster diving each year, said Chief Pedro Matos.

To avoid the police, dumpster divers in New Jersey say there is talk on social media forums about which dumpsters are dangerous, which ones have been padlocked, and which ones are actively monitored by the police.

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How businesses in New Jersey keep divers out

Over the years companies caught on to the dumpster diving movement.

Now some are working to protect their products by pouring liquid over the products once they are in the dumpsters. Other companies padlock their dumpsters, though divers interviewed said people with experience know how to remove the locks.

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How much money can you make dumpster diving?

At one point in time, Jugan said, he made over $100,000 a year. “That’s when only a few people really knew about diving and even fewer actually knew how to do it,” Jugan said. Sometimes he made several hauls a day.

But he may be an exception. Several people interviewed say they are lucky if they make $30,000 a year.

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Food found during a dumpster dive. (Starr | Flickr)

Why can't people make as much money diving today?

The dumpster diving community in New Jersey has ballooned over the last ten years. Websites, social media groups and YouTube channels have been set up dedicated to selling products found in the trash. Jugan said the crowding of the market made it more difficult for the individual to find products to sell.

“The business is declining," Jugan said. "I score, but just not as much as I used to. The amateurs that are out there now need to be discouraged. All these sites have popped up on Facebook and the business has basically been ruined by people posting online and making videos of all the stuff they have found."

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How to be the best in the business

Jugan said divers need to be diligent.

They cannot take a day off if they want to make real money. It also takes a lot of practice, he said, adding that people need to find the dumpsters with the best products in their area.

Sometimes other divers catch on to another person’s diving spot and get to the products first.

Diving also takes a lot of agility and strength, he said. It requires individuals to move quickly and hop in and out of the dumpsters without falling. Staying fit and agile helps.

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(Dirk Duckhurn | Flickr)

How can I learn more about dumpster diving?

Dumpster divers in New Jersey are secretive about their businesses, mostly because they do not want more people to find out about their hotspots.

Several divers were interviewed for this story but did not want to give their names because they feared the police would crack down on their regular diving sites.

One woman said diving was her only source of income and that any additional attention on her usual sites could disrupt her ability to pay rent. Others said they had been ticketed by the police and were nervous that of additional crackdowns.

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Erin Banco may be reached at ebanco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @ErinBanco. Find NJ.com on Facebook.