You can find a tiptop $2,000 grill at a landfill. This place digs them up for you

We’re all familiar with thrifting by now, but what about giving a second life to stuff left in a landfill?

You can find some dirt cheap deals at Riverside County’s new “Found It Again Reuse Store” — where one person’s trash may be your next household treasure.

The store at the Lamb Canyon Landfill is now officially welcoming shoppers on the last Saturday of each month, letting people pick-up exercise equipment, camping gear, bicycles, and tons of other discarded, but still good, items.

Lisa Thompson, environmental compliance manager for the county’s Department of Waste Resources, told LAist they’re hoping this will educate people about where their garbage really goes once it leaves the curb, all while saving precious space at the landfill for future generations.

“We want to continue to provide low-cost services to residents so that they can do the right thing,” she said. “And when they do come in and drop off their trash or whatever, they can also take advantage of, you know, taking something home that they can probably use at a much lower cost than anywhere else that they can purchase.”

What can you find?

When you think of a landfill, garbage and trash typically comes to mind, but Joe Laffoon, a crew lead worker with the department, told KVCR for LAist that you’d be surprised by what people throw away.

In the market for a new bicycle? The store has plenty, and each one would run you around $6, even vintage or European models.

What about a new treadmill or home gym? Almost all of the workout equipment, regardless of shape and size, would cost you $5.

Looking for a VHS or DVD player? Electronics start at $6, but Laffoon noted some unique or rare items would go for a little more.

“Prices vary, but for the most part, we hardly break $30 on any one item,” he said.

All of the proceeds are directed back into the store and other programs Riverside County subsidizes, such as electronic waste and tire disposal.

But Laffoon said they really aren’t in it for the money — it is thrift store pricing, after all. The goal is to give these items a new lease on life, away from the landfill.

Plus, they’ve discovered some unique, rare, and even historical goods, including a humongous pair of cherry-red Budweiser helmets, toy boxes full of action figures, a drone with its remote, and a World War II footlocker with a soldier’s name on it.

“Yeah, kids grow up, and instead of just letting that toy go into the landfill, it's almost like a second chance, right,” Laffoon said. "Kind of like at the ending of Toy Story 4, you know what I mean? Here we are, pulling them out, saving them. Give them another chance with another child.”

Bicycles, regardless of their size or shape, would cost you $6 at the Lamb Canyon Landfill's Found It Again Reuse Store.

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Madison Aument

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LAist

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How items are selected for the store

Laffoon and the other landfill staff consistently check what people are dropping off to make sure it’s not hazardous, and to see if any of the items are still in quality condition.

“We collect used items that are dropped off here for disposal,” he said. “But we find use with them again, we clean them up, test them, and if they look good, we bring them here to the reuse store.”

Many of the items up for sale are made of metal, plastic, and other heavy materials that are hard to decompose. The weight of each item purchased is tracked and taken into account, which Laffoon said relieves some of the landfill’s bulk.

The electronics may also have mercury in them, which is exactly the kind of chemical they don’t want to have lying around. But every stereo, gaming console, and circuited car part that leaves the store is a little less hazardous waste Riverside County needs to manage.

“Eventually, yes, these items may return back to us,” Laffoon said. “But you know, we're helping the diversion process.”

How shoppers feel about the finds

Joseph Mitchell learned about the store during its soft-opening phase, which started in May, while he was visiting the landfill.

He told KVCR for LAist he was already able to snag a matching Maytag washer and dryer set — the new jet cleaner kind, he noted — for $26, and a scooter that typically costs $1,500 for just $6.

“I'm 255 pounds, it runs me right up the hill,” he said.

Staff keep an eye on the items people leave at the landfill, and if they're in good enough condition, they'll be cleaned up and brought to the reuse store for someone else to purchase.

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Madison Aument

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LAist

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A pair of fire-engine red kayaks had some shoppers clamoring for the sale, and they ended up being picked-up for $20 each.

Jeffrey Goslowski was eyeing a camera tripod and a multi-track mixer, but he said the trouble with some of the items, the electronics especially, is they’re not always functional. Everything is sold as-is, but the store does have plugs available if you want to try it out before you buy.

However, he told KVCR for LAist that his “biggest problem” is driving a sedan to the store, not a pick-up truck, so he wouldn’t have a way of getting most of the items home.

Jonathan Rodriguez said he’s really into thrifting and always on the lookout for second-hand steals, so when he heard positive reviews from the reuse store, he felt the need to make the 20 minute drive down from Hemet and see it for himself.

He found a working pair of headphones, as well as a Harley Davidson premium luggage day bag for $6, and Rodriguez said he appreciates the price-tag when compared to his usual go-to Salvation Army store.

The reuse store is open from 9 a.m. through noon on the last Saturday of each month, but don't forget your closed-toed shoes and credit or debit card.

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Madison Aument

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LAist

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“I'm glad we have other chances and opportunities to go, you know, second-hand shopping,” he told KVCR for LAist. “I feel like they're doing a good thing here.”

What are the other SoCal counties doing?

L.A. County offers two reuse centers where people can pick-up used, or partially used, cleaners, paint, and other products free of charge, and Orange County has a free materials exchange program where people can drop off things like chemicals and pool cleaners in exchange for products they do need.

But some private companies in California have launched similar stores, including in the San Bernardino Mountains, and Thompson said their Riverside Waste Resources team was able to learn lessons from them about what works, and what doesn’t.