Manhattan Dumpster Diving

If your feeling a little peckish out in Brooklyn, try the Bagel Store. As is the case with Bagel Bob's, the Bagel Store's two Williamsburg locations throw out bags … and bags of bagels with the garbage. Again, the choice goods are usually kept separate from paper garbage. At the Metropolitan Avenue location, check on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday nights -- the days when trash goes out. [link]

If you're feeling a little peckish in Brooklyn, try the Bagel Store. As is the case with Bagel Bob's, the Bagel Store's two Williamsburg locations throw out bags … and bags of bagels with the garbage. Again, the choice goods are usually kept separate from paper garbage. At the Metropolitan Avenue location, check on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday nights -- the days when trash goes out. [link]

The fancy international bakery chain Le Pain Quotidien has some pretty rewarding dumpsters in many of its locations. Some baked goods are kept here for a few days before … being tossed, but its rare to get totally skunked at the garbage. [link]

Supposedly, showing up here after 6 p.m. on Fridays guarantees loads of day-old bagels, muffins, loaves of bread, and lots of preportioned bagel dough. According to the … Freegan database, there's a real haul here -- enough bagels for a couple dozen people. [link]

If you're beginning to wonder if food is the only thing to find in a dumpster, check out Midtown Comics. According to the Freegan database, you can find a whole bin of … novels, comics, and magazines in their trash can. A lot of mags and comics are thrown out once the new issues arrive, so it's a good place to get month-old reading. [link]

The organic gourmet grocery store Really Cool Foods is a great UES stop for organic muffins, cakes, croissants, and everything from goat's milk ice cream to shrimp, … veggies, and packaged sauces and dressings. Like the other upscale grocers, Really Cool Foods sells a whole case full of prepared meals and snacks, and the leftovers can be found in the garbage at the end of the day. [link]

Broadway and 96th St., next to West Side Health Food Word is, the Village and Soho Gourmet Garages are too careful about their garbage and are even known to lock the … bins. Not so with their Upper West Side outpost where ambitious divers can find a plethora of fresh goodies and premade meals. [link]

The Freegan website calls this uptown Garden of Eden grocery store "one of the best diving sites in the city." They have a great deal of leftovers from the hot buffets … and premade dinners in addition to the usual produce. [link]

The various Food Emporium locations are usually good bets, as they have massive amounts of garbage containing everything from just-expired dairy to produce, premade food, … day-old bakery items, and fancy cakes. The Freegan site says the Union Square location is more careful with their garbage, so the best bet is the downtown location at Greenwich and Duane streets. [link]

Bagel shops and bakeries are usually goldmines for dumpster diving, and Bagel Bob's in Greenwich Village is no exception. They tend to separate their garbage filled with … bagels and bialys from their paper and liquid garbage -- a big plus. The database on Freegan.info reports bags and bags of mini bagels, bagel bites, cinnamon buns, and strudels in Bagel Bob's trash cans at the end of the night. [link]