Entrepreneurs in Nashville, known as the “influencer capital of the South,” are earning six-figure incomes by searching dumpsters and transforming other people’s unwanted possessions into profit.
For 31-year-old Nashville entrepreneur Carter Stevens, discarded goods have become so valuable that the business helped lift him from homelessness and overwhelming debt to a six-figure income in just two years.
Behind Nashville’s polished luxury apartment buildings, Stevens searches large steel dumpsters for designer clothing, high-end furniture, electronics and other items that can be resold online.
His discoveries have included a Gucci handbag, BAPE sneakers, a Louis Vuitton shirt and even a 65-inch television—all apparently abandoned by their previous owners.
During one recent outing, Stevens found dresses draped over the edge of a dumpster, along with a marble table and the oversized television.
Ignoring a warning sticker that said “Keep Off!”, he climbed onto the container. Before searching further, however, Stevens checked for bugs—one of the few hazards that can bring his dumpster-diving expeditions to an immediate halt.
Stevens hates insects and is allergic to cats, but the potential payday lurking among the garbage has proved too tempting to ignore. He has documented some of his lucrative finds on TikTok.
It is an unusual business built on the vast quantities of possessions Americans purchase, use and eventually throw away.
Carter Stevens, 31, went from homelessness and heavy debt to earning six figures by searching through other people’s trash and reselling the valuable items he uncovers
Stevens’ dumpster-diving business took off after he found 190 expensive Steelcase office chairs being discarded. He hauled them away and made about $17,000 in profit within six weeks
Among Stevens’ most profitable online sales were specialized electronics worth thousands of dollars, including a professional video-production system that sold for $2,500 and a cue system that fetched $1,500
In Nashville, where aspiring musicians, entertainers and social media influencers arrive hoping to build careers, find fame and start over, those discarded goods can be particularly profitable.
Some of Stevens’ finds remain in their original packaging. Others are the same fashionable products frequently promoted by influencers on TikTok.
One white Simply Southern dress he recovered still had its $59.99 price tag attached.
Stevens told the Washington Post that his typical discoveries include “all the stuff we use to fill the void.”
Raised around affluence as the son of successful music producer Chris Stevens, he developed a taste for luxury early in life, drawn to flashy shoes, designer clothing and expensive cars.
He later left college and built a business selling vintage clothing near Nashville’s Vanderbilt University. At one point, country music star Kacey Musgraves was among the customers browsing his racks.
“I made it,” Stevens recalled thinking. But rather than save his earnings, he spent them. “I screwed myself,” he acknowledged.
Stevens transported the 190 chairs with a trailer he had built only a few months earlier for his junk-removal business
Stevens, pictured above, grew up in a wealthy household as the son of a successful Nashville music producer and developed costly tastes of his own
Stevens has recovered everything from designer clothing and shoes to furniture and electronics. Some items had barely been used, while others were still in their original packaging
Stevens found unworn and unused clothing following a college move out at the end of the summer semester
Among the designer goods Stevens has unearthed are Balenciaga pool slides, similar versions of which retail for around $450 a pair
He struggled with drugs, including Adderall, and went to rehab for a week in 2021. Yet afterwards he remained addicted to buying things.
Stevens splashed out $1,200 on Christian Dior Birkenstocks, $10,000 on a camping van and drove a Mercedes-AMG that cost an eye-watering $3,100 a month with insurance.
‘I just woke up itching for stuff,’ he said.
At its worst, his monthly spending topped $15,000.
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When his vintage business declined, the lifestyle collapsed with it.
Stevens slept inside his storage unit until he was warned he could be thrown out. He stayed with his parents before spending three weeks living inside a Nissan Sentra.
Eventually, a cousin loaned him enough money to secure an apartment.
Then came the discovery that would change everything.
Leaving a Goodwill store last November, Stevens noticed workers dumping dozens of office chairs outside a nearby warehouse.
He discovered they were Steelcase chairs – expensive pieces selling for hundreds of dollars apiece online. Stevens returned with a trailer and collected 190 of them.
Carter Stevens is pictured with his dad Chris Stevens, a five-time Grammy winner who has written songs for country stars including Kenny Chesney and Carrie Underwood
Chris Stevens, right is seen alongside wife, Nancy. Their son Carter grew up surrounded by success but was taught that he needed to work for the things he wanted
This $800 e-bike battery complete with charger had been tossed away, only for Stevens to salvage it and make some money for himself
Suddenly, trash was a business. Within six weeks, he had sold all but 40 to liquidators and pocketed about $17,000 in profit – enough to clear his credit-card debt and repay his cousin.
Stevens began searching warehouses, hotels, apartment complexes and shopping centers.
He also launched a junk-removal operation, collecting couches, standing desks, lamps and even iPads.
After just six weeks, his eBay sales reached $30,000.
Not everyone was happy. On one occasion, a security guard allegedly confronted him with a gun drawn.
But Stevens insisted to his concerned parents: ‘I’m providing a service.’
His father Chris, a five-time Grammy winner who has written songs for stars including Kenny Chesney and Carrie Underwood, admitted the unusual career could be frightening.
His son could encounter needles, dangerous chemicals, armed security guards or accusations of trespassing. But Chris also understood the value of hard work.
Ten fridges were in the dumpster following a college move-out day – ready to find a new home
Nashville’s booming population and consumption culture have provided rich pickings for Stevens, who searches dumpsters at apartment buildings, hotels, warehouses and malls
‘I don’t ever want to rob you of the feeling of working your way to success,’ he had told his children.
Now Stevens is trying to turn his extraordinary recovery into something bigger.
Dumpster diving is physically exhausting and he fears the lucrative finds will eventually dry up.
With thousands of dollars saved, he has begun studying real estate wholesaling through YouTube, TikTok and Reddit.
‘This is going to take a lot more work,’ he told The Post.
For a man who once chased the dopamine rush of buying expensive items, he now says he can find pleasure in something that costs absolutely nothing.
He says his new rule is that he will now only buy something if he believes he can eventually sell it for more.
