People Share What They Found Thrown Away, And The Phrase ‘One Man’s Trash Is Another Man’s Treasure’ Has Never Been So Real (30 New Pics)

Living in New York City is a dream of many people all over the world, but there’s no question that this magical city presents unique challenges as well. New Yorkers tend to move often, with 75% of residents saying they’ve relocated at least once in the past five years and one fifth revealing that they’ve moved at least four times in the past five years. And when they do move, over 40% relocate to another neighborhood, and nearly 40% move to a different borough. In a city where most residents don’t own cars and rely on public transportation, it can be incredibly difficult moving large items of furniture around. At the same time, someone else is always moving, so if you leave a desk on the sidewalk, someone who needs it is bound to stumble upon it…

That’s where Stooping NYC comes in. This Instagram account has amassed 442k followers for constantly alerting residents of the treasures they can find scattered across their city’s streets. The page requests that followers DM them photos of finds they come across, as well as the locations of these items, so they can broadcast the news to fellow New Yorkers. They also ask for #StoopingSuccess stories to celebrate recycled pieces that end up in new, loving homes.   

We’re big fans of Stooping NYC here at Bored Panda, and lucky for us, we’ve been able to get in touch with the couple who runs the account several times. The creators of the page, who wish to remain anonymous, previously told Bored Panda that they’re attempting to end the stigma associated with viewing someone else’s trash as your own treasure. “We’ve tried to 'game-ify' the activity, making it feel like a scavenger hunt,” the New Yorkers shared. “And I think because of this, we have seen it become popular and trendy with an entirely younger audience. 75% of our followers are 18-35 years old.”

There’s no question that they’ve had success, but in doing so, the creators now receive an incredible amount of submissions from followers. Two years ago, they shared, “On a typical weekday, we get hundreds if not one thousand submissions. On the weekend (especially at the end of the month), we get thousands of DM submissions.” Considering that the page has only increased in popularity since then, I can’t imagine how flooded their messages are today!

We reached out to the brilliant minds behind Stooping NYC again, and they were kind enough to answer a few more questions for us, first providing an update on how the page has been since we last checked in with them. “StoopingNYC has continued to grow and we’re fortunate to now have almost 450k stoopers following our account from all over the world!” they proudly shared. “The stoops we receive continue to be incredibly impressive; from wildly expensive blue velvet bubble couches, to taxidermy monkeys, to limited edition PEZ dispensers and more! There’s never a dull day to be stooping in NYC!”

The couple also shared that they’re constantly surprised by what people choose to dump on the streets for others. “Over the years, we have seen $10k copper bathtubs, couches worth thousands and really amazing antiques that are probably priceless,” they shared with Bored Panda. “I think this is what makes stooping in NYC so wild… This city is full of people who are transient, constantly moving around.”

The creators went on to share that the wealth of many residents in NYC contributes to the amazing finds you can come across while stooping. “In many cases, it’s easier to place something on the stoop and ‘pay it forward’ to your fellow New Yorker than to jump through hoops to sell it,” they explained. “And we couldn’t be more thankful for the people that choose to do that!” they added with a smile.

We also asked the couple if they had recently found any particularly impressive finds while stooping, but they shared that nowadays, they’re more focused on leaving items for their followers to find. “It’s an amazing feeling to watch someone discover an item you’ve put out, witness the joy it brings them and see them walk off with it, to give it a new life! But every now and then, we may have a post that features something from our home!”