In Nashville, widely known as the South’s influencer capital, a new breed of entrepreneur is turning discarded possessions into six-figure incomes—by searching through dumpsters and reselling what others leave behind.
For 31-year-old Nashville resident Carter Stevens, the unlikely business has been life-changing. In just two years, dumpster diving helped him move from homelessness and overwhelming debt to earning a six-figure income.
Behind the Tennessee capital’s polished high-rise apartment buildings, Stevens searches massive steel dumpsters for designer apparel, costly furniture, electronics and other unwanted goods that can be sold online.
His discoveries have included a Gucci handbag, BAPE sneakers, a Louis Vuitton shirt and a 65-inch television—items their previous owners apparently decided were no longer worth keeping.
During one recent outing, Stevens found dresses draped over a dumpster alongside a marble table and the large television.
A warning sticker urged people to “Keep Off!” But Stevens climbed onto the container anyway, first checking the haul for bugs—one of the few problems that can bring his scavenging operation 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.
His unusual business is powered by the sheer volume of goods Americans purchase, use briefly and ultimately throw away.
Carter Stevens, 31, has gone from being homeless and buried in debt to earning six figures by digging through other people’s trash and selling the treasures he finds
Stevens’ dumpster-diving empire began after he spotted 190 expensive Steelcase office chairs being thrown away, hauling them off and making around $17,000 in profit within six weeks
Stevens’ top online sales included highly specialized electronics worth thousands of dollars, including a professional video-production system that sold for $2,500 and cue system that fetched $1,500
In Nashville, where aspiring musicians, creators and social media influencers arrive seeking fame, opportunity and a fresh start, those castoffs can be especially valuable.
Some of Stevens’ finds remain sealed in their original packaging. Others are the same fashionable products promoted by influencers across TikTok.
One white Simply Southern dress he recovered still carried its original $59.99 price tag.
Stevens summed up the kinds of products he typically uncovers in comments to the Washington Post: “all the stuff we use to fill the void.”
As the son of successful music producer Chris Stevens, he grew up surrounded by wealth and developed a taste for luxury early in life, particularly flashy shoes, designer clothing and expensive cars.
After leaving college, he built a business selling vintage clothing near Nashville’s Vanderbilt University. At one point, country star Kacey Musgraves was among the shoppers browsing his racks.
“I made it,” he recalled thinking. But rather than putting money aside, Stevens spent heavily. “I screwed myself,” he later admitted.
Stevens hauled away the 190 chairs using a trailer he had built just a few months earlier for his junk removal business
Stevens, seen above, grew up around wealth as the son of a successful Nashville music producer and soon developed expensive tastes of his own
Stevens has salvaged everything from designer clothes and shoes to furniture and electronics. Sometimes the goods have barely been used or are 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.