Dumpster Diving in Grand Rapids

Bud’s Wrecker Service in Grand Rapids, Mich., are western Michigan’s largest heavy-duty towing service; for the past 62 years, Bud’s has been very active in the community as well. So when they received a call to remove an errant dumpster from the Grand River, they were happy to respond.The big blue dumpster had been an eyesore, visible from downtown Grand Rapids, since record-setting floods last spring. The city spent weeks trying to figure out a way to remove it safely until a couple of guys decided to get the job done themselves.On July 15, residents Keith Brown and Wade Baumgardner took it upon themselves to pull the blue dumpster out of the river. What they accomplished in 35 minutes gives new meaning to “dumpster diving.”“We went out there with a bucket and started bailing water,” said Brown. “Once the water level got below the river level, it started moving, and we thought if we kept going maybe it will move.”The two men managed to steer the waste bin to the riverbank.“We just wanted it out of the water, because it makes the city look like crap having a dumpster in the water,” said Baumgardner.Once near the shore, a Bud’s tow truck did the heavy lifting. Bud’s Wrecker Service—contracted by the City of Grand Rapids—fished out the dumpster with their rotator at around 5 p.m.Bud’s used their 2005 Kenworth T800 High Hood with a Century 1060-SDU 60-ton rotator on the business end. This rig was built in 2005 and is equipped with Century aluminum boxes, a tag axle, electrical updates and a redesigned control panel.Bud’s operator boomed out and Brown and Baumgardner, who were still in the water, wrapped the recovery strap around the dumpster with the ends of the strap hooked to both lines from the 1060. Both Brown and Baumgardner helped direct the rotator operator to lift the dumpster, and the rotator had no problem lifting it out of the river.“They got it out in no time at all,” Brown said. “They had it out of the water in about 15 minutes. It went fairly fast.”The wrecker then hauled the dumpster to Republic Waste.