You can’t walk up to the Treasures in the Trash collection in the New York City Sanitation Department’s east Harlem warehouse, but if you’re lucky enough to get an in, you’ll find retired sanitation worker Nelson Molina’s meticulously organized displays of the wonders he rescued from the landfill.
Most of the building is used as a depot for garbage trucks, but there’s a secret collection that takes over an entire floor. The space is populated by a mind-bogglingly wide array of items: a bestiary of Tamagotchis, Furbies; dozens of Pez dispensers; female weight lifting trophies; 8-track tapes; plates, paintings, sporting equipment and much more.
Fascinating Photos from the Secret Trash Collection in a New York Sanitation Garage
[Dylan Thuras/Atlas Obscura]
(Thanks, Alice!)
