Find treasure among the trash with Found's Davy Rothbart

Davy Rothbart has built a franchise on recycling other people's garbage. He's the editor and publisher of FOUND magazine, a Web site and annual publication dedicated to the following found stuff: "Love letters, birthday cards, kids' homework, to-do lists, ticket stubs, poetry on napkins, telephone bills, doodles and anything else that gives a glimpse into someone else's life."

The FOUND brand has also spread to books, including the latest, Requiem for a Paper Bag, in which stars like Seth Rogen, Andy Samberg, Chuck Klosterman and Sarah Vowell tell their best "found object" stories.

Rothbart recently gave us his best tips for making good finds below.

You don't have to go out hunting for it.
Rothbart: "It's just in your everyday awareness. On the way to school or work, keep your eyes to the ground and check out little scraps of paper. Pick them up and look at them. Flip it over with your shoe and see if it's a gem."

There are some hot spots for amazing finds.
"If you live or work near a school, kids are great at losing stuff and the stuff they lose is pretty awesome. University computer centres have like 100 computers and two printers up front. People print out email and weird term papers and leave it stacked up there. You can sift through a month's worth of printouts. Public transportation like buses and subway trains always seem to attract found stuff. At photocopy shops open the copier and see if someone has left an original on the glass."

Learn why love notes are found gold, after the jump.


A lot of notes are about love and relationships.
"One note that I found on the windshield of my car in Chicago spurred the idea for a larger project. It's addressed to Mario and says, 'Mario, I f*cking hate you ... You said you had to work then whys your car HERE at HER place? You're a f*cking LIAR. I hate you. I f*cking hate you. Signed, Amber. P.S. Page me later.' I thought it was amazing -- she's so angry and upset with him and still hopeful and in love."

But some are more depressing.
"There was one that was a kid writing to his mum and saying, 'Hey mum, I miss you.' At the end he says, 'I got my license so I can be out here every day.' The woman who filed it told me she found it in a cemetery balloon caught up in the highest branches of a tree."

Don't be scared of X-rated finds.
"Found gets quite racy but dirty found is straight nasty. My mum opens up some of the Found mail and she marks each envelope and puts an asterisk on it if it's a really good one. There are always a couple that are open but have no writing, and it's inevitably a Polaroid of someone's dick or something. I like to imagine her opening it and going, 'Ooooh!' and putting it back."

Have you found some amazing trash? Let us know in the comments.