Canned Glam

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When it comes to dirty business, HollywoodStarTrash.com beats the competition.

The two-man Web site sells trash from celebrities’ bins a practice that an attorney has assured them is legal. During its 12 months of existence, the Hollywood-based company has peddled detritus that once belonged to such celebs as Jennifer Garner, John Travolta and Nicole Ritchie.

A big moment came when GoldenPalace.com, an online casino best known for its purchase of a grilled cheese sandwich with an image of the Virgin Mary on it, paid $1,000 for a piece of dental floss used by Paris Hilton.

But there have been some letdowns, too. The team found thong underwear in the trash of troubled pop queen Britney Spears, but it only fetched $170.

The goal of the business isn’t to make a profit, though. It was created to be the subject of a documentary by its founders, writer Tom Wassner and graphic designer Reed Schmidt, who are using it to explore our society’s obsession with fame.

“The idea came from trying to think of the lowest possible form of exploiting celebrity,” recalled Wassner. “We read several articles about people who had sold Britney Spears’ chewing gum on eBay for hundreds of dollars and others who sold Kevin Federline’s half-eaten corn dog for just as much. We thought, ‘Are people that obsessed with celebrity that they’re willing to fork out cash for their garbage?’ ”

After 20 sales totaling more than $5,000, the answer is a resounding “yes.” Buyers live in Europe, Australia, Canada and, of course, the United States.

The “Star Trash” documentary will finish filming in four to six months, and Wassner anticipates a DVD distribution deal. News crews regularly accompany the pair on their trash-plundering excursions. Also, numerous producers have contacted the partners about a reality TV series.

To locate merchandise, the duo determines where the celebrities live, then contacts the trash company to find out when the trucks come by. The HollywoodStarTrash crew shows up early that morning, around 2 a.m., and raids the bins.

The partners videotape the whole procedure, both to authenticate their wares and for the documentary. Then they take the garbage to their van for piece-by-piece analysis. Also, they look for fan mail or letters to the celebrity, as additional authentication for the sale items.

Before undertaking the project, the duo consulted an attorney on the legality of trash picking. Counsel told them that once trash bins are on the curb or in the street, their contents become fair game. Federal court rulings, based on cases of police finding crime evidence inside trash bins, have solidified the concept.

“It has been pretty fun,” Wassner said, “even though disgusting at times.”

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