Dumpsters!

i see alot of these guys posting that theyre going into dumpsters without permission and asking others on the forum if thats okay. if you have to ask people that you dont know over the internet if somethings okay to do . its probebly not. wouldnt it make sense to just ask the person in charge of the site with the dumpster on it. Especially when the dumpster is full of metal and only metal - that usually means that whoever owns that dumpster is gonna scrap the metal themselves so basically your stealing from them.

I tend to avoid dumpsters. Occasionally i'll pull something out of the one by my parents apt complex, other then that I avoid them.

its different if its at a complex that you live at or something to that effect

Thats why I don't have a problem pulling something out. I've heard too many horror stories of people getting yelled at by buissness owners, police, etc to deal with buissinesses. Or have one person tell them it's ok then 2 days later getting yelled at for digging.

Knew a guy arrested at a Sports Authority for dumpster diving. If it is on a business property and you don't have permission, you are stealing. Residences vary town by town. Some towns have a contract with a recycle company. Town's police will charge you with theft if caught (even at the curb). I was given a warning by a nice cop. Some towns even want you to register and get a "curb side salvage" permit.

in new york (well long island) your allowed to pick off the curb but it cant be in a container (ex. garbage can) it has to be at the curb and by itself pretty much. also containers for donations and goodwill you can pick from if object is sitting outside container

The Goodwill thing is odd to me, but I can understand how it fits in the law. I thought it was odd the other day when i was dropping off some old clothing and some people drove up in a station wagon and started loading stuff up that was outside the bin. Later on in the week I was driving past a house having a yard sale and saw the same station wagon and some of the stuff the loaded up for sale in the yard.

That was pretty shady to me.

yeah it doesnt seem like the right thing to do but alot of the times the things that are outside those bins never get picked up by the goodwill anyway so its one of those wrong right things to do.

Originally Posted by gamedayron

in new york (well long island) your allowed to pick off the curb but it cant be in a container (ex. garbage can) it has to be at the curb and by itself pretty much. also containers for donations and goodwill you can pick from if object is sitting outside container

If you pick in a village and a officer or homeowner calls and they catch you. Most likely your getting hit with a fine. Local villages use scrap and recycables as part of their income.

In Florida Goodwill will have you throwen in jail for takeing stuff thats out side the drop off box. That stuff is intened for goodwill not you.

Originally Posted by happyscraper

In Florida Goodwill will have you throwen in jail for takeing stuff thats out side the drop off box. That stuff is intened for goodwill not you.

thats the way it should be but what are you gonna do about it !

I grew up in a town home in minnesota and I used to dumpster dive when I was a kid. I would grab the cans to make some extra money. One day I got a stern talking to that I shouldn't take the cans because the recycling helps pay for association fees. That was like 12 years ago but I am sure it still applies.

Well one thing about people who are scavengers is that they cause the home/business owners more of a headache than it's worth for them.

From an etiquette standpoint, when you agree to take someone's trash, you are supposed to take the WHOLE thing. But what happens is that people like to pick through the pile, make a big mess and then drive off without even bothering to clean up behind themselves... thus leaving the home/business owner with the burden.

And then the other thing that happens every once in a while is that the scavenger will disturb the home/business owner to inquire about the discarded stuff. So I can understand how people don't like their trash being obtained by the locals.

Originally Posted by tedanderson

Well one thing about people who are scavengers is that they cause the home/business owners more of a headache than it's worth for them.

From an etiquette standpoint, when you agree to take someone's trash, you are supposed to take the WHOLE thing. But what happens is that people like to pick through the pile, make a big mess and then drive off without even bothering to clean up behind themselves... thus leaving the home/business owner with the burden.

And then the other thing that happens every once in a while is that the scavenger will disturb the home/business owner to inquire about the discarded stuff. So I can understand how people don't like their trash being obtained by the locals.

Agreed, i ALWAYS flip the cart lids back on, stomp down the trash in the dumpster, and pick up any litter around, even if I had nothing to do with it. Respect is everything

I agree with the whole etiquette concept. When I ask to scrap whatever metal or aluminum cans out of a dumpster I always call the person by ma'am or sir and say thankyou. Even today as I'm scrapping aluminum cans out of the forest preserve I call the homeless people sleeping on the picnic benches sir. I figure its the right way to be with people and you'll have a better chance of getting what you want if you treat them the way you would want to be treated. As far as picking up garbage in the area, my hands aren't broken and helps me to score points with the people who work for the forest preserve dept because they will put stuff to the side for me since I'm making their job easier.

I can understand the issue with the dumpsters. But how about trash at the curve of private residence? I saw some videos on youtube of scrappers opening trash bags and going through them. They did this through a whole city block. If I was a home owner I'd be a little worried about the intentions of a person opening bags and searching through them. I never open bags but if something is just laying there like a TV, monitor I will grab. As a scrapper I find it funny how all these youtube scrappers find thick copper cable just laying around to be stripped.

From experience, I used to work for Dish Network as an installer. At the end of shift on the very last day (or each day depending on the load) we would scrap our trash from the vans as it was required. Alot of it was spools of cable that had little to no use and the company doesn't recycle! People are allowed to pick from there dumpsters after hours only! It's not posted, however, there is a sign that says no trespassing, that does not mean you can't take from the dumpster according to the law.

Your not allowed to loiter, steal, vandalize, or go into company property (IE: Buildings, sheds, shacks, shelves, or the roof.) That was when I worked in Kansas and now I live in Missouri and work for a company that has their bends behind barbwire fence because we do recycle and it is posted not trespassing. In Missouri and Kansas that I am aware of you can not be prosecuted for removing items from a dumpster unless it is posted. There is an unwritten law that does not allow you to dump however. A sign that says no trespassing means your not allowed on the property with out consent. However, the loophole in that is it would be the same as passing by the building on a back ally or side road. So as long as your not loitering, stealing, vandalizing, or breaking in they can't prosecute. If there are doors and a lock on the dumpster, and you climb in, over, or under that is consider unlawful and trespassing and you can be prosecuted.

Most companies around were I live don't mind as long as you do it during non-business hours. I have in fact asked companies both corporate and mom/pop shops for permission. I've been met with nothing but smiles and thank yous. I have even helped businesses start their own recycling programs just by my interest in there scrap. I've encountered the law a few times and this is were I have received my information along with the companies that I've asked. I have even had a police officer help me pull a stove out of a dumpster and load t on to my trailer! The best advice I have received is "When in doubt, ask. If it feels wrong or seems illegal then it probably is." There are many companies out there that want to recycle but it cost more for them to recycle than to actually just throw it away, which is why the allow us scrappers to do what we do. I have had companies set stuff aside out of dumpsters for me and thank me. It not only recycles, but it also cost them less when filling their own dumpster!

Enjoy Gentlemen. Happy Diving.