dumpster diving...

[LoveBWVVBR]

I used to work in retail and I would be very careful. I am sure there are people who do this but many companies have policies in place for disposal to ensure this doesn't happen and malls are considered private property so in theory that is trespassing in many instances. I worked at a chain store and beauty products that went out were often beyond their date of use and could not even be sold at a discount. We also tossed items that were returned as "damages" which we needed to destroy first to ensure this didn't happen. Even packaging and signage needed to be destroyed as shoplifters wanted these items to set up fake stores. I know this is is not the most environmentally friendly policy (some of our window "props" were perfectly good items like astro turf and fake flowers) but I would absolutely consider what you or your children will do when they get caught and if you are within the legal limits of where they are dumpster diving. If shoplifting at that mall is a problem (which you may never know) the police might not buy the story of they are just rummaging around randomly as they may think they were sent back for props or signage as that is something they look for. Also I worked at a 7-11 and we had this problem with couponers. Items in the dumpsters were still our property until picked up by the trash company so when we saw people back there we asked them to leave or we would have to call the police. As a store our owner wanted nothing to do with this, I mean we threw out the items and cut a loss as we couldn't sell them so why people thought they get then scoop them up for free was beyond me. As for waste we counted everything we didn't sell and adjusted numbers each week on our orders to cut down on loss.

This is why it is best to call the police in your area to verify that diving is legal where you live. It sounds like your area had an ordinance that somehow allowed a store to claim ownership over trash. The trespassing thing is real though...that needs to be a consideration, absolutely. Be aware of signs of private property, no tresspassing, etc. Dumpster diving an actual mall is never a good idea.

What was the deal with couponers? They were looking in the dumpster for the papers that held the coupons or something? I always thought stores returned those papers or something, so in that case it may be theft (even if inadvertent).

 

[ptlohmysoul]

In our area, we can't put out large trash items without paying extra for pick-up. Setting out big things with a "free" sign on it would cause problems with strict home owner's associations. We can, however, use free cycle or call someone who will pick up scrap metal for free. I can't fathom why people don't use free cycle more often, rather than loading up our land with trash that is actually usable (until it's combined with trash).

 

[angierae]

In our area, we can't put out large trash items without paying extra for pick-up. Setting out big things with a "free" sign on it would cause problems with strict home owner's associations. We can, however, use free cycle or call someone who will pick up scrap metal for free. I can't fathom why people don't use free cycle more often, rather than loading up our land with trash that is actually usable (until it's combined with trash).

I gave up on Freecycle because I would post things, juggle four different people who said they wanted something, and then no one would show up.

 

[Halle]

It's been going on for years so no, not a new thing. I've never done it as I've never been that desperate for food or any items. If my family were starving, then sure I'd do anything.

A lot of places now lock the dumpsters so people can't do it, I think that was more because they were making a mess.

We had to lock the dumpsters at our office because other people who don't want to pay for trash collection unload their trash in our dumpster which was increasing our costs.

 

[runwad]

A few years ago someone put out an old fashioned wood rocker. I was driving by in my van and hauled it home. My DH is a germophobe so no way I could bring anything with fabric in but wood I could. Still I washed it down outside first.

Then this summer someone had metal lawn chairs out on the tree lawn and I scooped them up too, I needed extra on my patio. Those are the only two times I've done that but have seen multiple things I wanted to take.

I put things out on my curb for people to take. I don't like filling up the landfill's either!!

 

[SWofDisorder]

I once had a plastic picnic table I put on the side of road with Gratis on it. It was gone in 5 minutes. Glad to help others and less in the landfill.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

I heard people look for coupon books this way.

I would have historically said oh no not me. Then my flight was delayed one time and I was at an airport for days. I had run out of cash. Well soon my pride went out the window. I was stalking tables at the food court for people to leave food. I managed to feed and water myself this way. Amazing how you can say never when you haven't been in that situation! I now regulary give to homeless charties. I only suffered days. And it was horrible! Plus I was in shelter.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

We had to lock the dumpsters at our office because other people who don't want to pay for trash collection unload their trash in our dumpster which was increasing our costs.

UGH!!! That is 100% illegal for people to do. There was one great dumpster for bubble wrap that was locked up for like 2 years because people were constantly dumping in giant old TVs, mattresses, tires...ugh. I didn't blame the store one bit for locking it up.

I heard people look for coupon books this way.

I would have historically said oh no not me. Then my flight was delayed one time and I was at an airport for days. I had run out of cash. Well soon my pride went out the window. I was stalking tables at the food court for people to leave food. I managed to feed and water myself this way. Amazing how you can say never when you haven't been in that situation! I now regulary give to homeless charties. I only suffered days. And it was horrible! Plus I was in shelter.

Oh it's absolutely awful that whatever airline did this to you didn't provide you with food vouchers at least. You do what you have to do I guess...better than starving.

 

[Aryn]

One year Wendys was doing a promotion where you could get free flights with codes on their cups. My husband got into that dumpster(with permission from the owner) and we got 4 free flights! That was the only time we have actually gotten into a dumpster. We have taken things off the curb many times. It's amazing what people will throw away.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Oh it's absolutely awful that whatever airline did this to you didn't provide you with food vouchers at least. You do what you have to do I guess...better than starving.

I know right! I think they have to supply give you vouchers by law now in Europe.

 

[Sagginit]

This is why it is best to call the police in your area to verify that diving is legal where you live. It sounds like your area had an ordinance that somehow allowed a store to claim ownership over trash. The trespassing thing is real though...that needs to be a consideration, absolutely. Be aware of signs of private property, no tresspassing, etc. Dumpster diving an actual mall is never a good idea.

What was the deal with couponers? They were looking in the dumpster for the papers that held the coupons or something? I always thought stores returned those papers or something, so in that case it may be theft (even if inadvertent).

I am not sure if there is any town that has an ordinance that says dumpsters on commercial private property do not count as part of the property, this has come up on the boards before as there is this idea that once "thrown out" items are fair game but in a commercial setting that is not always true. What if they had a contract with a recycling company for the materials? I remember there was a thread on this a while ago about couponers getting arrested for taking newspapers by the bundle and in my area a crime ring just got caught stealing plastic bins and palettes. Apparently this "recycling company" would take the branded stuff no questions asked and make it into pellets to sell on the marketplace. People were taking them from the curbs of stores after they were left out for pick up, but again I would imagine a few of those people may have genuinely thought they were just taking trash and hit the jackpot.

I grew up in a townhouse and you would see people dumpster dive there and it was more like a communal parking lot so no cops every showed up, but in a mall they even have their own security and often cameras in those areas so this is one place I do not recommend fishing around in. This is a reason why retail stores use clear plastic bags, to ensure their employees don't throw out items for others to pick up later out of the dumpster.

As for the newspapers when I worked at a 7-11 we only had to turn in the cover of magazines and the top portion of the front page of the newspaper. The rest was on us to recycle on the honor system. It was too expensive for the company to take back and ship back the actual paper in its entirety. That being said we could only right off and get a refund on so much from what I was told, so the owner wanted to deter people from using us as a place to get free coupons as he preferred to actually sell his stock. People would see us carting out the items and then try to sneak into the dumpster area. This was also a liability because the recycling bins were not neatly stacked, just piles of cardboard thrown in, so someone could get hurt jumping in and wading around.

 

[crisi]

If you are hungry, dumpster diving is one of the ways you survive. If you get expired cans of food or jars of food out, it isn't going to be contaminated, just past the sell date. And noodles or cereal wrapped in plastic - big deal, the plastic rinses.

Other places tend to have pretty clean trash - if you are going to go shopping out of a dumpster, you learn who has clean trash and when they usually bring it out. You aren't digging through moldy banana peels unless you are really hungry.

I suspect stalking a Walgreen's dumpster for expired or discontinued makeup probably isn't a very disgusting thing, and its all wrapped. You aren't getting someone's used mascara - you are getting the old Maybeline that has the old package design.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

I am not sure if there is any town that has an ordinance that says dumpsters on commercial private property do not count as part of the property, this has come up on the boards before as there is this idea that once "thrown out" items are fair game but in a commercial setting that is not always true. What if they had a contract with a recycling company for the materials? I remember there was a thread on this a while ago about couponers getting arrested for taking newspapers by the bundle and in my area a crime ring just got caught stealing plastic bins and palettes. Apparently this "recycling company" would take the branded stuff no questions asked and make it into pellets to sell on the marketplace. People were taking them from the curbs of stores after they were left out for pick up, but again I would imagine a few of those people may have genuinely thought they were just taking trash and hit the jackpot.

I grew up in a townhouse and you would see people dumpster dive there and it was more like a communal parking lot so no cops every showed up, but in a mall they even have their own security and often cameras in those areas so this is one place I do not recommend fishing around in. This is a reason why retail stores use clear plastic bags, to ensure their employees don't throw out items for others to pick up later out of the dumpster.

As for the newspapers when I worked at a 7-11 we only had to turn in the cover of magazines and the top portion of the front page of the newspaper. The rest was on us to recycle on the honor system. It was too expensive for the company to take back and ship back the actual paper in its entirety. That being said we could only right off and get a refund on so much from what I was told, so the owner wanted to deter people from using us as a place to get free coupons as he preferred to actually sell his stock. People would see us carting out the items and then try to sneak into the dumpster area. This was also a liability because the recycling bins were not neatly stacked, just piles of cardboard thrown in, so someone could get hurt jumping in and wading around.

There are definitely some areas with weird trash ordinances...they aren't the norm, but they do exist. That's why divers should always call the police to double check their area for ordinances before they start to dive.

Recycling is a whole other ballgame. It's my understanding (at least for my area) that recycling is owned by the town. Taking something out of a recycle bin isn't something I'd do, but again your mileage may vary so check your own ordinances. All of the packing material I get I find in dumpsters, not recycle bins. In my area that is legal. I asked the cops. I even once got stopped by a cop and when I explained what I was doing he told me where else to check lol.

What you described sounds like theft (newspaper bundles and the plastic bins that stores use to load/unload stuff?). Unless that stuff was in the actual dumpster, the people you are describing stole it, they didn't dumpster dive it. Why would they think newspapers bundled and just sitting there were fair game? Not in the trash=not trash.

Dumpster diving a mall is crazy in my book. I'd assume security would run divers off for liability reasons.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

One year Wendys was doing a promotion where you could get free flights with codes on their cups. My husband got into that dumpster(with permission from the owner) and we got 4 free flights! That was the only time we have actually gotten into a dumpster. We have taken things off the curb many times. It's amazing what people will throw away.

That's totally awesome, but I'm not sure I could get into a fast food dumpster even for free flights lol!!! It must have been so gross (but obviously it paid off).

 

[tvguy]

There are definitely some areas with weird trash ordinances...they aren't the norm, but they do exist. That's why divers should always call the police to double check their area for ordinances before they start to dive.

Recycling is a whole other ballgame. It's my understanding (at least for my area) that recycling is owned by the town. Taking something out of a recycle bin isn't something I'd do, but again your mileage may vary so check your own ordinances. All of the packing material I get I find in dumpsters, not recycle bins. In my area that is legal. I asked the cops. I even once got stopped by a cop and when I explained what I was doing he told me where else to check lol.

What you described sounds like theft (newspaper bundles and the plastic bins that stores use to load/unload stuff?). Unless that stuff was in the actual dumpster, the people you are describing stole it, they didn't dumpster dive it. Why would they think newspapers bundled and just sitting there were fair game? Not in the trash=not trash.

Dumpster diving a mall is crazy in my book. I'd assume security would run divers off for liability reasons.

This thread has been up for over 2 weeks, and in that time I have noticed a lot of dumpsters at businesses are padlocked. Not sure if that is to keep dumpster divers out, or to keep someone else's trash out.

 

[Dakota731]

When I worked at an expensive private college on move-out day, you would see tons of like new big screen tvs, chairs, sofas, refrigerators, end tables etc. The kids (and parents) didn't want to have to haul their stuff home, so they'd just buy new every year. I no longer feel sorry for parents paying $25,000 year in tuition after seeing these spoiled entitled kids.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

This thread has been up for over 2 weeks, and in that time I have noticed a lot of dumpsters at businesses are padlocked. Not sure if that is to keep dumpster divers out, or to keep someone else's trash out.

At this time of year, I think businesses would be crazy NOT to lock their dumpsters because of people dumping in. People get a deal on that new flat-screen on black friday and then don't want to pay to dispose of the hazardous waste big old TV so they look for open dumpsters to dump it in illegally.

When I worked at an expensive private college on move-out day, you would see tons of like new big screen tvs, chairs, sofas, refrigerators, end tables etc. The kids (and parents) didn't want to have to haul their stuff home, so they'd just buy new every year. I no longer feel sorry for parents paying $25,000 year in tuition after seeing these spoiled entitled kids.

UGH, yup. ITA about the spoiled, entitled part. The recycling nonprofit I'm on the board of tried to get the "sustainability officer" at the local university to commit to a plan to re-route this crazy waste to those in need and we just couldn't come up with a workable solution. It should be simple but it was anything but...I came away from the meeting with the feeling that the school would rather just let it all be thrown out and not be bothered.

 

[tvguy]

When I worked at an expensive private college on move-out day, you would see tons of like new big screen tvs, chairs, sofas, refrigerators, end tables etc. The kids (and parents) didn't want to have to haul their stuff home, so they'd just buy new every year. I no longer feel sorry for parents paying $25,000 year in tuition after seeing these spoiled entitled kids.

Sure has changed from when I was in college (1975to 1979). I had a 9" black and white TV, and people thought that was odd even though I was a Broadcasting major. Had an electric typewriter and a stereo. Throw in some pens and paper, and my clothing and bedding, THAT was all I took away to college. It all fit in the trunk of a Pinto with room to spare.
Fast forward 30 years when my kids were in college, I was amazed at the stuff I saw going into the dorms. Mind you, the dorm rooms come fully furnished, and there isn't even room for any of the big screen TVs, couches and even queen sized beds I saw being hauled in.

 

[seashoreCM]

Once I cut through a neighborhood to avoid traffic out on the main street and stopped to pick up some good wooden chairs that someone had left on the sidewalk for the trash man or junk man. Sold them on Craig's List for decent money. Other times I have picked up various stuff notably some computer printers and some metal shelves off of the sidewalk.

At least one fast food restaurant locked their dumpster after throwing discarded food in so dumpster divers would not eat the food and get sick (or claim they got sick) and sue the restaurant.

 

[klmall]

Many years ago when DS was still in diapers I would cruise his daycare neighborhood on trash days and cut out the diaper points on the boxes by the curb. I literally "pointed" my way to tons of toys, games and even small pieces of furniture. Nobody seemed to mind and one time a neighbor putting out trash just handed me her diaper boxes!