Is dumpster diving a crime if you are olny looking for recyclables?

Question

i want to dumpster dive. but i hear its illegal. but i heard its illegal because of identity theft. but if i went through the trash to look olny for plastics, metel, glass, and paper that will be shredded in a shredder. would i go to jail if i did this? i olny will do this to recycle. thats all.

Answer 1

if you toss stuff out it is considered to be public property now, but on that the dumpster itself and the land it sits on is not public

Answer 2

The supreme court ruled in California v. Greenwood that there is no expectation of privacy for your trash.  As a result you may go through trash left on the curb.  However, you may not climb fences to get into closed trash areas.

Answer 3

Dumpster diving is perfectly legal in most states. Be aware, however, that some states have deemed it illegal. There are many people and organizations that dumpster dive at department stores such as Wal-Mart, Office Depot and others and find great stuff that for some reason or another has been discarded. They then trade and discuss their finds.

Be aware that thieves also like to dumpster dive. There is a law office in my local area where client records were found, which included social security numbers and other personal information. Thieves will grab this stuff and use it to their advantage. My advice is to always shred.

Good luck in your recycling efforts. I am glad that you are doing this, whether it be to earn money or help better your environment.  

Answer 4

Do not be surprised when you are looked at like a weirdo!

But no police officer is ever going to cite you for trespassing for dumpster diving unless you jumped a fence or disregarded a trespassing sign to get to the thing.  

Your basic garden variety trash cans behind grocery stores and department stores are fair game man.