By LawInspectsNo, dumpster diving is generally not illegal in the United States, but it depends on where you at and what you do. Like, just so we’re clear here, Dumpster Dive in the USA isn’t a free-for-all thing. If you’re someone who’s got no clue whether digging through trash is cool or gonna land you in some legal trouble or not then just keep on reading this one.
And for those who have no idea about what this dumpster diving thing is, well, just know that it is when you poke around a bit in those big trash bins, you know, mostly the ones that you find behind stores or apartments. Yes, some people dig in those to find useful stuff that is unused by somebody else and was thrown in the trash. We’re talking about things like food, clothes, some random things that you can sell later on, and things like that.
So why did we say that it is not like a yes or no answer with this dumpster diving thing right here in the USA? Oh, that’s just because there are local rules and private property rules involved, and that’s why no one can be certain about the legality of it all.
What the National Law Says?
So, right here in the United States, we got to see a big case around this dumpster diving thing, and that was back in 1988. Yes, we’re talking about the California v. Greenwood case here. So what was that? See, in that case, we saw the conclusion of the Supreme Court, and it was something like this: Once you toss/throw something in the trash and leave it out, it’s just not yours anymore, and anyone can check it out and even call their own once they find it. Simple as that!
That just goes to show that the law or the government don’t see dumpster diving as a crime and there is nothing that makes it an illegal thing. Though, while we talk about it on the national level, it is all well and good, and nothing to worry about, but if you talk about specific rules about this thing in the states, cities or towns, it could be a little different. Clear now?
How State and Local Rules Change Things
As we already told you, even though the national law says you’re pretty much good to go with dumpster diving, the state and cities can easily decide whether to make it a legal thing or not. Really? Oh yes, for example, down there in New York City, you can’t just go out there and keep those recyclables that are thrown out by someone because the city wants them for itself. And what even if you still decide to go down this path and dumpster dive anyway? Well, if you’re caught, you’ll have to pay a fine or maybe you’ll get arrested too.
Watch Out for Private Property
With this whole dumpster diving thing, you see, it gets a little tricky because of the private property laws. Like, you’d certainly know that you can’t just trespass on someone’s private property, right? And? Well, in most cases, where you find those dumpsters sitting pretty behind some apartment building or some store, well yes, those mostly are private properties.
So it is like you can’t just straight up go to these dumpsters and do your thing, it is just straight-up trespassing on somebody else’s property. And that’s right there is the illegal aspect of it, and that’s precisely why we said that we can’t say whether or not this dumpster diving thing is illegal or not because it depends upon these kinds of situations. Now you get it?