Is it illegal to take things out of a public dumpster?

I don’t know the answer to your question on legality (probably it isn’t legal), but I feel pretty sure that unless today is Dumpster pickup day, the mattress won’t be there tomorrow. Someone who either does need it or expects to sell it will collect it after hours tonight.

P.S. What do you mean by “public”?

Hell, mail it to me, I’m in the market for a new bed.

^^^^ Right?

Years ago, when the kids were still at home, I worked next to a furniture shop. Eventually my son wound up with a bed that was about 6 mattresses high! It was like a tree-house bed.

Unless local ordinance forbids it, dumpster diving is legal, but if it’s on private property you could be guilty of trespassing.

Um…it’s in a city parking lot.

Then unless there’s a fence around it it’s open season.

Well hell! I’m on it!

…The other morning there was a full box of about 10 home made cinnamon rolls in the dumpster from the Daylight Doughnut store next door. The box was open, and lying on top of everything. I looked around for some hungry homeless people so I would have a reason to pull them out (I’d would have had to hang over the edge, with my feet off the ground to get them) but there weren’t any homeless people so I sadly walked away.

I got an almost brand new collapsible dog crate the other day. And a few weeks ago, an old, broken wooden Adirondak chair that was a fun afternoon project to put together. And, like, most of the furniture in my house.

I know someone who says that sooner or later you can get almost anything you want out of a Dumpster. I’ve never tried it myself, but I’ve seen some of the finds. They’re amazing.

Yep! There aren’t many Dumpsters near me, but I make a point to drive around the neighborhood on trash day. You’d be amazed at what people throw away.

Watch out for bed bugs. Something might be wrong with the couch.

Technically, it is theft.

@ragingloli In the U. S. of A. it not illegal to “dumpster dive”, unless it is on private property. Trash at the street is abandoned property.

I had a friend many years ago that was an VP of a large Insurance company. There was a twenty percent reduction including him. The neighborhood and surrounding town he lived in was high income and he made a living going around on the night before trash day. He was able to make mortgage and taxes, his wife was working for food and utilities. Several pieces of museum quality items from the revolutionary war (rifles and swords) and mid 1800’s dynamite plungers and documents.

@ragingloli – the Supreme Court determined in 1988 that anything placed in refuse bins, garbage cans, or by the side of the road is abandoned and there is no theft or violation of privacy if one snoops or takes those things.

It was intended to protect police officers looking for warrantless evidence, but the ruling applies to everyone equally. Thus dumpster diving = legal, as long as you don’t have to trespass to do it.

@Seek
In Germany (best country in the multiverse), garbage becomes the property of the waste disposal company the moment you put it outside. (last time I checked, anyway)

I’m in agreement totally that it’s legal and you can’t be charged for that.. But imagine a situation someone comes to your house and says you know what that’s the piece of garbage I threw away last month..how would you feel then?

You mean like, the neighbor who lives three doors down from me might come by and say, “Hey! You took that broken, rotting Adirondak chair out of my trash can, repaired the arms, filled the insect damage, sanded it down, primed, and painted it, and I WANT IT BACK!”

I’d happily tell him he’s more than welcome to pay me fair market value for my refinished chair, and that I’d be more than pleased to take a look at any furniture he plans on throwing away in the future, saving him the effort of dragging it out to the curb.

Haven’t you heard “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure?”.

Just to be sure, I’ll risk a little bit of my dignity, get inside, and ask them if the couch is free for the taking. You can explain your reasons, and even if they demand that you pay half of the price it’s still to your advantage since you get stuff (which you can use at later time) at bargain price.

@imrainmaker Why in the world would you worry about something so dumb? Can you imagine a situation where someone came to your door and said, “How you like that piece of garbage I threw away last month,” and you could say, “I sold it to a collector for $50,000.” How would you feel then?
I suppose you shun second hand stores too. Oh, the humiliation.

@RedDeerGuy1 It’s not a couch. It’s a bed mattress. A brand new bed mattress from a furniture store, still in the plastic. Do you fret about bed bugs when you bring a new mattress home from the store? Do you fret about bed bugs when you bring a new couch home from the store, or a recliner?

@Seek _ Adirondack._ :’(

@Unofficial_Member Of course I have heard that phrase. That doesn’t answer the question as to whether it’s legal or not. AND IT’S NOT A COUCH!!! And it’s in a public dumpster!! And why would I ask anyone? They’re THROWING IT AWAY!!

One time, 15 years or so ago, I worked next to an office supply store. I was outside in the back alley, smoking. This guy comes along, pushing a really super nice office chair. It wasn’t your run of the mill black or grey chair. It has a patterned maroon material on it, high backed, wooden arms. Really nice.
I said, “Hey! Where you going with my chair?!”
He said, “To the dump.”
I said, “Twenny bucks!”
He said, “Done!”
He was happy, I was happy. I still have it to this day. Priced one just like it later. It was like, $250.

@dutchess_III – I don’t intend to humiliate anyone and not against any second hand store / dont look down to people because of it. I personally think if you are capable enough you should try to get things on your own because there will be people who would be in need of such things more than you and not able to affoard it.

I kind of lost you on that. Are you saying that if I have the money to buy a new mattress, I should buy one and not take a free one that’s just going to end up in the land fill if I don’t?

I think @imrainmaker is saying that if you have the money to buy a new mattress, you should buy one and not take a free one that’s likely to be claimed by some homeless person who couldn’t possibly afford to pay for it.

@Jeruba Around here it most likely wouldn’t be claimed by a homeless person. We don’t have any homeless people that I know of. Besides, from what I understand, homeless people wander. Sometimes they stay at a shelter, sometimes under a bridge or in a doorway. Homeless people get chased from place to place by the police. Who is going to move from place to place lugging a queen size mattress?

In addition, please review my comment in the details: I don’t need it, but somebody could sure use it. It seems like such a horrible waste.”

I’m as sure as I can be that it will end up in the landfill. But, I can always take the high road because I didn’t claim it. I can be very proud of myself.

I think if @Dutchess_III left it and it were behind a building, it’s very likely that the garbage truck would make it there before anybody found it, especially a homeless person.

^^^^ Exactly.

My father (may he forever rot) once brought a plant from the dump.
It was full of ants.

If nothing else, she could have dragged it home and listed it for free on Craigslist to anyone who can show her their food stamp card.

Anyone broke enough to need help buying groceries can’t afford a new bed and probably needs one.

Right. I can’t believe how expensive new mattresses are. Rick and I were watching a commercial for financing, and he said, “If you’re still paying off a mattress after two years there’s something wrong!”

I had a girlfriend once, who was a very staunch Christian. A hailstorm hit our area. Insurance was paying out a lot of claims. I went by her house not long after, and saw she had a virtually brand new mattress sitting by the trash. I was really poor, and really, really needed one, in fact I’d been looking for one for quite a while, and she knew it, but she said I couldn’t have it. She said a window had broken in the hail storm, and scattered some glass on the (sheet covered) mattress.
She filed an insurance claim on it. When I got a bit upset that she wouldn’t let me have it, she indignantly informed me that insurance wouldn’t pay the claim if she didn’t throw it away.
When I questioned that, she allowed as how they wouldn’t know, actually, but it would be like lying, and as a Christian she won’t lie.
As I kind of looked at her, astounded, she quickly amended it to she wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if she gave me the mattress, knowing that a piece of glass could work it’s way out of the mattress and into someone’s eye.

Gotta love them Christians. They does take the high road.

@Dutchess_III, I think you mistook my restatement of @imrainmaker‘s comment (which is what you were questioning) for an expression of my own opinion. I’m sorry if that distinction was not perfectly clear.

I understood what you were saying, and assume it was your opinion also, @Jeruba. Your rephrasing and clarification made way for more clarification on my part.

I hope I can fairly and effectively restate my understanding of anybody’s view on any subject without subscribing to that view myself.

One of the things I used to do frequently in contentious meetings at work was to calmly summarize what each of the opponents was saying, without all the argumentative rhetoric and irrelevancies. Often they were too worked up or too involved to hear each other clearly. That didn’t necessarily lead to agreement, but it did sometimes mean they could talk about the issues rather than their misunderstandings.

Update: Mattress was still there this morning (Monday morning.) But by noon it was gone, along with everything else in the dumpster. It’s off to the landfill.

But at least I didn’t take it out to give away or something.

Argh. Now there are 3 large, perfectly good, hard plastic carpet saver pads, the kind you put under your office chair and roll around on. None of the them are broken or anything. They look like they’ve never been used. I don’t understand these people