Found a dumpster, should I dive? and a vent

[Wolfsnaps]

So I have a shed I go to and I rummage for inserts. Might find between 2 and five a week. I know, not too exciting. The only paper recycling bins I knew of were in a high traffic area and not something I want to try. BUT. Today I was going to yard sales and came across a couple in a not so crowded area.

Should I do it? I just don't know. My husband says I will get fined and into a lot of trouble. Yeah, says the man who just shelled out $180 for a speeding ticket

Im not too worried about it. But I am nervous. Should I just slip in during the day and keep the lid closed, or venture out under the darkness of night with a flashlight?

I need opinions people! I think it is fun and lucrative to go through old papers. Finding valid inserts is FUN! Its almost as fun as using them.

Oh and speaking of yard sales, I went to one that was obviously a couponer. The new products being sold (Right guard body wash, bic razors, Loreal shampoo, etc.) were pretty familiar sounding. I mean, I get it, why not make a profit right? But two things really angered me about this. For one thing, her prices were darn close to retail prices. and for two, she had A LOT!!!!!!! First thing I thought of was, shelf clearer. I got upset and left.

I don't diss if you want to sell off your stock. Go for it. But don't charge almost as much as retail and don't buy all the product. Just plain rude. And greedy.

Rant over.

[joshmamabear]

First, make sure to check the laws/ordinances on dumpster diving in your area. If you can't find it online, better call the police station to find out. I've read some couponers got a haul of inserts and were fined $500 for illegal DDing in a private bin, so better be safe than sorry.

If it is allowed, then I suggest you take someone with you and do it @ daylight; dumpsters are breeding places of rodents so I don't suggest going there @ night with just a flashlight.

Good luck and I hope your first dive will be productive :)

[Wolfsnaps]

Yay. I just looked it up and in muy state it is not illegal. (Why did I not think to look that up before? Duh) So I am going to go in the day time. Good call on the rodents, blech.

I actually seen a youtube video of a guy who went at night with a head lamp. LOL.

I can't wait to go now! Probably next week sometime when I have the time. Thanks for your post Josh mama bear!

[434Teresa]

Most of the time they will warn you the first time anyway..

I would go early in the morning as soon as I could for its wont be as hot that way and you will be able to see things better


As far as the woman with the yard sale there is other ways to get stuff like that other than coupons. Yes she maybe a shelf clearer but then again she may not be.. I know someone that use to get that kind of stuff all the time when her hubby drove a big truck for if they over loaded the truck he was able to keep the left overs....then there is people that do live auctions they get that stuff by the cases sometimes that the box ant even open.....just saying dont judge someone and get mad when you dont know the rest of the story.

[breegold]

Is there a list posted somewhere of confirmed legal status per state on dumpster diving? That would be super helpful!

[Wolfsnaps]

434 teresa, you are so right. I shouldn't judge. I guess I just didn't care for her off the bat because she followed me around the whole time and had a sales pitch for everything I looked at. I don't do well on a hard sell.

Breegold, I just googled it and a PA police website came up and it said it is not illegal unless you are going in one that says no tresspassing or you are trying to get people's financial information. Have you tried looking up your state? I believe the site I went to was called Ask A Cop or something. And at any rate, My excuse if I did get in trouble was that I had dumped off some papers and maybe lost a piece of jewelry and oh please officer could you help me find it?




LOL!

[breegold]

Hmm... couldn't find anything specific to Massachusetts, just generalizations based on a Supreme Court verdict about police being able to search trash for evidence.

However, it did specifically reference people leaving their bags at the curb on trash day, and said that it is considered public domain. That's a relief, as I've been nabbing bags of newspapers from curbs on recycling day, and because some of the bags had mail in them, my boyfriend was concerned we were edging into illegal territory. Of course, I had no interest in people's mail and I returned everything that wasn't inserts to the curb for my scheduled recycling the next day, but I did want to make sure. Apparently the onus is on people to shred their own sensitive material before putting it on the curb if they're concerned.

[Paintbrush]

434 teresa, you are so right. I shouldn't judge. I guess I just didn't care for her off the bat because she followed me around the whole time and had a sales pitch for everything I looked at. I don't do well on a hard sell.

Breegold, I just googled it and a PA police website came up and it said it is not illegal unless you are going in one that says no tresspassing or you are trying to get people's financial information. Have you tried looking up your state? I believe the site I went to was called Ask A Cop or something. And at any rate, My excuse if I did get in trouble was that I had dumped off some papers and maybe lost a piece of jewelry and oh please officer could you help me find it?




LOL!

[TaraRN]

434 teresa, you are so right. I shouldn't judge. I guess I just didn't care for her off the bat because she followed me around the whole time and had a sales pitch for everything I looked at. I don't do well on a hard sell.

Breegold, I just googled it and a PA police website came up and it said it is not illegal unless you are going in one that says no tresspassing or you are trying to get people's financial information. Have you tried looking up your state? I believe the site I went to was called Ask A Cop or something. And at any rate, My excuse if I did get in trouble was that I had dumped off some papers and maybe lost a piece of jewelry and oh please officer could you help me find it?




LOL!

That's awesome!!!

[breegold]

OK, armed with fuzzy legalities, I hit up my town recycling center! A worker showed up towards the end, and very gruffly asked what I was doing. I innocently claimed that I was collecting coupons. He asked me if I was writing down names or taking people's personal information, and I happily lifted all my inserts out and spread them so he could see, and told him I wasn't interested in people's info, just coupons. I then sincerely thanked him for watching out for other people's welfare, and I got the tiniest smile out of him. Everything was from the 5-1-11 paper though, most of the coupons which expire tomorrow. I think my recycling day curb pickups work better.