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Dumpster Diving

• Dumpster Diving Definition
  Here's a definition of dumpster diving, provided by a dictionary at LaborLawTalk.

• Dumpster Diving by Thomas V. Kukura, J.D
  This is an article that appeared in the February 1991 issue of the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin.

• Legalities (of dumpster diving) by Dan Birchall
  While the author of this article indicates that he is not a lawyer, he gives some interesting information about some of the legal concerns of dumpster diving.

• The Privacy Of Garbage
  Here's a very interesting article by Dr. Ronald B. Standler, attorney in Massachusetts and consultant.

• Dumpster diving becomes illegal in Missouri Valley
  Here's an article from the Missouri Valley Times News, by Peter Graham, editor, that discusses Resolution 06-10, "A Resolution Making it a Simple Misdemeanor to get into a Dumpster that Doesn't Belong to You or Your Business."

• Layton Outlaws Dumpster Diving
  Here's an article at ksl.com that discusses Layton, Utah's new law meant to help prevent identity theft. The law does not apply to police, owners of dumpsters, or trash collectors.

• Is Dumpster Diving Illegal?
  Before leaping into someone else's rubbish, you might want to read this article written by a lawyer.

• Dumpster Diving by Answers.com
  Here is an article that gives quite a bit of information about the practice of dumpster diving.

• Dumpster Diving Lawsuit
  Here is some information about a lawsuit: Surface Shields v. Poly-Tak, (Northern District of Illinois, Judge Bucklo) and a lawyer named David J. Fish who won a multi-million dollar dumpster diving lawsuit for his client.

• Jail Time For Dumpster Diving For Food
  Here is an article by Scott Stanford about some dumpster divers who took some old produce from a dumpster and got jail time.

• PLA's Dumpster Diving Page
  This page on dumpster diving has some interesting information about a law that was passed in Connecticut.

• The Law of Garbage
  Here is an interesting discussion about this topic on the LaborLawTalk.com discussion board.

• Northwest Airlines Advises Low Income Employees To Practice Dumpster Diving
  Check out this article by Reuters that claims that Northwest Airlines advised employees whose jobs were about to be cut not to be too shy to take stuff out of the trash.

• Treasures or Trash—What’s in Your Dumpster?
  Here's an article by the Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive that deals with trash surveillance.

• Just When You Think You've Heard It All, Along Comes...Dumpster Diving
  Here's an entertaining blog post on dumpster diving by a girl named Michelle.

• Dumpster World
  Keep abreast of the latest dumpster diving news and network with dumpster divers.

Many private investigators and others wonder if dumpster diving is legal. While it may be legal under certain circumstances, it is always wise to check with lawyer in your specific area to find out what the laws are. There are many areas that have laws that specifically prohibit dumpster diving. Sometimes, it may be ok for the police to use dumpster diving. While the California v. Greenwood U.S. Supreme Court case held that there is no common law expectation of privacy for discarded materials, there are specific state and local ordinances in many areas that prohibit dumpster diving. Dumpster Diving in England and Wales may constitute theft under the Theft Act 1968, or as common-law theft in Scotland. Now some private investigators may be wondering whether or not it is ok to retrieve someone's telephone records from a trash can and then sell those records to someone else. It is definitely wise to check with an attorney about this due to civil litigation concerns. Remember, though, even if you win a lawsuit, you still have to pay to defend yourself in court! Also, with identity theft becoming more and more prevalent, it is reasonable to expect that there will soon be more legislation concerning using this practice to obtain peoples' credit card statements and other such financial information.

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