How To Get A Law Degree

Dumpster diving (known as skipping in the UK) is the practice of sifting through commercial or residential trash to find items that have been discarded by their owners, but which may be useful to the dumpster diver.

Alternate names and etymology

The practice of dumpster diving is also known variously as bin-diving, containering, binning, D-mart, dumpstering, garbage picking, tatting, skally-wagging, "recycled" food or trashing.

The dumpster diving term originates from the best-known manufacturer of commercial trash bins, Dempsey, who use the trade name "Dumpster," for their bins, and the fanciful image of someone leaping head first into a dumpster as if it were a swimming pool. In practice, the size and design of most dumpsters makes it possible to retrieve many items from the outside of dumpsters without having to "dive" into them.

Background

Traditionally, most people who resort to dumpster-diving are forced to do so out of economic necessity. The karung guni, Zabaleen, the rag and bone man, waste picker, junk man or bin hoker are people who make their living by sorting and trading trash. A similar process was known as gleaning was practiced in rural areas and some ancient agricultural societies, where the residual from farmers' fields were collected.

Some dumpster divers self-identified as freegans aim to avoid their ecological impact by liveing exclusively from dumpster dived goods.

Artists use discarded materials to create works of found art or assemblage. Students may use salvaged high tech items in technical projects. Still others may dumpster dive just to indulge in their curiosity for unusual items.

Dumpster diving, used in support of academic research, is a tool for garbologists, who study the sociology and archeology of trash in modern life. There is a major outpost of academic garbology at the University of Arizona, directed for some decades by William Rathje. Others, because of their profession, may use dumpster diving as a method of procedure for private investigators, police, and others seeking information and material for official purposes.

By reusing resources destined for the landfill, dumpster diving becomes a environmentalist endeavor (and is thus being practiced by many pro-green communities). The perceived wastefulness of consumer society and throw away culture drive some individuals to rescue usable items (e.g. computers) from destruction and divert them to the less fortunate. Some see it as their only way of making any money or getting some needed goods in bad economic times.

Irregular, blemished, or damaged items that are still otherwise functional are regularly thrown away. Discarded food that might have slight imperfections, that is near its expiration date, or that is simply being replaced by newer stock is often thrown away despite being still edible. Many retailers are reluctant to sell this stock at reduced prices due to the belief that people will buy it instead of the higher priced newer stock; that extra handling time is required; and that there are liability risks.

Arguments against dumpster diving often focus on the health and cleanliness implications of people rummaging in trash. This exposes the dumpster divers to potential health risks, and, especially if the dumpster diver does not return the non-usable items to their previous location, may leave trash scattered around. Further, there are also concerns around the legality of taking items which may still technically belong to the person who threw them away (or to the waste management operator), and whether the taking of some items like discarded documents is a violation of privacy.

Items commonly found

Dumpster diving is practiced differently in developed countries than in developing countries. In many economically developing countries, food is rarely thrown away unless it is rotten. In countries like the United States where 40-50% of food is wasted, the trash contains a lot of food. In many countries, charities collect excess food from supermarkets and restaurants and distribute it to the needy. Dumpster divers, Karung guni, Zabaleen, and rag and bone men in these countries may concentrate on looking for usable items or scrap materials to sell.

In the United States, Canada, and Europe, some bakeries, grocery stores, or restaurants will routinely donate food according to a Good Samaritan Food Donation Act, but more often, because of health laws or company policy, they are required to discard food items by the expiration date, because of overstock, being overly ripened, spoiled, cosmetically imperfect, or blemished.

Offices, factories, department stores, and other commercial establishments also may throw out nonperishable items that are irregular, were returned, have minor damages, or are replaced by newer inventory. Most items tend to be in such a state of disrepair or cosmetically flawed that they will require some work by the dumpster diver to make the items functionally usable. In some cases, owners may intentionally destroy items before discarding to prevent them being reused or resold.

As proof to publishing houses of unsold merchandise , Booksellers will routinely remove the front covers of printed materials to render them destroyed and the remains thrown in the dumpster. Though readable, many damaged publications have disclaimers and legal notices against their existence or sale.

Residential buildings can be a good source of clothing, furniture, appliances, and other housewares

Some consumer electronics are dumped because of their rapid depreciation, obsolescence, cost to repair, or expense to upgrade. Owners of functional computers may find it easier to dump them rather than donate because many non-profits and schools are unable or unwilling to work with used equipment. Some organizations like Geeks Into The Streets, reBOOT, Free Geek and Computerbank try to refurbish old computers for charity or educational use.

Sometimes dumpsters may contain recyclable metals and materials that can be reused or sold to recycling plants and scrap yards. The most common recyclable metals found are steel and then aluminum. Rarer and more valuable metals are copper, lead, and other scrap metals.

Often, dumpsters can be an unintended source of information. Unwanted files, letters, memos, photographs, IDs, and other paperwork (or their digital equivalents) have been found in dumpsters.

Legal status

Because dumpsters are usually located on private premises people may occasionally get in trouble for trespassing while dumpster diving, though the law is enforced with varying degrees of rigor. Dumpster diving per se is often legal when not specifically prohibited by law. Abandonment of property is another principal of law which applies to recovering materials via dumpster diving. Police (and possibly other) searches of dumpsters and like discards are also generally not violations; evidence seized in this way has been permitted in many criminal trials. The doctrine is less well established in regard to civil litigation.

Companies run by private investigators specializing in dumpster diving have sprung up as a result of the need for discreet, undetected retrieval of documents and evidence for civil and criminal trials. Private investigators have also written books on "P.I. technique" in which dumpster diving or its equivalent "wastebasket recovery," figures prominently.

  • In the United States The California v. Greenwood case in the U.S. Supreme Court held that there is no common law expectation of privacy for discarded materials. There are however limits to what can legally be taken from a company's refuse. In a 1983 Minnesota case involving the theft of customer lists from a garbage can, Tennant Company v. Advance Machine Company , the owner of the discarded information was awarded $500,000 in damages.
  • Dumpster diving in England and Wales may qualify as theft within the Theft Act 1968 or as common-law theft in Scotland, though there is very little enforcement in practice.
  • In Italy, a law issued in 2000 declared dumpster diving to be legal.
  • In Sweden, the contents of a dumpster is the property of the owner of the dumpster so taking items from a dumpster is technically theft.
  • In Germany, the contents of a dumpster is the property of the owner of the dumpster so taking items from a dumpster is technically theft. However the police will routinely disregard dumpster divers due to the zero value of the items - there is only one case known of an actual prosecution: the thieves were arrested on assumed burglary as they had surmounted a fence and the supermarket owner made a complaint on theft later.
  • In Canada, The Trespass to Property Act - legislation dating back to the British North America Act of 1867 - grants property owners and security guards the power to ban anyone from their premises, for any reason, permanently. This is done by issuing a notice to the intruder, who will only be breaking the law on return. A recent case involved a police officer who retrieved a discarded weapon from trash as evidence; the Judge ruled it as legal without a warrant, so some have speculated this is enough backing for anyone to raid garbage.
  • A Belgian dumpster diver and eco-activist

    How to Become a Lawyer, Law Degree Distance Learning ...

    How to Become a Lawyer Buy Book Book Author LSAT Prep California Law Schools Non ABA Law Schools Get a Law Degree Online Law Degree What is a Juris Doctor DC Bar Option Resources Contact FAQ

    ...

    Get a Law Degree :: Juris Doctor

    Get a law degree: Once, you’re truly convinced you want to get a law degree, you have two possible methods to choose from. online law school and disstance law school vs ABA law ...

    ...

    How Do I Get a Law Enforcement Degree?

    Brief and Straightforward Guide: How Do I Get a Law Enforcement Degree?

    ...

    Enroll to get your Law Degree.

    Find schools where you can get your Law Degree.

    ...

    Getting a Degree in Law | eHow.com

    Getting a Degree in Law.Obtaining a law degree requires dedication. The path you choose to getting your law degree can affect your career options down the line. Let the eHow ...

    ...

    Get A Law Degree Online — Just another Internationl ...

    Just another Internationl Finance Network weblog ... Default Widget. This is Sidebar 1. You can edit the content that appears here by visiting your Widgets panel and modifying the current ...

    ...

    GET A UK LAW DEGREE BY DISTANCE LEARNING - uk.net ...

    There are currently too many topics in this group that display first. To make this topic appear first, remove this option from another topic.

    ...

    I want to get a law degree in the USA? Please Help ...

    - Now as to where to take law in the states, consider that the school you will attend will have connections to the law firms of the area. So once you get your degree you may stay ...

    ...

    What jobs can i get with a pre-law degree? - Yahoo ...

    i just recently graduated college at the top of my… ... i just recently graduated college at the top of my class with a degree in pre-law and political science bachelor. i am ...

    ...

    What non-legal job can you get with a law degree ...

    "What non-legal job can you get with a law degree?" - Find the answer to this question and millions more on Yahoo!7 Answers.

    ...