People rummaging through neighborhood garbage cans (crime, disposing, live)

[renault]

How do you folks deal with neighbors or homeless people picking through your garbage and recycle containers on garbage days?

For the past few weeks we've noticed an uptick in people wandering around the neighborhood looking through everybody's garbage cans. Some appeared to be driving through and would stop and look, but one person who appears to be a homeless person or a bag lady pushes a shopping cart full of recyclable cans and whatnot. I don't have a problem with that.

What disturbs me most is that some of these people think it's perfectly okay to trespass on private property to get to the cans and look through them. I wouldn't mind so much if they were out on the curb but not if the cans are on my property and in one instance we caught somebody walking into our garage to get to the recycle container! He ran away before we could say or do anything but it was unsettling to come across that.

Has this been happening to anybody else?

[Dawne]

Call your local police department to be sure they are aware of it. Record dates and times that it happens and if there's a pattern the police might be able to step up patrols and catch them in the act.

[susquehannock]

I think it's considered 'abandoned property' once you put it on the curb to be picked up.

[Ohiogirl81]

It would creep me out to find strangers in my garage. Keep your garage door shut and locked whenever it's not inconvenient.

[blauskies]

They do it all the time here, once the recycle bins or anything with copper or aluminum hits the street, it's fair game. I even remember when I lived in PA, people would dumpster dive before it was even defined as such. Very popular in the coal regions to steal copper pipes, cable, wire or anything that can be turned in for scrap $. Tires though are worthless, so they got dumped over the side of the road along with other garbage.

[kettlepot]

Originally Posted by susquehannock

I think it's considered 'abandoned property' once you put it on the curb to be picked up.

We have this problem in San Diego as well. However, in San Diego, items in the Recyclables bin is considered the property of the city while rummaging through them is theft and is prohibited by city ordinance.

[Dawne]

I don't know that anything can be done about what's at the curb, but definitely call the police if people are coming onto your property or into your garage!!

[Gil3]

Originally Posted by renault

How do you folks deal with neighbors or homeless people picking through your garbage and recycle containers on garbage days?

For the past few weeks we've noticed an uptick in people wandering around the neighborhood looking through everybody's garbage cans. Some appeared to be driving through and would stop and look, but one person who appears to be a homeless person or a bag lady pushes a shopping cart full of recyclable cans and whatnot. I don't have a problem with that.

What disturbs me most is that some of these people think it's perfectly okay to trespass on private property to get to the cans and look through them. I wouldn't mind so much if they were out on the curb but not if the cans are on my property and in one instance we caught somebody walking into our garage to get to the recycle container! He ran away before we could say or do anything but it was unsettling to come across that.

Has this been happening to anybody else?

I also wanted to add my 02 about what others here mentioned about the trash can becoming public property on the curb.

This may not even be common knowledge to many, but depending on where you live and the local ordinances, once you place that can on the curb, it's indeed public property. I didn't know this myself until I found out by watching Forensic Files and other crime shows where police have obtained evidence during the span of an investigation(legally, of course).

However, the people you mentioned have absolutely no business going onto your property, especially for the purpose of rummaging through your trash. This is another reason my wife and I are very careful when disposing of personal papers. A great opportunity for ID theft as well.

If the person continues trespassing, notify the police. Better yet, lock your garage door.

[susquehannock]

Originally Posted by Dawne

I don't know that anything can be done about what's at the curb, but definitely call the police if people are coming onto your property or into your garage!!

Even if it's on your property, as long as it is put out to be picked up by the trash collectors it's considered abandoned property. It's screwy, but that's the way it is.

[tgauchsin]

Originally Posted by renault

How do you folks deal with neighbors or homeless people picking through your garbage and recycle containers on garbage days?

How do I deal with this? Easy, the last thing I do before setting the can on the curb is shovel up the dog crap. Problem solved.