Dumpster diving (Los Angeles, San Fernando: apartment complex, crime, credit card)

[vegaspilgrim]

I'm living right by USC, and I've noticed on several occasions here homeless people on bicycles get inside my apartment complex and start fishing through the dumpster and reycling bin looking for bottles. This recycling program out there that pays people a certain $0.xx per can for bringing recyclables there is what's creating the problem here. I've personally witnessed them twice, but I'm pretty sure it happens almost every day because each day I keep finding new trash on the ground right by the dumpster. This is a small 1-building complex and it is gated, so presumably these creeps are jumping the fence to get in. Is there anything I can do about it? Will the police even care if I call them next time I see someone dumpster diving here? Or is this considered acceptable behavior in LA?

[greggd]

dem gettins is good.

[Humanoid]

This is pretty common. People do it in my complex all the time. There are a few different groups that come by me. I'm not sure whether they are homeless or not, one is a group of 3 teenagers though.

Anyhow, this is pretty normal behavior in this neck of the woods. In fact its pretty normal for any big city, although cans are a hot commodity because its so easy to recycle them.

I've never been bothered by it. In fact I consider them doing a good service, they are recycling things that others for whatever reason aren't recycling themselves.

[Clnconcpts]

Why would you care if they go through your trash?Remember you threw it out,means you dont want it.Now its open game for anyone who wants it.yuck

[Charles]

Originally Posted by Clnconcpts

Why would you care if they go through your trash?Remember you through it out,means you dont want it.Now its open game for anyone who wants it.yuck

You'd be surprised how many perfectly good toothbrushes I have found that way.

[SandyCo]

VP, yes, it's pretty common here in L.A. We have homeless people digging through our dumpsters in my apartment building, too, and Sherman Oaks is still a decent area. I'm not sure calling the police will get much of a response, especially in that neighborhood. I understand your frustration about the trash left all over the ground; luckily, our recyclers have the courtesy to sift through everything without throwing trash outside the dumpster.

[JTGJR]

Originally Posted by Clnconcpts

Why would you care if they go through your trash?Remember you threw it out,means you dont want it.Now its open game for anyone who wants it.yuck

One SHOULD care if they're not careful about what else they throw into the garbage- credit card offers, old bank statements, canceled checks, etc. I've seen "divers" going through my trash on the sidewalk. I now wait until I hear the trash trucks before I put my trash out. Even my recycling can.

[Lovehound]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

I'm living right by USC, and I've noticed on several occasions here homeless people on bicycles get inside my apartment complex and start fishing through the dumpster and reycling bin looking for bottles. This recycling program out there that pays people a certain $0.xx per can for bringing recyclables there is what's creating the problem here. ... Or is this considered acceptable behavior in LA?

Hiya VP and welcome to Los Angeles! You and I are often on the same side of issues, and we are again on the same side as evidenced by a thread I started a couple months ago: Recycling glass bottles in LA? (Los Angeles, San Fernando: home, income, health)

I'm annoyed by the practice because of several reasons including what JTGJR mentioned above, that it's possible some of the divers are looking for identity theft material although for the most part they're probably just looking for bottles. I'm annoyed because it's a public health issue; it can't be healthy for those people to dive through all that trash, and they'll probably show up at an emergency room if they need treatment, and no money to pay. I'm annoyed because it's a source of income for homeless people, and you may think my heart is cold but I don't believe that homeless people are the kind of people we want in our communities. I'm annoyed because I surmise many of them are illegal immigrants although I admit this is a surmise with nothing to back it up. I don't like it because it's disgusting. Finally, the City of LA picks up our recycle containers and recycles them and my understanding is that the city makes an income on the recycling that offsets our trash pick-up charges to some extent.

What's even more surprising is that I believe it's quite possible to make a good income diving for bottles. I had always thought that only CRV stuff could be turned in for money, but I was wrong wrong wrong. I had a discussion with the person at the local recycling center and found out that any glass beverage bottle can be turned in for money as calculated by weight. Last week I turned in 8 wine bottles just to find out what they were worth, and got 78 cents, almost a dime each!

So let's extrapolate. Say each household throws away several glass beverage bottles plus perhaps a dozen CRV bottles and cans. I don't know what CRVs pay, but assuming a dime each plus another dime each for the glass beverage non-CRV bottles, that could be as much as $2-$3 per household. My block has maybe 16 houses total of both sides, so that could net the trash diver $25-$50 per block. Okay, okay, maybe I'm over-estimating, but even at $10 per block, if somebody does 50-60 blocks per week that could amount to several hundred dollars per week for only a couple days work. Rough, dirty, disgusting work for sure, but tell me now if anybody is laughing at the trash divers.

I had intended that my recycled stuff put out at the street was to go into the city's recycling program hoping that my trash bill would be offset to some degree, but instead it's supporting people of dubious right to be in the US. I can't do anything about anybody else, but I've put a stop to it at my house: Now I keep all glass beverage bottles in a recycle container in my garage. When it fills up I take it with me on my next supermarket shopping trip, drive around behind the market and recycle them for cash, then apply that to my store purchases. If only everybody would do the same these trash divers would disappear.

Oh, and I've been a happy paper shredder owner for several years, in fact wore out my first one. I shred everything with my name on it, anything that could have the slightest possible link to me, my name, my finances. Perhaps I mess up every now and then, but my trash is virtually immune to diving for identity theft material. I recommend everybody should do the same.

Welcome to Los Angeles VP! Perhaps you can get your apartment neighbors to get together and all recycle together, and remove the attractive nuisance that is the reason these trash divers steal into your building.

[Lindsey_Mcfarren]

If you live in a gated area aren't they trespassing? If there is no gate then I'm not sure the police would do anything.

I don't live in such a built up area and I shred anything that has my name on it. Maybe I'm paranoid but I have heard of many problems with people getting your thrown away mail.

[Lovehound]

I forgot to address the issue of trespassing. The simple fact is that the police are too busy fighting serious crime (murder, robbery, burglary, auto theft, rape, gang activity) to give any attention to minor crimes such as trespassing as long as there is no damage to property or injury to victims. I'd be surprised if the police would even talk to you on the phone about the trespassing more than 30-60 seconds. They'd probably say if you want to press the issue come down and fill out a complaint, and then they'd just throw it away or file it.