Off Topic But Is It Illegal To...

[Breezy]

I am kind of freaked out a little bit here...

I was sitting in my living room just now when a truck drives slowly by and parks down the road. The driver gets out and starts rifiling through my recycling bin! He took all my aluminum cans (which he really hit a gold mine since my husband drinks a lot of beer and pop). I figured ok, he just needs some extra money and that is sad BUT I also feel like that is stealing. Isn't that the recyling companies property now that its at the curb?

So, I went close to the window and watched him and he did the same to my neighbor and also took some mail from the bin!! So now I am worried he is trying to steal idenities!

Am I overreacting here?

[Cat Herder]

I'd call the police non-emergency line to report a suspicious person going through neighborhood garbage cans.

This commonly precedes identity theft and home invasions.

It would be helpful to have a tag number, description of the vehicle/person ready.

[Heidi]

in our old neighborhood, we has a street lady who drove her shopping cart around collecting aluminum cans off the street and out of people recycling bins. I didn't care, honestly. She was just surviving, and not hurting anyone, as far as I am concerned.

I don't know how I'd feel if someone came in a truck. I guess it would depend. Honestly, by the time he pays for gas, he's probably loosing money. I saw a lady out by my road pulling over and picking up cans. Her car was running the whole time, and it probably took her 1/2 hour to get down that stretch of road. Probably an unfair assumption, but I figured she needed cigarette money REAL bad!

The minute your guy touched the mailbox, I would have called the police with a license plate number and description!

[Breezy]

Ok, is this something that they would take seriously and want to come take a statement for or something? I took a faraway picture of the man going through my can but you can barely see him because of the way the sun hit the camera. But you can see his green vest and kind of see what he is doing. But then when he moved to the next bin I took a picture of his truck and wrote down his license plate number.

[Breezy]

in our old neighborhood, we has a street lady who drove her shopping cart around collecting aluminum cans off the street and out of people recycling bins. I didn't care, honestly. She was just surviving, and not hurting anyone, as far as I am concerned.

I don't know how I'd feel if someone came in a truck. I guess it would depend. Honestly, by the time he pays for gas, he's probably loosing money. I saw a lady out by my road pulling over and picking up cans. Her car was running the whole time, and it probably took her 1/2 hour to get down that stretch of road. Probably an unfair assumption, but I figured she needed cigarette money REAL bad!

The minute your guy touched the mailbox, I would have called the police with a license plate number and description!

Not the mailbox, he was taking mail from the recyling bins.

[Cat Herder]

Ok, is this something that they would take seriously and want to come take a statment for or something? I took a faraway picture of the man going through my can but you can barely see him because of the way the sun hit the camera. But you can see his green vest and kind of see what he is doing. But then when he moved to the next bin I took a picture of his truck and wrote down his license plate number.

Yes. My Dad worked 3 home invasions just this week... (deputy)

It is becoming more and more frequent, here....

People are out of work and getting desperate. Desperate people make BAD decisions.

He may be just selling the cans for money.... BUT you are not trained to know for sure AND are alone with small children.

[Unregistered]

If its on the curb its up for grabs! Which is why everyone should have a shredder for documents.... that said i would still inform the police department

[Breezy]

I called non emergency and they are sending an officer out as soon as one is available. YIKES! I hope DCD doesnt get here for drop off while there is a PO in front of my house.

[Cat Herder]

I called non emergency and they are sending an officer out as soon as one is available. YIKES! I hope DCD doesn't get here for drop off while there is a PO in front of my house.

If he does he should be proud of the fact he can feel safe while his child is in your care because you are on your toes and willing to make a difference.

[Breezy]

I sent a text giving him a heads up just in case!

[Blackcat31]

If its on the curb its up for grabs! Which is why everyone should have a shredder for documents.... that said i would still inform the police department

Not true. Well at least not here. City ordinances say your garbage is still YOUR property (and responsibilty) until the waste removal company picks it up.

Anyone rifling through someone's garbage and/or recyle stuff should be reported simply as a safety precaustion. A shredder is also good advice in general.

[sharlan]

If its on the curb its up for grabs! Which is why everyone should have a shredder for documents.... that said i would still inform the police department

It is illegal in most areas to rifle through the trash bins.

In my mom's neighborhood there's several elderly people who go though the recycling bins every week. They walk down the street pushing shopping carts. I used to bag the water bottles and soda cans seperately for them and set them on top of the trash.

[permanentvacation]

Here, if it's out in the trash or recycle bin by the street, anyone can go through it. But I would be concerned if I knew that someone took my mail - even though I had thrown it away. Yes, nowadays, it seems like everyone needs to shred anything with any personal info on it.

If you are sure that they took someone's thrown away mail, yes, you might want to mention that to the police. The guy taking cans makes sense because he can get money for them. But he can't get money for paper. So you would wonder why he would take paper (mail).

[Meyou]

Just to play devil's advocate they could be looking for coupons. It's quite common for couponers to look in recycling for coupons on product boxes and mailouts. There are some that get multiple free coupon items per week from boxes that are being thrown away. They will also collect cans for return.

It's STILL your property and I would definitely report it but it isn't necessarily a malicious act. There are guys here who collect every can in sight on recycling day because it's how they survive. I leave them my cans in a seperate bag from the non-refundable ones.

[Cat Herder]

It is also how the recycling company comps the extra costs associated with it for them.

If people keep taking it from the bins we will ALL have to pay more for the recycling services.

There is no such thing as Free money.