# Is it illegal to go dumpster diving in Arizona?



## ImNotSkilled (Aug 4, 2012)

I couldn't find anything regarding the law. I would be going to the Gamestop dumpster, seen some people get some posters, Gba games, An N64, and a bunch of ps2 and game cube games.


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## pyromaniac123 (Aug 4, 2012)

Wouldn't it technically be classed as theft even though it's been thrown out?


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## wrettcaughn (Aug 4, 2012)

I think it'd make more sense to Google Arizona state and local laws rather than posting a question on a gaming board...


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## AlanJohn (Aug 4, 2012)

Every time I've looked in the trash everything I found was trash and used condoms. Good luck!


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## MelodieOctavia (Aug 4, 2012)

pyromaniac123 said:


> Wouldn't it technically be classed as theft even though it's been thrown out?



Depends on the state, but most states deem it Public Domain once an item of any value lands itself in a waste receptacle. 

Now, that becomes null and void if you have to go onto private property (parking lots, fenced areas, etc...)

Most businesses won't MIND, however, if you dumpster dive, as long as you don't make a mess, and you don't cause a lot of drama. 

HOWEVER, chains or locks around a dumpster means absolutely and unquestioningly, that NO, you cannot dumpster dive on this property and doing so will most likely land you in legal trouble.

Take it from a former for-profit dumpster diver.


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## emigre (Aug 4, 2012)

No. No it isn't.

Have fun looking through rubbish!


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## wrettcaughn (Aug 4, 2012)

emigre said:


> No. No it isn't.
> 
> Have fun looking through rubbish!



Rubbish is for Brits!  We dig through the TRASH man


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## Cartmanuk (Aug 4, 2012)

*
Dumpster diving is banned in Scottsdale *


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## ImNotSkilled (Aug 4, 2012)

I'm located in East Mesa/Phoenix.

Don't take my profile picture personal to this topic. That's not me. I swear lol. For the laughs.


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## ImNotSkilled (Aug 4, 2012)

Old8oy said:


> I think it'd make more sense to Google Arizona state and local laws rather than posting a question on a gaming board...



Pretty sure other gamers have done this.

Oh! Isn't this a "gaming" board?

I reject your theory.


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## Izzy011 (Aug 4, 2012)

ImNotSkilled said:


> Old8oy said:
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> > I think it'd make more sense to Google Arizona state and local laws rather than posting a question on a gaming board...
> ...


"Gamers eat food, therefore I must post my recipes on this site."
I don't think its illegal, just frowned upon


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## Joe88 (Aug 4, 2012)

until it been thrown onto the curb (while still being on gamestops property) it belongs to gamestop, when its thrown onto the curb then the city owns it

depending on what state, its its mostly illegal in any case
the city makes money off the recycling of the garbage, thats why they care about it


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## wrettcaughn (Aug 4, 2012)

ImNotSkilled said:


> Old8oy said:
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> > I think it'd make more sense to Google Arizona state and local laws rather than posting a question on a gaming board...
> ...



You can "reject my theory" all you want.  Fact of the matter is, you're asking about laws concerning a specific action in a specific area of the U.S. on a global gaming board...  All anyone here can do is google it for you or guess.  Why not save them the trouble and google it yourself?

and what the hell happened to the internet over the past couple years that 3 out of 5 people now talk/write like Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory...?  "I reject your theory" "fallacies! everywhere!"...straw men...  wtf...


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## ImNotSkilled (Aug 4, 2012)

Old8oy said:


> ImNotSkilled said:
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Wtf are you talking about?



Bazinga!


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## ComeTurismO (Aug 4, 2012)

This Thread Creeps Me Out


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## ouch123 (Aug 4, 2012)

TwinRetro said:


> pyromaniac123 said:
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> > Wouldn't it technically be classed as theft even though it's been thrown out?
> ...


This about sums it up. If you're interested, you should also look up how Food not Bombs manages to get much of its food. It's sad how much is wasted by large chain stores when they could easily donate what they're planning on tossing out.


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## ImNotSkilled (Aug 4, 2012)

xAC3L3G3NDx said:


> This Thread Creeps Me Out



Oh, is it me?


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## DinohScene (Aug 4, 2012)

ImNotSkilled said:


> Don't take my profile picture personal to this topic. That's not me. I swear lol. For the laughs.



Well.....

Now we know for sure it's you.


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## yuyuyup (Aug 4, 2012)

Seems to vary between cities, http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0131necouncil0131.html

I wanted to say something goofy but I wouldn't dare violate the rules.  I know my place.  I apologize if this comment is off topic, someone please report this.


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## ImNotSkilled (Aug 5, 2012)

DinohScene said:


> ImNotSkilled said:
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> 
> > Don't take my profile picture personal to this topic. That's not me. I swear lol. For the laughs.
> ...



I'm a super duper white-boii. Yo.


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## Tom (Aug 5, 2012)

Not without a scuba tank


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## DinohScene (Aug 5, 2012)

ImNotSkilled said:


> DinohScene said:
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So you're trailor trash that goes dumpster diving?

Damn .__.
And I tought stereotypes couldn't get any worse.


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## ImNotSkilled (Aug 5, 2012)

No. Bye.

Don't be an ass hole.


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## DrOctapu (Aug 5, 2012)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_v._Greenwood
Relevant Supreme Court case. 
http://trashwiki.org/en/Law
Helpful wiki.

Have fun, OP.


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## DinohScene (Aug 5, 2012)

ImNotSkilled said:


> No. Bye.
> 
> Don't be an ass hole.




I'm not an arsehole.
I'm just responding to your comment.


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## Thesolcity (Aug 5, 2012)

ouch123 said:


> TwinRetro said:
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There used to be a local supermarket that would give its unused product to homeless every 2 weeks or so. They stopped because homeless started swarming the place looking for free food and for some reason believed they were entitled to it.


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## Warrior522 (Aug 5, 2012)

Thesolcity said:


> ouch123 said:
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The lesson: People are assholes.  What else is new?


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## Tom (Aug 5, 2012)

ImNotSkilled said:


> No. Bye.
> 
> Don't be an ass hole.


FLAME ON


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## Psionic Roshambo (Aug 5, 2012)

In my area I would honestly be afraid to dumpster dive.... Not because it is against the law or anything, I just have seen waaayyyy too many used syringes by dumpsters and it would be my luck that I would run into the one AID's infected junky who also cares about our planet and decides to throw his used paraphernalia in the dumper for me to stick my self with...

Just something to think about when digging in a dumpster.

Edit: Please be careful, would be horrible to die or get sick over a scratched up disk of Barbie's Horse Adventures for the Wii...


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## Gahars (Aug 5, 2012)

I feel like if someone is dedicated enough to search through a dumpster for its contents, they've earned whatever they can find.


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## Psionic Roshambo (Aug 5, 2012)

Gahars said:


> I feel like if someone is dedicated enough to search through a dumpster for its contents, they've earned whatever they can find.



I agree, and to me if some one throws something away, it means they really had no use or value for it and only wanted it gone. 

Some of my things I have rescued from a dumpster, I have a Ti 99/4A hard drive enclosure along with extended BASIC some one was throwing away. I think the hard drive is something like a whopping 5MB's lol  But it seemed cool to me and I already had a 99 so I snatched it.


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## FAST6191 (Aug 5, 2012)

Although being stuck with needles and worse is certainly a concern PsionicRoshambo it is probably not doing to be HIV that gets you.

I will also note if the dumpster of a business you are raiding has a business foolish enough to junk things with sensitive information (apparently social security numbers still do something in the US that would mean limiting numbers of people that can know it is a good idea) even if you can otherwise justify it then it is probably best to leave it alone.


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## Shadow#1 (Aug 5, 2012)

OP go for it unless a cop stops u


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## aireca (Aug 5, 2012)

i know people who sell that stuff collected from dumpsters


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## FAST6191 (Aug 5, 2012)

Shadow#1 said:


> OP go for it unless a cop stops u



Certainly it is not usually worth picking a fight with the police and for the most part I would acquiesce to their demands but I can not necessarily agree with that as an outlook on life; most police will not necessarily know all the various laws (and as others have said this gets kind of specific as to what you can and can not do) not to mention if a policeman knocks on the bin as you are elbow deep in it and you pop up with a bunch of papers with social security numbers or something on and that will probably see you in front of the beak for no good reason.


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## Shadow#1 (Aug 5, 2012)

OP u can't get in trouble finding papers with SS numbers on them and u wont find needles as for a fact i haven't even found either they r just trying to scare u for no reason, so go have fun dumpster diving as i have for years now.


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## wrettcaughn (Aug 5, 2012)

your doing it does not make it legal.


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## Shadow#1 (Aug 5, 2012)

doing it does not make it illegal.


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## wrettcaughn (Aug 5, 2012)

Shadow#1 said:


> doing it does not make it illegal.





ImNotSkilled said:


> I'm located in East Mesa/Phoenix.
> 
> Don't take my profile picture personal to this topic. That's not me. I swear lol. For the laughs.



http://cronkitezine....iving/laws.html

OP's post was regarding the legality of garbage picking in his/her area...  'Tis not legal.


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## Shadow#1 (Aug 5, 2012)

Old8oy said:


> Shadow#1 said:
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> > doing it does not make it illegal.
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OP thats for the City of Phoenix so your all good


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## wrettcaughn (Aug 5, 2012)

Shadow#1 said:


> Old8oy said:
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and...
http://mesaaz.gov/clerk/CodeBook/CodeinWord/T8/T8Ch3.doc

see "Scavenging"

can't believe I wasted the 2 minutes it took to look that up...


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## Hyro-Sama (Aug 5, 2012)

I'm surprised this hasn't been moved to the EOF.


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## Shadow#1 (Aug 5, 2012)

Old8oy said:


> Shadow#1 said:
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doesn't specify for what city.


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## wrettcaughn (Aug 5, 2012)

Shadow#1 said:


> Old8oy said:
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so you missed the city and state named in the link then?


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## Deleted-236924 (Aug 5, 2012)

Shadow#1 said:


> doing it does not make it illegal.


That's definitely AAA logic you've got there.


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## Cyan (Aug 5, 2012)

In France it's not illegal.
There's more and more people doing it on supermarket trashes, because of financial crisis. (and because TV reports are showing it and people who didn't think about it might reconsider).
Some supermarkets have orders to destroy any food (putting bleach on it), while other don't care as long as you leave it clean and don't throw trash everywhere on the ground.

People do it on other people's trashes too. Often for themselves, like TV/sleeping couch/chairs/etc.,  or to sell it (flea market, ebay) when it's item still in good shape.


Edit:
Oh, that trashwiki website even have my (little) town listed, and giving spot where to find food!


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## Pleng (Aug 6, 2012)

Cyan said:


> Some supermarkets have orders to destroy any food (putting bleach on it),



really???! I'm pretty sure they'll be a***f***ed if anybody ended up eating the bleached products, get burns and file a lawsuit


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## Joe88 (Aug 6, 2012)

Pleng said:


> Cyan said:
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> > Some supermarkets have orders to destroy any food (putting bleach on it),
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and their lawsuit will be about what?

I went illegally into a dumpster, stole food from it, ate it and got sick


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## Psionic Roshambo (Aug 6, 2012)

Joe88 said:


> Pleng said:
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Even if it was legal to go into a dumpster, I think the expectation in throwing something away is that its no longer fit for human consumption. Digging into a dumpster and eating it well I would say that the consumer assumes all risks in that transaction.


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## Pleng (Aug 6, 2012)

The difference being it was deliberately tampered with, in the knowledge that people were likely to eat it. Getting sick by something that's off and having your mouth burned off by a deliberate spoiling is something totally different.


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## MFDC12 (Aug 7, 2012)

I have friends who live in Tempe, Surprise and Chandler and they dumpster dive for food all the time, you should be ok, I think


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## Lastly (Aug 7, 2012)

I picked up a DSi XL in a trash can (not dumpmster) before and sold it to my neighbor for $120. Bargain! Guess the person who threw it away upgraded and didn't know what to do with it.


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