Dumpster Diving
Seems like dumpster diving is a hot topic lately – I’ve been getting a lot of emails about it, and hearing that many groups in Winnipeg are going out to do this. At first I thought people were joking, but people actually had pictures of themselves doing it, and what they had found. So, what’s my advice on dumpster diving – DON’T DO IT!
Did you know dumpster diving is illegal? Blue boxes, large bins in parking lots, my garbage can – doesn’t matter. It’s all covered under this city bylaw – Bylaw Solid Waste 1340/76 – here it is, direct from the city of Winnipeg:
UNAUTHORIZED HANDLING OF SOLID WASTES 13. (a) No person other than the owner or agent thereof, unless lawfully authorized to do so, shall pick over, interfere with, disturb, remove or scatter any solid wastes howsoever placed for collection. (b) All solid waste collected by the City, upon collection, and all refuse deposited at the disposal sites shall become the property of the City and no person shall separate, carry off or dispose of same except as authorized by the designated employee.
People found doing this will be fined – anything collected from a bin, dumpster, garbage can etc. is considered stolen property! So be careful of where you are getting coupons, items, whatever from – you don’t want to be receiving stolen property!
The city is very worried about identity theft – imagine how much personal information these dumpster divers can be collecting – remember to always shred your personal documents. Since a lot of people go to the big bins at the stores they can also be collecting information that stores might have improperly thrown out – this affects all of us.
The city is also concerned about accidents happening in and on their property. People climbing in and out of bins in the dark can easily lead to an accident – or someone getting trapped in a bin etc.
I know we’ve all seen people doing it on tv so it doesn’t seem like it’s a crime – but it is. I had always thought that it was ok for people to go through the regular blue bins, we always have people go through ours. When I phoned the city to ask what the actual law was I was pretty surprised it includes everything – and that I was also asked if I wanted to file a report. The city is serious about this, and they ask anyone with information to report it to them or the non-emergency police line.
Wanted to share this with everyone, always good to stay in the know. There are better ways to find coupons (and legal ways).
So stay out of those bins everyone! 🙂
And thanks to the City of Winnipeg website for the information!