Anyone knows if Dumpster Diving is illegal here?

[adrian]

A lot of people do it on the mainland and Canada. (http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=473002&page=1&pp=20)

They found some good stuff, including computer related components (sometimes the whole computer, some drives, etc) and other goodies.

I've been reading a lot in the above thread, and I want to know if anyone knows if this is illegal here. If not, care to join me? :D

[mel]

I don't know, but as a subscriber to a classic Macintosh mail list, I have read anecdotes about people finding complete old Macintoshes in dumpsters and recovering them. Of course all on the mainland.

The thing about dumpster diving is that you subject yourself to all sorts of potential nasties including rotting food, foul odors, sharp metal and glass objects, vermin of all types, property owners, and much more. Today theives go through dumpsters looking for receipts, old bills and anything else that may include a hint of a person's or business's identity.

The worst thing to just simply toss in a dumpster is anything that has your social security number printed on it and anything that has your credit card numbers printed on it.

[Miulang]

I don't know, but as a subscriber to a classic Macintosh mail list, I have read anecdotes about people finding complete old Macintoshes in dumpsters and recovering them. Of course all on the mainland.


Up here, I don't think dumpster diving per se is illegal, although dumping old CRTs from computers and TV monitors is (something about the lead in them polluting the landfill...yeah...as if that's the only thing that's hazardous in those dumps). You have to pay somebody to take those off your hands because places like the Salvation Army or Goodwill won't take 'em even if you tell them they're working perfectly.

But in general, I think dumpster diving is probably only illegal in 2 instances: 1) if you get caught doing it, and
2) if you're homeless and look really shabby and groady. Then they toss you in the calaboose for vagrancy.

Or, in the case of Erich Rudolph, the Atlanta Olympic Game bomber who wasn't caught until late last year when a jr. police officer caught him dumpster diving behind a supermarket in Murphy, NC (I actually saw the dumpster he was caught in) because the officer didn't know who he was!

Miulang

[adrian]

I'll walk to Waikele Shopping Center sometime this week to see if the bins are "accessible".

And I've been throwing away rubbish with my dad for a while, so I climbed into one or two C&C rubbish bins, and I can handle the smell and other things.

[pzarquon]

This is actually an excellent question, and one I'm embarassed to not know the answer to, since at one point I did aspire to work in one of the few professions (outside of law enforcement and urban nomads) where digging through the trash was one of the most important tools of the trade: journalism.

Trash is an interesting thing, from a legal standpoint. Is it private property until it leaves your curb, or is it anything goes the minute it's out of your house? There are actual Supreme Court cases about rights over trash (California v. Greenwood in 1988) when it comes to "search and seizure" by cops... but as to whether and when one private citizen can take something from another citizen's garbage, I think it differs from state to state.

Of course, wheregarbage is put out is a big part of the hairsplitting. If you put a trash bag on a curb -- a public right of way -- more than likely you've given up control of it. However, if your trash is put outside but still on private property (say in a trash room in a high-rise, where refuse workers drive in to collect it) it's something else.

Thus, the dumpster at Circuit City might not be fair game, since chances are it's still on Circuit City's private property (behind the store, in a loading dock, etc.).

Anyone know anyone at the city prosecutor's office? :)

[adrian]

I just received call from my Police Officer friend, and he said that its illegal and will bring you fines and/or possible jail time if you're caught. But with anything, if you don't get caught, then its fair game. :D

[kimo55]

sheesh! Illegal OR legal.
who would WANT to?!


jess go out wit yo pickup and tool around Hawaii Kai a day or a few days B4 big kine trash pick up.
some dude I heard of makes his living doing that and sells da crap at da swap meet.
All kine good stuff you wouldnt believe steh rotting rusting rained on on top da sidewalk. grab it while ya can. I have seen toooooo much good stuff out deah to not mention this since ya brought it up!

[EastCoastTropics]

Some neigborhoods up here have their own town dump that residents bring their trash to. I know of one where there is a large shed so folks can leave their "stuffs" there! I've seen furniture, dishes, large and small kitchen appliances etc all in good condition left there for the picking.

[adrian]

According to HPD, its illegal, but like everything, it's okay if you don't get caught.

[Albert]

If you want to find LOTS of computer equipment, just cruise around the UH-Manoa campus. There are stacks of the stuff behind Spalding Hall right now.

[kimo55]

If you want to find LOTS of computer equipment, just cruise around the UH-Manoa campus. There are stacks of the stuff behind Spalding Hall right now.

yea and the day everyone hasta move out at the ends of the semesters, TOOOONS of good furnishing and such are piled up freeeeee for the taking!

[adrian]

Can anyone bring some my way?

I take the bus, so those things won't fit on the seat.

And my parents are too busy to drive to Manoa.

[craigwatanabe]

Here in Kea'au we have no refuse pick up so we have to go to the Hilo landfill or more conveniently, the Kea'au transfer station. At that station there is an ongoing recycling campaign. Quite a few people drop off stuff that they would rather not sell at a garage sale but is too good to toss out. Here you can find old computer equipment, TV sets, stereos, household appliances, clothes, books whatever. It's all free you just have to sign in and weigh what you are taking. This weight is then tabulated and displayed as recycled tonnage saved from the landfills. I've dropped off computer monitors that work simply because I'm too lazy to get the focus readjusted on the flyback transformer inside.

I'm really surprized there aren't recycling centers in Honolulu where people can simply drop off their unwanted items.

[Glen Miyashiro]

There are transfer stations and drop-off convenience centers (http://www.opala.org/waste_disposal_at_home/convenience_centers.html) here on O'ahu, too. But most folks either don't know about them or don't bother going there.

[kimo55]

Can anyone bring some my way?

I take the bus, so those things won't fit on the seat.

And my parents are too busy to drive to Manoa.'


'da hell are YOU smokin there?
and why doncha share some with the rest o da class?!

[craigwatanabe]

There are transfer stations and drop-off convenience centers (http://www.opala.org/waste_disposal_at_home/convenience_centers.html) here on O'ahu, too. But most folks either don't know about them or don't bother going there.


I'll admit that I didn't know about Oahu Transfer stations. Going to these recycle centers make dropping off your opala even more fun. My wife says,"you were supposed to get rid of the garbage and you bring home more?"

[memorylane]

Ones mans rubbish is anothers treasure! My bro and i found unopened presents just after opening our gifts on Mele Kalikimaka (before even coming to live in Hawaii on a 3 yr. military tour way back in 79). Never could understand why some mean parent must have thrown away a kids gifts!
I say go for it, especially if you see something that looks real good, go home and take a shower after and enjoy your treasure, what the hay.... :D

[Glen Miyashiro]

I'll admit that I didn't know about Oahu Transfer stations. Going to these recycle centers make dropping off your opala even more fun. My wife says,"you were supposed to get rid of the garbage and you bring home more?"
One of the factors against using the O'ahu transfer stations is that you need a vehicle big enough to haul your 'ōpala over there. Maybe folks on the Big Island own more pickup trucks, but here in the big city there are lots of people who only have smaller cars. It's hard to fit an old stove into the trunk of an Acura Integra, you know. :D

[melorama]

A lot of people do it on the mainland and Canada. (http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=473002&page=1&pp=20)

They found some good stuff, including computer related components (sometimes the whole computer, some drives, etc) and other goodies.

I've been reading a lot in the above thread, and I want to know if anyone knows if this is illegal here. If not, care to join me? :D

As odd as it sounds, dumpster diving can be very fun (at least if you have nothing better to do).

My favorite dumpster diving experience (actually, my only experience) was about 11 years ago, when a friend called me at around 1:00 AM, saying "dude, Steve (names changed to protect the innocent) at KGMB just called me and said they just threw out a working 1-inch tape machine in the dumpster!" So we both drove down to the KGMB studios from Kailua, donned in ninja-like gear, and started rooting around in thier garbage like a bunch of damned fools.

We managed to dig out the aforementioned Ampex 1-inch videotape deck (which back then was the highest quality analog tape format used for broadcast), as well as a bunch of other professional video gear. The funniest (or saddest, depending on your perspective) part of the story is that just as we started digging out our prizes, it started raining like a mofo. We tried to protect the gear from the rain, but ultimately, none of the stuff we dug out worked because the water had seeped into everything.

Boy did we feel stupid.

[Laakea]

Here at the office we just got rid of some office supplies, computers w/o operating systems (ideal for IT students), and some office furniture. A majority of it was donated to schools, but we got rid of a lot of things that wasn't suitable for donations. I'm sure someone here had fun, sifting through our dumpsters.

[adrian]

Here at the office we just got rid of some office supplies, computers w/o operating systems (ideal for IT students), and some office furniture. A majority of it was donated to schools, but we got rid of a lot of things that wasn't suitable for donations. I'm sure someone here had fun, sifting through our dumpsters.
Dang, if were here in the islands, then I would of asked you to save some so that I could pick it up.

BTW, if anyone is throwing away some computer parts/equipment, then PM email me (adri1456 at gmail.com). I asked some friends, and they said that they can't just give the equipment to people who doesn't work there, even though I told them that I could go down there, reformat the hard drive to get rid of any evidence, and bring it home.

[alohalani]

Scary thought. I will be tearing my personal information into unreadable bits. Mahalo.

[pzarquon]

These days, companies need a data destruction policy. Not just "format" or even "scramble residual data," but actual physical destruction of data storage media. If it means writing out exactly how badly to smash the hard drive to bits, and how to confirm the platters are non-recoverable, so be it.

The incriminating things found on hard drives donated or thrown away could fill a book. If you care enough to have a shredder at home, or at least to tear up bank and credit card statements before throwing them out (hopefully mixed with your food waste), you better treat your CDs and digital devices the same way when it comes to sensitive information.

[mel]

If you care enough to have a shredder at home, or at least to tear up bank and credit card statements before throwing them out (hopefully mixed with your food waste), you better treat your CDs and digital devices the same way when it comes to sensitive information.

I second the motion on this one. Destroy the physical media the data resides on. It is better than erasing.

Here is one such CD shredder device:
http://www.yenra.com/cd-shredder/

I have to look into one soon. I've made far too many archive copies of old data several times over. It's almost time to thin out my stock and keep it away from the dumpster divers.

[melorama]

I second the motion on this one. Destroy the physical media the data resides on. It is better than erasing.

Here is one such CD shredder device:
http://www.yenra.com/cd-shredder/

I have to look into one soon. I've made far too many archive copies of old data several times over. It's almost time to thin out my stock and keep it away from the dumpster divers.

To my humanitarian way of thinking, my trash can be another person's brand new porn collection! :D :D :D

[adrian]

I should have bumped this thread up a while ago so that I could tag along with anyone during my break, but I forgot.

And the offer of donating used computer parts is still up in the air. ;)

EDIT: and here's an article on dumpster diving (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/223950_dumpster12.html) in Seattle.

[shaveice]

melorama wrote:
To my humanitarian way of thinking, my trash can be another person's brand new porn collection!

*** dude, you are too generous! so when's the next time you plan to unload your old collection??? i'll be waiting with a garbage bag in hand! :D

Miulang wrote:
But in general, I think dumpster diving is probably only illegal in 2 instances: 1) if you get caught doing it...

ha! ha! that's pretty funny. reminds me of the lyrics to the old song "tweeter and the monkey man" by the traveling wilburys/george harrison:
"Jan had told him many times it was you to me who taught
In Jersey anything's legal as long as you don't get caught..."