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at the back of an Office building in Central London ]] Dumpster diving (DD), is the practice of sifting through commercial or residential Trash to find items that have been discarded for being unusable by their owners, but may be useful to the Dumpster diver. The practice of Dumpster diving is also known variously '''urban foraging''', '''binning''', '''alley surfing''', '''D-Mart''', '''Dumpstering''', '''garbing''', '''garbage picking''', '''garbage gleaning''', '''skip-raiding''', '''skip diving''', '''skipping''', '''skipweaselling''', '''tatting''', '''skallywagging''', or '''trashing'''. The term originates from the fanciful image of someone leaping into large Trash Bins , the best-known of which are produced under the name " Dumpster ". In practice, dumpster “diving” is more like " Fishing " since most items in dumpsters can be accessed from outside without crawling inside. Dumpster divers can range from a person just passing by a dumpster, to people on bicycles with Panniers , to people pushing carts, to people in large trucks and more. In rural areas and some ancient agricultural societies, DD was similarly called Gleaning and some medieval houses had "poor boxes" where still edible food was placed for the poor to take. RATIONALE Traditionally, most people who resort to dumpster-diving do it out of economic necessity, such as the , who creates art from discarded computer circuit boards and other found items. Still others go DD to indulge in their curiosity for unusual items. There are also several ethical arguments that some believe justify dumpster-diving. One is that dumpster diving, by Reusing resources, is a Green endeavor. Another belief is, since many poorer people cannot afford to buy "expensive" items at market price, that any irregular, blemished, or damaged items should naturally be priced closer to their ability to pay. To dispose of these imperfect items is looked on by the poor as being economically inefficient, economically insensitive, and a hindrance to their ability to acquire goods that most people can afford. An example is discarded food that might have slight imperfections, that is near or exceed its use by date, or that is simply being replaced by newer stock. Many retailers are reluctant to sell this stock at reduced prices due to the belief that people will buy it instead of the higher priced newer stock; that extra handling time is required; and that there are liability risks. Perishable food items, unsuitable for sale or use, can often be acquired by dumpster diving at Baker ies, Grocery Stores , or restaurants and “safely” used after removing the unusable bits and decontaminating. Office s, Factories , Department Store s, and other commercial establishments also may throw out nonperishable items that are irregular, were returned, have minor damages, or are replaced by newer inventory. Generally, the more perishable and inexpensive the item, the more likely it will be disposed of intact. Otherwise, most items tend to be in a state of disrepair that will require some work by the dumpster diver to make the items usable. Many times consumer electronics, mainly computers, because of their rapid depreciation, obsolescence, cost to repair, or expense to upgrade, are dumped. Frequently, owners of functional computers find it easier to dump computers rather than donate because many non-profits and schools are unable or unwilling to work with used equipment. Some organizations like Geeks Into The Streets , ReBOOT , Free Geek and Computerbank try to Refurbish Old Computers for charity or educational use. Waste pickers who find computers tend to strip them for their parts and metals then discard the rest. OVERVIEW In the United States , Canada , and Europe , supermarkets will routinely donate food according to a Good Samaritan Food Donation Act , or by health laws are required to discard food items before the Expiration Date , because of overstock, minor imperfections, spoilage, or blemishes. Often, this food can be made "safe" for consumption if proper decontamination and spoiled ruminates are removed. The practice of dumpster diving can be anything from a single spontaneous act upon seeing a useful item in the garbage to an individual's Low-impact lifestyle. For example, Freeganism uses skills, acquired by those with few other options, to obtain goods or food. Others who deliberately choose to dive are private investigators or police seeking information and material for official purposes. Dumpstering is also associated with "Curbing", or rummaging through trash on city sidewalk curbs. Discarded furniture, electronics, appliances, books, and clothing are all commonly found. Dumpster diving is practiced differently in countries whose commercial disposal practices are different from the developed world. In many economically developing countries, food is rarely thrown away unless it is rotten. In many countries, charities collect excess food from supermarkets and restaurants and distribute it to the needy. Dumpster divers, Karung Guni , and Rag And Bone Man in these countries may concentrate on looking for usable items or scrap materials to sell. British Television shows have even featured home renovations and decoration using salvaged materials. '' Changing Rooms '' is one such show, broadcast on BBC One . Recovery of still-useful items from discards is well-known in other cultures as well; James Fallows noted it in his book written about his time living in Japan . However, much of the richness attributed to dumpster diving in Japan ended with the collapse of the nation's Economic Bubble in 1990. In the U.K '' Steptoe And Son '' and the U.S remake '' Sanford And Son '' showed the life of a junk man. Dumpster diving, taken to an academic level, is used as a tool for Garbologist s, who study the Sociology and Archeology of trash in modern life. There is a major outpost of academic garbology at the University Of Arizona , directed for some decades by William Rathje . Another activity associated with dumpster diving is recycling collection. People often go through dumpsters and other trash containers looking for waterfront warehouses in May of 2006. INFORMATION DIVING See Also: Information diving All too often, dumpsters can be an inadvertent source of information. Unwanted files, letters, memos, photographs, IDs, and more have been found in dumpsters. This oversight is a result of many people never considering that sensitive items like Password s, Credit Card numbers, and personal information they throw in the trash could be recovered anywhere from the dumpster to the landfill. This recovered information is sometimes used by criminals for Fraud ulent purposes (see also so-called " Identity Theft " and Physical Information Security ). Rarely is such information usable to a dumpster diver and many times DD's have contacted the police or owners of items that are unusual to find in dumpsters (wallets and purses). Targeted information diving was more common in the 1980s due to lax security; when businesses became aware of the need for increased security in the early 1990s , sensitive documents were Shredded before being placed in dumpsters. Security mythology still portrays the stereotypical lone Hacker s or malicious Cracker s commonly using this technique, but this may be more of an Urban Legend because Social Engineering is often easier, more productive, and is more predictable sources than dumpsters. Experienced information diving (uncommon for dumpster divers) is commonly practiced by " Watchdog " and News organizations seeking information on groups they are investigating. The Trinity Foundation successfully used this technique to report on the activities of Televangelist Robert Tilton , and has also obtained information on Benny Hinn using this practice. LEGAL STATUS Because dumpsters are usually located on private premises, dumpster diving is illegal in some parts of the United States, though the law is enforced with varying degrees of rigor. The '' California V. Greenwood '' case in the U.S. Supreme Court held that there is no Common Law Expectation Of Privacy for Discarded Materials . Dumpster diving ''per se'' is probably legal when not specifically prohibited by state or local law. Police (and possibly other) searches of dumpsters and like discards are not violations; Evidence Seized in this way has been permitted in many Criminal Trials . The doctrine is less well established in regard to Civil Litigation . Similarly in the United Kingdom , while dumpster diving in England and Wales may qualify as theft within the Theft Act 1968 or as common-law theft in Scotland there is very little enforcement in practice. Private Investigator s have written books on " P.I. Technique " in which dumpster diving or its equivalent " Wastebasket Recovery ," figures prominently. In Italy , a law issued in 2000 declared dumpster diving to be legal. In Sweden , the contents of a dumpster is the property of the owner of the dumpster so taking items from a dumpster is technically theft. There are limits to what can legally be taken from someone's trash. In a 1983 Minnesota case involving the theft of customer lists from a garbage can, '' Tennant Company V. Advance Machine Company '',355 N.W.2d 720 the owner of the discarded information was awarded $ 500,000 in damages. SOCIOECONOMICS OF DUMPSTER DIVING Because some Dumpster divers may be people who are nearer to the , may also suffer in some degree from Obsessive-compulsive Personality Disorder . It is also believed that this illness is aggravated by Poverty in some cases. Additionally, some individuals have ethical reasons for diving. Many of these people would articulate the wastefulness of consumer society and/or the ability to make use of items that they actually need and would otherwise end up taking space in landfills or dumps by way of "reasons" for what they do. NEWS AND TRIVIA
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