Is it legal to pick through other people’s trash? [Lancaster Watchdog]

• By Ann Rejrat/LNP | LancasterOnline

Have you ever seen someone digging for treasure in a dumpster or trash can and thought, “Is that legal?”

Turns out, the answer depends on where you live.

There is no specific Pennsylvania law that addresses trash picking, according to Lt. Adam Reed, communications director for the Pennsylvania State Police. Generally, he said, trash left at the curb that is waiting to be picked up is considered abandoned property.

So dumpster diving is technically legal in Pennsylvania, but only under these two important conditions: The trash must be on public property (otherwise you risk charges of trespassing and theft, Reed said), and you cannot violate any local laws that prohibit picking through trash.

There are many such laws in place around Lancaster County, so check with your local municipality before donning rubber gloves and diving in.

Lancaster city has an ordinance that prohibits any person, other than the owner or someone authorized to handle the trash, from removing any garbage or recyclable materials placed on the curb for trash collection. The same rule applies to dumpsters.

The price tag for violating that law can be hefty: $50 to $1,000, according to Lancaster city police Lt. Jason R. Zahm.

A similar law applies in suburban Manheim Township.

In East Lampeter Township and Columbia Borough, it is illegal to pick through someone’s designated recyclables.

Why would anyone do such a thing? Some businesses still pay money for recycled aluminum cans — a practice that was more common before recycling became mandatory in 1988.

Sahd Metal Recycling in Columbia, for example, offers 55 cents per pound for recycled aluminum cans. For anyone suddenly interested in scavenging for cans: It takes about 30 aluminum cans to make a pound.

Personal information

Simply having a municipal law in place that prohibits trash picking isn’t going to stop everyone from going through your garbage.

“An ordinance will not prevent an individual from stealing trash with your personal information,” Lt. Zahm said.

Law enforcement officials recommend shredding any items that contain your personal information — including Social Security numbers, birth dates or banking information — before throwing them away.

“Destruction of personally identifiable information is an important safeguard against fraud and identity theft,” Columbia Borough police Chief Jack Brommer said.

For shredding personal documents, Sgt. Barry Waltz, public information officer with Manheim Township police, recommends a cross-cut shredder, which cuts up paper into smaller bits than a typical strip shredder.

Unwanted items

Finally, a note for people who actually want people to pick through or pick up their unwanted items: Be aware that some municipal laws also regulate how a person may get rid of unwanted items.

In Lancaster city, for instance, nothing can be placed on a sidewalk that obstructs pedestrian traffic, and additional permits may be required to place items on or beyond the sidewalk.

“We recommend that the individual put a free sign on the items in a conspicuous place and remove them from the sidewalk at night,” Lt. Zahm said.

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