Texas Dumpster Diving – Is it Illegal to Take Other’s Trash?

There are several ways to get rid of stuff you own. Whether you are looking to declutter or just downsize some of your belongings you have to part ways with stuff you own. You can host a garage sale.

I have done several of those over the years. Yes, you can make decent money. Oh, but all the work that one involves. I know making money sometimes takes work. Maybe you are not so worried about making money.

You can give (or even sell) your stuff through social media. That can be a bit easier than a garage sale but then you have to worry about scammers. Oh, people are just trying to make something off of you. It's crazy.

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So maybe you want to donate stuff. I have done that several times. You can find your favorite place and just drop it off. Sometimes the non-profit will come to your location and pick it up from you. That is not a bad way to go.

Then there is that option of just tossing your stuff. Which may not be the best option because it does take up our landfill. Maybe you plan to toss it with the thought that you know someone will come by and take it from the trash.

Dumpster diving as we call it. When I moved one time I had a ton of cd's I wanted to get rid of. Yes, years of being in radio really gave me quite the collection. I tried selling some at my last garage sale. I just wanted them gone. I didn't want to move them again.

I knew if I just left them in the alley someone would take them. Oh, and I was correct. My neighborhood did not disappoint. I just left them in a huge box outside of the dumpster.

Why did I do that? Well, I wanted them to be noticed. If I put them in the dumpster then they may have gone unnoticed. I did not know at the time that once I placed them in the dumpster they were now the property of the city.

That never crossed my mind.

So is Dumpster Diving Illegal in Texas?

Well technically yes. Once it is discarded in the dumpster it becomes the property of the city. They are the ones who own those dumpsters. I don't care if our tax dollars pay for that dumpster. That is just the way it goes.

Will the police come and hunt you down for taking something out of that dumpster? Probably not. If someone leaves a lot of treasures inside and you become a nuisance going through the trash the cops could be called.

@texaschancla Is it legal to dumpster dive? 🗑️ #lawyer#texas#viral#fyp♬ original sound - Jesse Hernandez