Is Dumpster Diving Legal in Maine?
Trash, am I right? Not all trash is trash though. I myself have thrown out items that could probably be reused again or made into a treasure through someone else's eyes.
Recently, I was chatting with my cousin in Pennsylvania about dumpster diving. Just a regular girly chat about, the weather, Netflix, and dumpsters.
She told me that her and her daughter sometimes stop by the local CVS or Walgreens and take a peak in their dumpsters. They find a lot of products that are either out of date or dented/broken. They're all unopened products that for some reason couldn't be sold. I see that as a big find!
So, I was wondering if this was legal to do in Maine or not? Whether it be residential dumpster diving or commercial dumpster diving.
I found that dumpster diving is legal in Maine, Additionally, according to Findlaw.com,
Dumpster diving is technically legal in all 50 states. In 1988, the Supreme Court ruled in State of California v. Greenwood that searching trash is legal as long as it does not conflict with any city, county, or state ordinances.
So, unless your specific city or town has a law or ordinance against it, I suppose you can dive away.
When you put trash on your curb, the moment it is outside of your house, it is considered "public domain," and according to the website is yours if you want it.
The same goes for stores, but there are big exceptions. If they have a chain lock, fence, no trespassing sign, or anything that is prohibiting you to go near their trash, don't.
The site also goes on to say,
Dumpster diving can be tempting. After all, no one's getting hurt - right? You get freebies from a store, and the store never knows their trash has been taken and re-used. Many retail stores get rid of materials like promo posters, marketing resources, magazines, displays, cardboard boxes, new products that did not sell, and more. One person's trash can be another person's treasure.
Just keep in mind to make sure you are aware of the laws/ordinances locally but diving in those dumpsters is state and federally legal!