Is Dumpster Diving Illegal In Australia? ποΈ
Is Dumpster Diving Illegal In Australia? ποΈ: In this blog, we answer the question of whether or not dumpster diving is illegal in Australia. But first, we define the term ‘dumpster diving’ and state why plenty of people do it.Β
Quite recently, a social media trend surfaced wherein people would ‘dumpster dive’ through a random rubbish bin in hopes of finding useful objects.
Hearing the news suddenly made me recall a conversation I had with my close friend about rummaging through other people’s rubbish. According to him, dumpster diving provides no harm as those who do it do not bother other people and “Come on, Jordan β it’s rubbish! There’s a reason that person already threw them away. He/she doesn’t need them anymore, so it’s fair game! At least the rubbish won’t make it to landfill.”
However, as someone quite well-versed with anything waste-related, I thought otherwise. The law thought otherwise, as well. Not only does it bring a lot of dangers to an individual, but it can also get one some jail time.
The main question is, is dumpster diving illegal in Australia? Or, is it allowed? What are the reasons people dumpster dive in the first place? And lastly, what are the dangers of dumpster diving? Below, we will answer all of those questions.
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Yes, dumpster diving is illegal in Australia
First and foremost, what is dumpster diving?
Dumpster diving, in layman’s terms, simply means the act of digging through other’s rubbish to find something of value. For example, a ‘dumpster diver’ might find an item of high value and sell it for money.
Others, on the other hand, have even gotten tonnes of still-fresh, still-edible and (allegedly) still-tasty food from the food waste bins of food businesses. Ever heard of the term ‘freeganism‘? This is the practice of acquiring, eating and giving away food that has already been discarded. This has become quite a trend lately. There is even an existing Facebook page called The Melbourne Freegan Co-op that has members updating news on where they can haul discarded food and share with each other.
These are the two main reasons why people dumpster dive, in general. It seems good and all, one might think. But, we highly discourage you from doing this if you plan to do so.
Other countries’ laws varies in regards to dumpster diving, but know that an individual cannot do this in Australia. Each council’s laws vary, but the general consensus is that it is not allowed. Unfortunately, even with already-implemented strict laws regarding dumpster diving, a lot of people still do it. Even if dumpster diving is illegal in Australia, you will still see a lot of news about it.
Containers for Change: bandits’ rummaging
In our blog on Perth cans and bottles recycling, we covered everything one needs to know about Containers for Change, a program that lets you earn some cash by turning in cans or bottles. This is a good way to earn some cash on the side if you have some few spare cans or bottles lying around. Or, kids can put some money in their piggy banks whilst also doing their part to help the environment.
However, Containers for Change also produced residential troublemakers β the dumpster divers.Β Various incidents have already been reported that pertains to individuals going through other’s rubbish. According to Perth Now:
The Town of Victoria Park received two complaints within the first month of the scheme launching and says it continues to receive contact from ratepayers over the issue.
Plenty of complaints have already surfaced and people were scared for their safety and privacy. The mayor, Karen Vernon, implemented strict guidelines and hefty fines for those will break the dumpster diving law.
Mayor Karen Vernon said anyone caught bin diving would likely receive a warning first, but repeat offenders risked a $100 fine for a first offence, $200 for a second offence and $500 for third and subsequent offences.
Dumpster diving in Australia: illegal and dangerous
As I have mentioned already, we strongly discourage anyone and everyone from dumpster diving. Not only is it illegal, but it is also dangerous. We will elaborate and state some reasons further below on why you should not do it.
Dumpster diving equates to trespassing. How would you like it if someone came to your backyard without your permission? Creepy and disturbing, right? That is also the case with dumpster diving. As rubbish bins are usually located inside the private property of a resident, one who decides to go and dumpster dive there is guilty of trespassing and is subject to complaint and even sanction.
Dumpster diving is akin to stealing. Even if the resident has already disposed of their items in rubbish bins, the items inside are technically still theirs as they are still in their private property.
Dumpster diving is dangerous and can leave you injured. Some might think that dumpster diving is easy, but it is actually not. Larger bins can leave you with some nasty injuries if you decide to do so (which, of course, we highly discourage β even prohibit) and not tread lightly.Β You might hit your head with the bin lid, fall into it, get trapped by it and more. Bins also have rusty, sharp metals that can cut you and leave you with an infection. What’s more, you might even pick up a viral or bacterial infection!
Dumpster diving is illegal in Australia, so don’t do it!
Now that plenty of people have read this blog, we hope this discourages and stops those people who plan to do this to make a living. It has more cons than pros, that much we want to say to you readers.
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this is such poor form: to equate dumpster diving to stealing, what a joke
Interesting blog, very one sided, you miss so many points that should make dumpster Diving legal or even the millions of tons of just food waste each year that calls taxpayers billions of dollars, or the strain on the environment from landfill to methane gas omissions, food displacement and hunger. What about economics with food waste, cost of living increases and more waste is being produced. Let touch base with moral adage that every person has a human right to eat a meal, Western Austtalia has lenient outlook to dumpster divers, maybe not where Karen rules the roost, and what a fitting name if she maintains that stance. What’s crazy is the dumpsters have become modern day food source for more and more people everyday. The fact is, there’s more pros than cons to dumpster Diving…Ive been doing it jail free for 30urs in 2 different countries
Hi – thanks for comment.
Great comment. I fully agree. I am also a dumpster diver and I think it is ridiculous that people would go to jail for it, as we are rescuing food that would otherwise go to waste.
Been doing Dumpster diving for 5 years . Picked up tons of food . Will continue do it .
same
Your post talks about going through individual peoples bins but doesnβt talk about going through store or company bins, where most dumpster diving is done.
The link you made between someone going into your back yard and going through your bin is a huge stretch anyway, people put their bins on the streets every week for collection, usually on the road or footpath, not even on their property anymore.
Your post talks about going through individual peoples bins but doesnβt talk about going through store or company bins, where most dumpster diving is done.
The link you made between someone going into your back yard and going through your bin is a huge stretch anyway, people put their bins on the streets every week for collection, usually on the road or footpath, not even on their property anymore.
My post keeps getting flagged as a duplicate comment so Iβm adding this to try and get around it
Hi PJ – thanks for comment. I personally have nothing against dumpster diving at all!
Whomever wrote this article, needs a slap across the back of the proverbial, because a) they are missing the point of dumpster diving (which for us freegans is essentially about limiting waste, recycling wherever possible and providing a viable answer to food insecurity/hunger) and b) they have equated dumpster diving with illegal practices such as deliberately trespassing onto someone else’s private property. I have been dumpster diving on and off, since 2013 and NEVER ONCE, have I broke into someone’s private premises, to dumpster dive. This is simply NOT ON!!! As for being dangerous, I have been given donated food from charities, that was so rotten, you could smell it outside the building in the carpark area. and this also includes being given donated food items, that are YEARS past their expiry date!!! (So how dangerous is that?) Yes I dumpster dive through bins but I wear gloves, I NEVER eat anything straight out of a bin, I check expiry dates, I cook meat items by either nuking it or putting into a pressure cooker) freeze remaining items and or discard what hasn’t been eaten within two to three days. I have NEVER got sick from food items, I have acquired via dumpster diving and in all honestly, my diet has never been better, since I began dumpster diving. I have procured everything from fresh fruit and vegetables, to high end meat products, fish, to cakes and pastries, milk and cheese. The one item I DO NOT touch is eggs, as the risk of salmonella poisoning is just too high, for me to take. Aside from grocery items, I have acquired electrical items, cooking utensils, books, magazines, cosmetics, sunglasses, petfood, soap, and clothing out of various dumpsters over time. I LOVE dumpster diving and WILL NOT STOP, because some under-educated NUMPTY states, its dangerous and illegal! BITE ME!
glad to hear your opinion! thanks for comment
Hi all,
In Perth, East Vic Park Council was rumoured to have passed a law against bin diving. I searched their by-laws and only found references to parking on verges; blocking verges with vendor’s stalls and littering. So I phoned a Council manager who was polite and understanding and helpfully gave me 30 minutes, explaining that a deterrent was aimed at preventing the raiding of householder domestic yellow bins for cash-redeemable bottles around 2019. Residents had complained about invasion of privacy due to possible scrutiny of personal un-shredded documents discarded in recycling bins and of rubbish left scattered on verges when Binners searched for bottles. He said trespassers would most likely be given a warning, not fined or prosecuted, although serial offenders, particularly of domestic bins and if leaving a mess, may be fined.
However food gleaners in Australia (not in NY) are principally interested in commercial bins behind supermarket, bakeries and vegetable vendors, which routinely discard food still βwithin use-by dateβ and often still in plastic trays with plastic wrap – all very hygienic and aesthetically pleasing.
Bin gleaners in Australia (as verified by their blogs, support websites and by Freegan (Melb) websites), are careful to never venture onto private property, (certainly never on domestic private property); leave if questioned or told to do so by vendor employees, and have a well known tenant of leaving bin areas cleaner than when they arrived. In Fremantle, W.A. food gleaners possibly vote Green and Labor but generally are not politically motivated, although often hold strong personal views about food thrown out unnecessarily when so many are food deprived; and are concerned about green matter being dumped in general waste areas affecting O2 emissions and contributing to global warming.
I appreciate that you support visitors to your website to express their views and ask questions in this column and although the website formal article is biased and possibly defamatory towards food gleaners, that you are accepting and allowing of those with opposing views to write here.
Thank you
Bavali Hill
Unsure about other states however Qld police have told me dumpster diving is not illegal as long as itβs not on private property
Absolute rubbish article!
Very informative post! I had no idea dumpster diving was illegal in Australia, especially since it’s becoming a growing trend in some parts of the world. It’s great to see Waster providing insights into this topic and making us aware of the legalities involved. Looking forward to more posts like this!
Hey, in nsw here, bit scared of having to pay a fine or even spend sometime in jail, but looking to get into dumpster diving as im worried about the prices of things these days. Whould anyone have some tips about certain shops to go to or not go to, how to figure out if a bin is on private or public property, or if there are certain tells that a bin is claimed by another dumpster diver? (If thats a thing?) Or really anything about dumpster diving in general? ( Ps. Article could be better, would recommend showing both sides of the story next time! Dont worry we all start off somewhere! π )
Interesting read on dumpster diving laws in Australia! As someone who has done some research on sustainable living practices, I was surprised to learn that dumpster diving is illegal in some states. Great to see Insights from Waster sharing their knowledge on this topic. It’s important to be aware of the laws and regulations surrounding this practice so we can all do our part in reducing waste and living more sustainably.