From what we understand, it is. That should come as a relief to our Delaware home security customers, because in some states, sorting through trash bins is something left up to cities to deal with. In fact, a Lincoln woman was arrested and charged last year with a third degree trespassing violation for rifling through a grocery store dumpster in search of food for the feral cats she rescues.
While this elderly woman is certainly one of the more sympathetic figures to be charged with the crime locally, most dumpster divers are not so relatable to the average, well-intentioned person. On the contrary, a great deal of them are actually identity thieves in search of discarded mail with your personal information. Remember that the next time someone you catch lifting up your trash can lid tells you they’re “just looking for aluminum and glass.” Tell them to leave your property (if you feel safe doing so). If not, call the police.
What about dumpster diving at a business? Although some business owners don’t pay much mind to the vagrant population sorting through their trash, they really should. For one thing, it is a public health risk. For another, it is still a security concern, even if the dumpster diver does not appear to have the resources to commit identity theft. Hopefully, you already have security cameras installed at your business; no matter what kind of operation you have, it may be smart to take those measures one step further and add on a camera outside in view of the dumpster.
It is true that dumpster diving is something that has blown up as a phenomenon since the economic decline. But that doesn’t mean that it should be tolerated, especially considering the devastating consequences it can lead to for victims. If you are a Delaware home security customer of ours, we recommend you have an outdoor camera installed above the driveway where any dumpster divers can be recorded.