I’m at the grocery store tonight shopping for my regular weekly trip. Beef has gotten so pricey here lately, I’m just not buying as much. I had wanted to make a pot roast but the tender cuts of meat were way too expensive. So I passed.
I told my husband let’s go behind the store, let’s see what they have thrown out. I go to the first dumpster and guess what was squashed to the left of the trash bag?
A 1.5 pound sirloin steak roast, cold (fresh kill), well within date and completely red, no brown marks. I grabbed the package and we took off. Here I was bemoaning the price of sirloin steak and resigned myself to not having it.
So tonight I’ll be cooking that in the crockpot with burgundy french onion soup. Served with carrots, mashed potatoes and sweet tea.
Manifestation or coincidence? Who knows?
Urbandumpsterdiver's Blog 
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brandonLA@mail.com
hello, i am trying to get a clarification on dumpster-diving. i started about a year ago. before i did, i looked it up and read that it was legal.
there is one that is my regular. mind you that-
it is unlocked
there is not a no trespassing sign
i do this after hours
i do not make a mess, strewing things around
the reaction of cops is completely inconsistent. one drove past and nodded. the next one stopped and chatted-“getting the good stuff?”.
however the last one was a young female cop. i explained the other ones didn’t care and she said-“that was them”. she talked about “theft of services” and implied the next time i would actually be arrested. i have not done it since.
what are the requirements, if any. do you actually prosecute for it?
would i have to get the bin owner’s permission, do they generally give it?
i would like to resume, i find usable items, recycle cans ands so forth. however i need to make sure that i have the right person’s permission.
i will not send my real name unless you need it, would you actually send me some sort of written letter i could show the next time the cops stop me?
thanks. BA
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RE: refer to district attorney office please
From: “Amanda Breuer”
To: “brandonLA@mail.com”
Cc: “Web Master”
Date: Dec 28, 2015 5:31:21 PM
Dear BA,
I received your question about dumpster diving. Unfortunately, the DA’s office can’t provide you with legal advice regarding this matter. I would suggest consulting the law library or checking with a law enforcement officer. It sounds like you’ve received conflicting responses from law enforcement so perhaps the law library might be the best place to start. My other suggestion would be to speak with an attorney, but I’m not sure if they would be willing to do free or discounted meetings with you in order to answer the questions you may have. Hopefully that helps at least give you a place to start from in order to get your questions answered.
Best regards,
Amanda Breuer
Legal Assistant
Klamath County District Attorney’s Office
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sorry to have been out of the loop for a while. i sent this to my local DA office and got this less than useful response. i thought they would give me a simple yes we prosecute, no we don’t prosecute. i then sent the same mail to the local police, i still haven’t gotten a response, so i am writing to you again.
i like the comment about reduced legal rates. hmmmmm, haven’t thought about it, but i suppose the cops wouldn’t hassle us as much if only the rich and famous took up diving as a hobby.
i have one idea. when you were a kid, did you ever get away with stuff if you told your dad- “mom say’s it’s ok with her if it’s ok with you” then told you mom-
” dad say’s it’s ok with him if it’s ok with you.”?
what if i send a mail to the waste management saying the DA doesn’t want to prosecute me unless they INSIST on it. this is pretty close to the truth. when they respond i then send it to the DA. i suppose i could send a point-blank mail to the DA if they would prosecute me. however, they could say yes, even if they were just bluffing.
what’s my best bet?
thanks, BA
Comment by brandon a — January 19, 2016 @ 7:36 pm
Brandon, I think you’re over thinking this. I would just be as stealth as possible. The more you stir the pot, i.e. contacting the store or the DA’s office, the more you’ll stay in their field of vision.
A true dumpster diver is stealth, quiet and makes himself invisible. He/she is in or out in about 5-10 minutes and gone like the wind.
Comment by urbandumpsterdiver — January 24, 2016 @ 10:45 pm