Believe it or not, dumpster diving, or skip dipping as it is sometimes known, is becoming a popular movement among those wishing to help reduce waste worldwide, including in this country. Those who routinely practice dumpster diving are generally searching for food waste. Because of laws regarding expiry dates and packaging, perfectly good food may be tossed in the rubbish bin. These scavengers—or maybe scavengers with less noble motives—might come across other items while skip-dipping, too, including documents with important company or client information. So is dumpster diving illegal?
Laws Regarding Dumpster Diving
According to an article on the Victorian Government’s website, dumpster diving in and of itself is not necessarily illegal. It is a bit of a legal grey area. While dumpster diving is not technically illegal, there are other laws that dumpster divers may be breaking. If a dumpster is located on private property, for example, the dumpster diver could be accused of trespassing. However, a business may not have a claim on the item once it is placed in the bin. If an item can be reasonably considered abandoned, then taking it is not considered theft.
This is why it is vital for businesses to shred their confidential documents. Dumpster divers will not be deterred by a possible fine for trespassing. Confidential document destruction is the only way to ensure that your documents are not read by others. And don’t forget, you are responsible for your confidential documents from the time they are created until the time they are destroyed. Simply placing them in the rubbish bin does not protect you from potential problems if your documents are stolen and you could be liable if they are used in a case of identity theft.
Protect Your Business
If your business does not sell food, your bins are less likely to attract the harmless kind of dumpster diver. If you place anything of possible use in your bin, however, you may attract those looking for something to reuse. Even if they don’t intend to take any confidential information, if it is there in the bin, there is always a risk that it could fall into the wrong hands.
One way to protect your business is to lock your rubbish bin. However, it is much more effective to make sure confidential information is never in the dumpster to begin with. Shred your confidential documents, and you can rest easy knowing they have been disposed of properly. Shred On Site will come straight to your door and handle all of your shredding for you. Call today for a quote.
