Is this against the law?

[cheeky]

We've had this guy in a small blue vehicle 'ransacking' thru everybody's recycling bins. Today he was back again & when he opened his trunk, he had 2 big plastic bags full of cans. I don't mind people collecting cans but I do mind having them rummage through my bin on recycling days. He drives up & down the street going through every bin. I hope I'm not being petty...My husband went out one time & told him to stay out of our bin & the guy just gave him a dirty look & drove off after he was done. Anyone else have a problem with this?

[oneh2obabe]

Pretty sure once your garbage gets put out on the curb it's in public domain. If you're not recycling your cans and it bothers you that he's ransacking your bins, why not put the cans in a separate bag and leave it next to the bin. Problem solved - he grabs the bag and away he goes.

[tylo]

It is not criminal as the contents of the bins become public property once they are on the street for pickup.

However, rummaging through garbage/recycling bins is against a particular West Kelowna Bylaw.

If you wish to report it, West Kelowna Bylaw's is the appropriate place to call.

And yes, I have also seen this fellow in the blue Ford Taurus and I wouldn't say he is "all there" so I wouldn't bother confronting him about it.

[1Westside]

Is the car blue in color with what looks like plastic on the back window? He was down my road today, looked like a honda to me though.

[streamflow]

Saw him this morning on mcqueen road going through our recycling, he has been here before

[gardengirl]

I have seen him as well. Not sure about the ransacking thing.
I do know that driving on the wrong side of the road is against the law.
He is creepy.

[Fancy]

It is not criminal as the contents of the bins become public property once they are on the street for pickup.

However, rummaging through garbage/recycling bins is against a particular West Kelowna Bylaw.

If you wish to report it, West Kelowna Bylaw's is the appropriate place to call.

And yes, I have also seen this fellow in the blue Ford Taurus and I wouldn't say he is "all there" so I wouldn't bother confronting him about it.

Do you know the bylaw or can you post it here? I can't seem to find it.

[mexi cali]

I like H2Os solution. Separate them and place them in a bag next to the bin. Better yet, make an arrangement with the guy to come by once a month and leave them outside your garage or carport in a clearly marked bag. I have 2 sets of folks who come by regularly and it has worked great for a couple of years so far.

[cheeky]

Thanks for everyone's comments. The bags in his trunk were full of pop cans...we don't even put those cans in with our recycling so he's digging in the bin for nothing. And yes Gardengirl, I agree with you...he is creepy.

[Fancy]

I would discourage the behaviour only because I wouldn't want anything else to go missing.

[Catz]

He has been this for over a year! Maybe we can get the licence plate, and call it in...I have no problem giving cans, just hate people going through garbage...my garbage...and he is not the cleanest...I have seen him dump cans over. Scarey looking guy.
Saw him on Webber.

[Captain Awesome]

I'd just ask him to be neat about it - who cares if he takes some cans or whatnot, it's garbage. Just make sure you don't dump anything around while looking for it in the process. As far as calling the cops on him or ICBC - seriously, they might have bigger issues at hand than hobos looking for cans.

[Catz]

bylaw office...not ICBC or RCMP

[Queen K]

Anyone else have a problem with this?

Regardless of whether trash is a public domain issue or not, there is an issue larger than pop cans that may make this guy more sinister than one can believe.

I have a problem with the way people dispose of their medication blisterpacks. No one ever thinks about the ramifications of leaving unused meds in blisterpacks, much less how they end up in the garbage if not disposed of at the pharmacy.

One: Not all meds in blister packs end up getting taken by the patient. Variety of reasons for this, but true.
Two: Not all pharmacy delivery people are licensed to pick up unused meds to return to the pharmacy. Odd, but true due to outsourcing.

Three: Blister packs often come with a med list intended for patient information only. Put med list in garbage, have someone ransack garbage and get a hold of it and what have you got?

Someone who knows what meds are where! And potentially has meds in hand to use/sell/ What?

Very bad and potentially dangerous.

I've ranted about this issue before and if some families start paying attention to the issue and shredding blister pack information, I'll consider this rant well worth the time it took to type it out.

Is it an issue of a stranger looking for cans/bottles? Or other stuff? Credit card info? Phone numbers? Useful information for fraud?

Yes, I have a problem with it. Which is why we shred and often feed the shredded stuff to the composter to boot.

Good luck with this guy, I hope he's harmless. Truly harmless.

[peachlandnotary]

Chances are, he's just collecting bottles and trying to make a living. It's not against the law if he isn't trespassing on to your property. If your bin is on the curb they he is merely searching through city property (since you likely don't own the bin - they are usually owned by the city).