Is dumpster diving legal in Auburn, Wash.?
The Auburn, Wash., Municipal Code apparently has no specific prohibition on the activity of dumpster diving, but you need to be aware that there are a few laws which would be used to make it illegal should the police be motivated to make an arrest. First, you need to be aware of the location of the trash bin or dumpster. If the bin or dumpster is located behind a fence or on private property (whether a no trespassing sign is posted or not), going onto the property to collect trash from a bin may constitute criminal trespass second degree. The same is true of locked dumpsters or receptacles located in alley ways or along streets. If they are locked, then no one is invited in without permission of the owner. The removal of items from a locked dumpster, even something that is unquestionably trash or rubbish, could be viewed as criminal theft.
