what is the etiquette for pulling things out of skips, anyway?

[kaberett]

Not that I have, er, pulled several things out of a skip in the last 36 hours...

In the past when I have been going OOH THAT LOOKS USEFUL about stuff in skips on people's actual driveways I've dropped a note through the door with my phone number saying "hey, is it okay for me to make off with things?"

I have not done that with this week's skip, in large part because it was out on the street rather than on a drive -- I could probably fairly straightforwardly correctly identify the property it's associated with but it would involve a bit more uncertainty...

Comments

[ewt]

My practice is that if it's something I think would have much resale value I usually knock on the door and ask, but if it's, like, bricks and tubing and similar I usually just take it.

Technically the stuff in the skip still belongs to the person who is getting rid of it, but... well. It's in a skip. Their intentions seem clear.

[kaberett]

I find the extent of my horror at the concept of Knocking On Doors mildly fascinating, so this is very useful calibration -- thank you!

[lilysea]

what is the etiquette for pulling things out of skips, anyway?

1. Don't leave a mess on the ground around the skip, put anything that you're not taking that accidentally falls out back again.

2. Knock and the door and ask if bedbugs are a reason soft stuff is being thrown out.

3. Don't take documents that could be private/confidential.

[ewt]

I don't think I've ever seen documents in a skip here.

[lilysea]

I don't think I've ever seen documents in a skip here

It's not at all common here (Australia) but every now and then there is a story here about someone ordering a skip bin for their use and then illegally dumping sensitive medical files or sensitive bank files into a skip bin.

ANZ bank apologises after customers' personal information found in Perth skip bin

One of Australia's biggest banks investigates after customers' personal data is discovered "floating down the street" after being dumped in a skip.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-01/anz-bank-customer-data-found-skip-bin/102037402

Confidential hospital patient records found dumped in Sydney bin

NSW Health is under pressure after confidential information about 700 public patients and hundreds more from the private system were found dumped in a Sydney bin.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-21/confidential-health-records-found-dumped-in-sydney-bin/8460694

[shewhostaples]

I once read a book by someone who found a load of diaries (journals) in a skip. It turned out they'd been thrown out by accident. (Obviously there was more to the story than that. I enjoyed the book!)

[kaberett]

Ooh! Title?

[shewhostaples]

A Life Discarded: 148 Diaries Found In A Skip.

[conuly]

It would never occur to me to ask before taking something off the curb unless, of course, I had reason to suspect the person wasn't actually throwing it out but was just, like, moving or something. In which case I'd definitely ask before walking off with it!

[hairyears]

Skips in the public highway are fair game, but not if they 're on private property - and that means the driveway.

[sfred]

This.

[kaberett]

This sounds reassuringly in line with what I've been doing/defaulting to!

[lokifan]

Agreed!

[lunabee34]

What is a skip?

[sfred]

I think the US English is dumpster?

[enigel]

(Completely random tangent) Hmm, "skip fire" wouldn't have had the same cultural impact (read: meme-ability) as "dumpster fire"...

[lunabee34]

Thank you! Yes, looking at the picture, I would call that a dumpster.

[lilysea]

A large open strong metal bin with high sides. Often does not have any lid.

[lunabee34]

Thank you! :)