Hard rubbish...

[nickle730]

Is it ok to collect something from hard rubbish on the side of the road?

It's hard rubbish in my area and I've seen several things I'd quite like... but I dunno whether it's ok to collect from other people's rubbish or not?! years ago, I saw a perfectly good desk in someone's hard rubbish pile so I did what I thought was the right thing and knocked on the door to ask if they would mind if I took it. The woman said 'you can have it for $50'!! I did point out that she was throwing it out, but she wouldn't budge so I left it there, quite disgusted! I have no problem if someone wants to recycle the things I no longer have any use for, I reckon it's sustainable and better than ending up in landfill, but because of the experience when I was younger I would never stop and take something from someone else's pile. Well... maybe under the cover of darkness if I really, really wanted it!!

What do you think? Ok or no?

[Calluna]

Definately ok! Better it goes to you than the dump. We have people who go around with a trailor and pick from peoples piles. Its almost a sport. Lol

That women was undoubtedly in the wrong. What a cow!

I would just take what you want. Its just destined for the tip anyway. Obviously the original owner doesnt care about it.

[feeb]

I have heard before that it is illegal to take from hard rubbish.

OMG at the women re the desk seriously WTF.

[peanutter]

I thought it was abandoned (and if not during hard rubbish time, technically littering) so I don't see the problem.

I've never looked into it, though.

[wysiwyg]

I think is ok, I have had a double buggy, a chair, a table and a kids easel out of hard rubbish.

I have heard the illegal thing too, but fairly sure it isn't illegal I think maybe some councils discourage because they don't like people going through making a mess of a pile or causing road congestion, but I have always thought will cross that bridge if anything is said. I have never asked the person whose house it is outside I would have thought they would be glad to be rid of it. Round here they used to do once a year and maybe people going through the piles was more a problem than is now that they have a phone to collect scheme so stuff is about all year round.

Is a great form of recycling if you ask me and should be encouraged.

[PumpkinZulu]

I've scored some awesome stuff from hard rubbish! I have a friend who lives in Armadale (wealthy suburb) and the stuff she gets from hard rubbish is gold. She got a perfectly good Poang chair once. I love hard rubbish time, we even put signs on things like microwaves or computer screens stating if they work etc so that other people can take them

[Joeve]

Take what you like! Its a free for all here at the moment as it's collection time and it seems we put something out and it's gone within a few hours!

[Lenny]

On the flyer from the council it says its illegal! But you're right, it's like a sport around here! We were chatting the other day and most people I know have had door knockers asking to take things. I haven't, but we generally donate things.

This year (last fortnight) I had the kids old high chair out - st kilda mums only want really new ones, and no one wanted it for 99 cents on eBay! It went overnight! Which is great. Recycling!

$$50 for a desk - that woman is mad?!

[Tinks]

Hard rubbish is big business here. Someone in my area got fined for taking something off hard rubbish, so I guess it's illegal. It was all over the news. People drive around the streets here with trailers, stop at every pile and take what they want.

[Nai]

We take stuff all the time. There was a case of a guy that got charged but he fought it and won. Personally I would just take it, I hate the throw away society and anything that can be should be re-used. For the greater good, take it and feel a warm glow for doing so

[peanutter]

And then there's less for the council to take to the tip, less land fill etc - I think it should be encouraged, in general.

Though we lived on an area where the local kids would just smash the hard rubbish up. Break the TV screens, pour the oil and paint dregs over everything, chop the electric cords off the appliances, etc.

THAT should be illegal.

And there should be other options for the kids.

[Miss.September]

I think councils have made it illegal because often they sell the things they collect if they are still okay. Our local tip has a "tip shop". I don't know if that is the true reason it is illegal, but frankly I can't see any other reason why it is!

DH cuts the leads off any appliance we have out for hard rubbish. He's an electrician and is pretty passionate about electrical safety. His way of thinking is if something electrical is outside for collection and it gets tampered with or wet and is still functional, the danger of someone getting a bad shock from it is pretty high.

[Rowellen]

I think the reason it is illegal is purely a public liability insurance issue.

I've seen lots of stuff disappear from piles overnight in our area. I've never worked out how to find out when they are on so we've never put anything out. Our neighbours were moving and put a few things out with a sign saying "free". They mentioned it to us thinking it might be suitable for the kids but when we looked it wasn't something we could use. We went out half an hour later & it was gone! I've never taken anything personally only because we have too much stuff already.

[Rouge]

It's also because there are pickers who make a living selling other peoples junk. I personally don't have a problem with it. Otherwise I'd sell it myself. But I don't. So go for it. This is why some councils have "book only" collection times. Instead of schedules. To stop pickers from going through everyone's junk.

I'd love to say it's just about insurance. But I suspect it's about money. More than anything.

[~Kim~]

It's illegal because technically it's stealing.

There is an owner - the council. People give it to them when they put it out for collection, usually on council land (the nature strip)
There is an intent to permanently deprive that owner - you're going to keep it/sell it/recycle it
You don't have their consent - you can't, cos who in their right mind would ask the council? lol

Our tip has a tip shop too, but they don't do hard rubbish collection because it costs them too much money, so our rates would go up.

However, I'm all for collecting Great way to pick up some neat stuff.

[Rouge]

But do you see how silly that is. Here's a piece of land you pay for with rates, but don't own. And if you don't look after that piece of land we'll fine you. If you put things on that piece of land then it belongs to us. But you have to pay money for it to be collected. And if you let others take it saving time and money for the council, they get fined. Say what?!

[Miss.September]

But do you see how silly that is. Here's a piece of land you pay for with rates, but don't own. And if you don't look after that piece of land we'll fine you. If you put things on that piece of land then it belongs to us. But you have to pay money for it to be collected. And if you let others take it saving time and money for the council, they get fined. Say what?!

Yep! We put a desk on our nature strip for a couple of days with a sign saying "Free". We got a letter in the mail box from council telling us to remove it as it was an eyesore. Never mind the houses around us with front lawns up to your eyeballs in length, a desk with a free sign was an eyesore. I think council was ****ed that they couldn't take it (although I don't know why, they'd raided our skips before). Hmmm, wonder why a skip full of rubbish wasn't classified as an eyesore, we had those often enough!

I think if you want it, and it's there for the taking, go for it.

[~Kim~]

But do you see how silly that is. Here's a piece of land you pay for with rates, but don't own. And if you don't look after that piece of land we'll fine you. If you put things on that piece of land then it belongs to us. But you have to pay money for it to be collected. And if you let others take it saving time and money for the council, they get fined. Say what?!

I most certainly do. There are some stupid stupid parts of law.