Can You Get Arrested For Dumpster Diving. Unless a town or city has specifically made dumpster diving illegal, generally the police will not come unless called by a store manager or property owner. However, if a dumpster is against a building or inside a fenced enclosure marked “no trespassing,” you could be questioned, ticketed or even arrested by the police.
The case of california v greenwood 1988, has been used to claim that as long as a dumpster diver’s not trespassing and local regulations don’t specifically prohibit it, scavenging food falls within the law. If you’re dumpster diving at your own apartment complex, you have every right to dumpster dive unless there is a sign warning you not to. Is dumpster diving unlawful in canton ohio?