Is Collecting Dumpster PC parts worth It?

[Cepheus_001]

Hey Y'all

 

I want to know where is the best spot to go scrap hunting for computer parts. Please submit your response in the poll, and put your opinion in thew comments.

 

thanks!

 

- Stealth

[DaltonM]

Dumpster diving has sketchy legality.I suggest collecting your own ewaste. 

 

The best thing you can get is a sound card because even an early 2000s sound card is only going to look ugly but still perform. 

[ShadowCaptain]

3 minutes ago, Slayerstealth said:

Hey Y'all

 Stealth

 

Removing things from peoples bins is theft and is illegal - you MUST ask permission


 

[Howlingwolf101]

I would say go around private buisnesses as they are the ones that have money and are always trying to stay up to date. Public places like schools and libraries tend to be out of date, at least the ones around me are.

[Cepheus_001]

Good to know ShadowCaptain...

[Howlingwolf101]

1 minute ago, ShadowCaptain said:

 

Removing things from peoples bins is theft and is illegal - you MUST ask permission


 

Actually if it's marked trash and has been thrown out, it's considered public domain, at least in the US.

[Cepheus_001]

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Actually if it's marked trash and has been thrown out, it's considered public domain, at least in the US

what about in Canada?

[Mohenjo]

i mean, go to PC recycle centers. a lot of places dont know what they got. Maybe youll get lucky and get something for cheap. 

[Cepheus_001]

Quote

mean, go to PC recycle centers. a lot of places dont know what they got. Maybe youll get lucky and get something for cheap. 

 

I know the is a "Free Geek" here, but it's far

[TheMcSame]

5 minutes ago, Slayerstealth said:

I live in Canada, is it legal here?

Not that I know off, that's not to say it's illegal though, although property owners and security guards can ban you from the premises. Should you return, you would be trespassing.

 

And a police officer seized a weapon from some trash without a warrant and it was ruled as a legal so... At best, it's a grey area.

[Cepheus_001]

Quote

Not that I know off, although property owners and security guards can ban you from the premises. Should you return, you would be trespassing.

What about public areas, I know not to go doing that on private property, perhaps behind a school? i would like to look for these parts legaly

[Cepheus_001]

Lol. I agree, the only thing you can hurt are you hands and reputation. Probably shouldn't go there. It is a grey area to begin with.

[cleb]

I say yes.... If that's your thing. You will more than likely never build an ideal rig,  or likely anything close.  But you can find plenty of computers, while with there quirks,  fun to refurbish,  experiment,  and tinker with. Though you could find something like core 2s and such,  it'll probably be more of a hobby than anything. 

[DevilishBooster]

1 hour ago, ShadowCaptain said:

Removing things from peoples bins is theft and is illegal - you MUST ask permission

That's actually not entirely true. Once the trash has been placed on the curb for collection (whether or not it is in a bin) or once it has been place in a public collection bin/dumpster, it is then considered that you have surrendered private ownership of the items contained in the bag/bin/dumpster. This is how law enforcement is able to legally go through your trash for evidence. The key here, especially when dealing with trash in residential areas, is that it has to be 'placed on the curb for collection'. We had a several-hour discussion about it during one of my criminal law classes in college.

 

OBVIOUS DISCLAIMER: I am not a lawyer. Do not take this as advice for action. I live in the US, so what I have said pertains ONLY to the US, and particularly my state. Always consult with your local law enforcement for clarity on your area's regulations if you are not sure in their interpretation.

[Cepheus_001]

It's just probably good not to go there. People might start complaining anyways. The laws about that aren't really clear. It's probably best to do it on the work hours when people have left there homes and apartments.

[ptcgplayer]

I feel like the garage-sale type scenario would be kind of fun

[Cepheus_001]

I was thinking the same thing ptcgplayer.

[minibois]

So you want to go dumpster diving? The legality of that is questionable to illegal in most parts of the world. Even if it is legal, it's still looked down upon by security and stuff. 

But if you want to do that, you could try the dumpsters of thrift stores, they are known to throw up some stuff (I would assume electronics too).

 

If you are talking you want to get cheap second hand stuff, you could try thrift stores, but from my experience they only have really old stuff (Nvidia's 9000 series, AMD's equivalent and older stuff it seems)

[Cepheus_001]

Ok, I think we get that dumpster diving is sketchy. What about "Free Geek"?

[WkdPaul]

1 hour ago, ShadowCaptain said:

 

Removing things from peoples bins is theft and is illegal - you MUST ask permission

This depends HEAVILY on where you live, in Canada trash is considered public domain, so nothing illegal here (BTW, that's how I got 2 C2Q, 1 C2D, a 60GB SSD and a few Dell Optiplex cases).

[ShadowCaptain]

1 hour ago, Howlingwolf101 said:

Actually if it's marked trash and has been thrown out, it's considered public domain, at least in the US.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garbage_theft

 

In The United States, garbage theft is punishable as 'Petty Theft', with a penalty usually involving a minor prison sentence, or a fine of up to US$1000, dependent on state laws regarding low-level theft.[2]

[DevilishBooster]

6 minutes ago, ShadowCaptain said:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garbage_theft

 

In The United States, garbage theft is punishable as 'Petty Theft', with a penalty usually involving a minor prison sentence, or a fine of up to US$1000, dependent on state laws regarding low-level theft.[2]

See my post above. "Garbage theft" is when you are trespassing and removing the items from a private garbage recepticle that is on private property. Once trash is placed at the curb for collection or in a public trash recepticle it is considered surrendered from private ownership. The curb and boulevard are actually public property, so once the trash has been placed there anyone can walk up and take stuff.

[WkdPaul]

1 hour ago, Slayerstealth said:

what about in Canada?

it's legal here, search for Canada's Supreme Court case "R v Patrick" (it basically says it's ok to collect trash and you have no expectation of privacy if throw away something). It's also not tresspassing since the garbage is in reach from any passerby.

[thekeemo]

15 minutes ago, wkdpaul said:

This depends HEAVILY on where you live, in Canada trash is considered public domain, so nothing illegal here (BTW, that's how I got 2 C2Q, 1 C2D, a 60GB SSD and a few Dell Optiplex cases).

Where did you find them?

[WkdPaul]

8 minutes ago, thekeemo said:

Where did you find them?

the C2D and SSD was from a local school, they were giving old Dell Optiplex to parents, I took 2 and gave one to my sister.

 

One C2Q was found in the trash behind a building an old Dell Optiplex again, I'm sometimes using the back alley as a shortcut and saw it in the pile of garbage, it seems they threw it away when the PSU died, they pulled the HDD but left the RAM (2x2GB DDR2) and the C2Q.

 

The other C2Q was from a PC in my neighborhood, I thought it was just the case but it still had the motherboard and CPU (the mobo was dead, don't know why they didn't remove the CPU)