Updated: Trash Scavengers Alarm Residents

Last Friday, August 14, a resident of East Lansing’s Glencairn neighborhood posted to a neighborhood Facebook group that a couple had been going through her trash and recycling, and appeared to be looking mostly at papers. Later that day, another individual was seen going through trash. The East Lansing Police Department (ELPD) was called and the responding officer spoke to the man for several minutes. The Facebook post stated that ELPD had indicated that it was illegal to go through another person’s trash.

I contacted ELPD to find out whether the reported problem was widespread, whether there were risks to East Lansing residents, and what if any precautions would decrease those risks.

Captain Larry Sparkes responded that, “In searching our call history, I can verify that ELPD checked on a suspicious person on Northlawn near Oakwood at approximately 2:14 pm yesterday [Friday, August 14]. This involved a person carrying a trash bag primarily filled with discarded beer cans. I did not find a second call.”

Sparkes added that, “from time to time, we do receive calls of a related nature. Most of these calls turn out to be people collecting cans and placing them in their own garbage bags as they travel primarily in the downtown areas.”

Although looking for cans is common in some areas, Sparkes confirms that “It is illegal to look through the trash of others. It is covered under ordinance # 36-87 - Scavenging; disturbing container or removing contents.” He adds that “most persons look through the trash of others in search of items of value. They may be looking for cans, etc. The worst case scenario could be that they are looking for private documents that could assist them in committing the crimes of identity theft or fraud.”

A hunt for such private documents was clearly the cause of concern in the Glencairn neighborhood.

Asked what citizens could do to prevent the theft of documents, Sparkes explained that “the best precautions to take against these type of crimes involve the shredding of sensitive information before discarding it. It is advisable to never dispose of items that contain your social security number or bank account information without first shredding the documents. Perhaps most importantly, never hesitate to call the police department to report suspicious activity should you observe something that simply does not appear to be normal. ELPD will respond and investigate the circumstances accordingly.”

Updated 8/19 to add: