So yesterday I saw two light fixtures my neighbor had removed from the back of the house they're redoing and set them at the street. They were still there this morning and I started to get them but I didn't need them, so left them. And sure enough I knew the scrappers would get them, and sure enough tonight they were gone and I knew the scrappers had come by, so I bet they got them. It's a shame as they're such cool looking lights. Sometimes the scrappers can be annoying because they grab anything before I can see it. In fact I was going for walk a few weeks ago and saw some stuff sitting out but not sure what, I think electrical related and then as I was coming back by I was going to look, but I moved over because a truck was coming, it stopped and the scrapper grabbed everything.

What annoys me, is the scrappers just want the stuff to make a few cents, whereas some of it is worth saving, to me and has more value than a few cents of metal.

Same out here. One time, I threw out my old bicycle, that the sprocket mechanism is broken and once I threw it out, next morning at 6:43AM just before the garbage truck comes, a white pick-up truck that had two guys came out and took the broken bicycle. Just like that.   

Same out here. One time, I threw out my old bicycle, that the sprocket mechanism is broken and once I threw it out, next morning at 6:43AM just before the garbage truck comes, a white pick-up truck that had two guys came out and took the broken bicycle. Just like that.   

Here, that would be classed as theft. It doesn't matter whether the original owner didn't want it, it's not yours so you shouldn't take it without permission. The cops have been known to clamp down on things like this quite heavily in some areas. I saw an example on TV a while back; this guy was taking scraps of cable from behind a telephone junction cabinet on the street just as two cops were walking past. They made him put it back and then nicked him..!

So no one is allowed to pick up things there? Over here, anyone can pick up things that are put out for the trash pickup, as far as in most areas. As long as it's at the street it's fair game for pickup. It's been a long time since I've picked up anything in the trash though.

So no one is allowed to pick up things there? Over here, anyone can pick up things that are put out for the trash pickup, as far as in most areas. As long as it's at the street it's fair game for pickup. It's been a long time since I've picked up anything in the trash though.

I think it depends on where it is and how the cops are feeling, to be honest..! Technically, it IS theft, and they can have you for it. I've sometimes hired a skip to clear out a garage or a room, and people have come along and helped themselves from it. Now I don't mind, but if someone spotted them doing it, they could be charged with theft.

@Ria : Do parts of the UK have 'garbage bag tickets' that you need to purchase and tie to your garbage pickup bags ? I remember seeing something to that effect in London about 10 years ago, but I didn't have time to stop and read the label. I always thought you needed to buy a book of tear away tickets and put one on each bag, obviously as a measure of paying for the pickup service and to put some kind of limit on the number of bags you can put out on the day of the collection.

Over here where I live, you have a limit of five garbage bags per household, and not more than one can be opaque (the rest must be transparent). There are no limits on the number of recycling (blue) bags. It is not really enforced because many places have piles of garbage bags on pickup day from many of the surrounding houses. It becomes very tedious to know which bag comes from which house for the 'garbage police'.

Not sure about the bags, as we're in a block of flats, we have communal bins, one for general waste that can't be recycled, one for recyclable waste (mixed types) and one for food waste. Individual houses usually have wheelie bins that they have to put out on specific days, if you put them out too early, you risk being fined. You'll also get fined if you put extra bags out other than in the official bins.

Not seen the type of tickets you describe though, but it's been 40 years since I lived in London. The service is paid for out of council tax, anyway.

Our trash used to just be put out in regular cans twice per week. Yard debris was picked up every two weeks. In the last couple of years, they've gone to an automated truck system. We all received two wheeled carts, one for house trash and the other for recyclables. Trash is picked up once a week and has to be in the carts or can't be collected. I think every two weeks the yard rubbish is still collected and I forget but I think once a month is bulk pickup when large items can be placed out for pickup. In that case the trash is manually collected.

Previously none of the recyclables were collected, they all had to be taken to stations with trailers that had compartments for each type of recycling.

Around here each home has one bin for recyclables (plastic/glass bottles, tin cans, cardboard/paper) and one for trash (anything non-recyclable, including food waste). Yard waste is collected in either paper "yard waste" bags or in a random container of your choice. Trash and recycling is picked up by a truck with an arm that grabs the barrel and lifts it up and turns it upside down to empty it. Yard waste is still dumped into the truck by a person though.

It's definitely illegal to go rifling through someone's bins or going dumpster diving, but loose items left at the curb I've never seen anyone get in trouble for it. I've left things out for scrappers and sure enough they take it. I'd rather a scrapper take it than the trash pick-up since at least the scrapper will cash it in and it will get melted down into something new. If the trash pick-up takes it, it gets added to the mountains of garbage we're dumping all over our planet. I've occasionally gotten roadside fixtures albeit not many. Most are either totally disfigured or just generic "dime a dozen" fixtures I have no interest in. I get far more interesting things from work (fixtures that get removed, etc)

A few years ago, I was walking past one of the big on street bins and beside it was an artificial fig tree. It was still there when I came back that way later in the day, so I picked up an carried it home.

It's been in our living room ever since. It was doing fine until a couple of little ginger kittens came to visit, it's now leaning over a bit and a few of the leaves have come off. But we don't mind a bit as it didn't cost us anything.