If you've left garbage out for pickup, the law says it no longer belongs to you.
Be careful what you throw away because according to the U.S. Supreme Court, your trash is not private. The federal government has declared that once you put an item in the garbage for pickup, it's no longer yours.
California Vs. Greenwood
Only trash that has been left out for sanitation workers to collect can be searched by police without a warrant.
As a result of the case of California vs. Greenwood, spying by means of looking through trash left out for pickup, or trash espionage, is legal. William Greenwood, a suspected drug trafficker, was convicted in part due to evidence police obtained from his trash without a warrant, according to CrimeAndClues.com. The California Supreme Court ruled in favor of Greenwood saying the search violated the Fourth Amendment which guards against unreasonable search and seizure. The U.S. Supreme Court heard the case in 1988 and overturned the lower court's decision, ruling that no one can expect privacy in garbage left out for pickup.
Dangers
While trash espionage is legal, what some people do with trash may not be. So-called "dumpster divers" are people who go through other's trash, sometimes for nefarious purposes such as identity theft. Personal information like Social Security and account numbers may be obtained from paperwork you've discarded. Business trash may contain company secrets and financial records that can be stolen by thieves or rival company spies
Safeguards
Paper shredders can prevent others from spying on you via your trash.
There are local, state and federal laws which require businesses to protect sensitive information by properly disposing of trash, according to CleanCutShredding.com. Whenever you discard sensitive information at home or work, be sure you destroy it first. Many homes and businesses use paper shredders to destroy private documents.
Tags: Supreme Court, California Greenwood, espionage legal, garbage pickup, left pickup, obtained from