If someone puts, let’s say a broken fridge, outside of their house, next to but not in their bins, could you take it?

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Timecreaper@reddit (OP)

Okay so, my friend told me it’s next to one of those public bins, what does that mean?

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poppalopp@reddit

Fly-tipping is considered a serious offence and taking fly-tipped items means you are interfering with evidence of a crime.

So yes, it’s illegal. You’d be hard pressed to find someone who’d genuinely want to dob you in for taking a trolley out the river or a fridge off the street though.

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You're assuming that leaving a fridge outside your house qualifies as fly-tipping (which is illegal). However, this may not necessarily be the case. There are legitimate reasons why someone might leave a fridge outside. So building a case of 'interfering with evidence of a crime' is irrelevant, as it's built on an unverified premise.

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poppalopp@reddit

The situation presented as a broken fridge next to, but not in, a bin is likely fly-tipped.

The alternative could be that it’s been left out for bulky waste collection - in which case you’re literally just stealing it.

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Figusto@reddit

Yes, but I think it would be more realistic to pin down a charge of theft.

Claiming that someone taking a fridge is 'interfering with evidence of fly-tipping' (i.e. perverting the course of justice) means they'd be taking the fridge with the intention of preventing an investigation (or prosecution) of a crime. Arguably, that intention isn't there. Similarly, someone who does litter picking in a park is unlikely to be charged with perverting the course of justice.

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poppalopp@reddit

Yeah, fly-tipping and litter picking aren’t related. Electronic goods are classified as hazardous waste and there are different laws related to its management.

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Figusto@reddit

Maybe I wasn't very clear in explaining my point. The comparison to litter picking was in response to your comment that taking fly-tipped waste was tampering with evidence.

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poppalopp@reddit

Thanks for the very kind explanation.

It’s a false analogy because litter picking is not controlled by the same legislation as hazardous waste.

As I said already. Sorry if I wasn’t clear.

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Figusto@reddit

It's an appropriate analogy. The exact legislation which applies to each crime isn't relevant in these examples.

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grymthundyr@reddit

There’s local travelers that take anything like that for free. Saves on the council fees. They took my cooker.

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Milam1996@reddit

Please be careful. It’s legally classified as fly tipping and councils can and do prosecute for it. Best to take a picture and put on FB marketplace and the travelers will message you asking for street address and they’ll take it

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Conscious-Ball8373@reddit

Household waste from a residential property that is treated, kept or disposed of within the curtilage of the property is not fly-tipping and you can't be prosecuted for it.

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V65Pilot@reddit

They took the used rear axle for my car, out of my front garden, sitting next to the door, Unfortunately they took the one I needed to replace the damaged one on my car. Bastards.

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Round-Spite-8119@reddit

I took some discs off my car, and left them right at the top of the drive (as in, away from the road), by my back gate. I had picked up some new ones, but it's a good job I did cos while I had lunch somebody took them - thought that was a bit fucking cheeky.

If it's down on the road, go for it, but don't walk up my drive. They didn't nick anything else (I had a few tools knocking about), so I think they meant well, but c'mon...

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okaycompuperskills@reddit

Technically even stealing rubbish is illegal

So if the “owner” and/or the police wanted to be dicks about it you could get charged

Eg people getting prosecuted for taking expired food from tescos bins

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BppnfvbanyOnxre@reddit

There are people circling like vultures for scrap it seems (at least here) that if it is outside the property boundary they will lift it and it is gone, inside they come and ask. e.g. When we had a new kitchen earlier this year the detritus from the old kitchen was on the drive to be cleared at the end of the job, they called and asked for the sink. On the advice of the kitchen fitters I stuck the old washing machine I'd swapped out when we moved back just outside the boundary thinking I'd bring it in if it didn't go and I don't think it was outside more than 30 minutes.

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SpeedWobbles87@reddit

Since this isn’t legal advice I’m just gonna say that is morally perfectly fine.

Legally dunno.

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palpatineforever@reddit

it depends, i have had a few nice finds on the street. generally it is obvious when it is thrown away as opposed to someone moving though. mine is limitied to furniture finds though i have no use for old machines.

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underwater-sunlight@reddit

You need consent to take things that have been left, even if it is in a skip. A 'free' sign is consent, but for anything else, you need to ask first

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thatscotbird@reddit

we usually put things out and then word will quickly spread to a certain group of people who like to… travel…

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Farscape_rocked@reddit

Yes but don't take fridges because of the gas in them. They need proper disposal, and that's why you see fridges on pavements for ages.

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Polz34@reddit

I live in a mid-sized town and we have a guy who drives round with his truck once a week shouting 'any old iron?' - he will totally take anything left by bins if he can get a few quid for it

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Special-Ad-9415@reddit

Technically fly tipping, but the do as you likeys will have it before anything gets done about it.

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spattzzz@reddit

I took the battery out of my car, put it on the drive and hour later someone had it away. Rather annoyed tbh, at least ask first.

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crash144019@reddit

People won't take fridges and Freezers. The insulation and gasses require specialist facilities for disposal. Cooker's, driers and washing machines will be gone before the day is over.

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dinkidoo7693@reddit

When I put my old broken fridge out it was there for a couple of months.
Someone once knocked asking if they could have the metal off the back but wouldn't take the rest of it.
Then one morning I went outside and it was gone. Vanished. No idea where it went.

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RabidHamsterSlayer@reddit

We bought a new cooker and put the old one outside and it was gone by that afternoon. Same with an old washing machine. I’m very grateful to those Wimbledon. They’re very efficient. No where, these days, do you get such quick, reliable and free service.

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Ok_Help516@reddit

I see it as an unwritten rule, if anything is outside of the house gate that item is a free grab without asking questions. I once was changing my sofas and I've put my old sofa outside with the full expectation of calling the council to pick it up the next morning but sometime during the night my old sofa had been picked up by someone

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Haunting_Practice_23@reddit

Just had a new kitchen fitted. The old cooker was placed next to my wheelie bin, ready for the council to collect. Cooker was still on my property, but not fenced off. Within an hour it had gone. I don't particularly mind, but had I known I wouldn't have booked the council collection which cost £16.

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Mop_Jockey@reddit

They may have paid for an uplift and will still get charged for it if some rando takes it to then dump it somewhere else.

Just ask.

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seeyoujim@reddit

Most people leave metal items outside their houses because they want someone to take it. It kind of an unwritten rule.

However, be warned , most scrap places will not pay money for any refrigeration devices due to the gases contained within being a pain to dispose of safely.

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V65Pilot@reddit

Reality: They really don't GAF about the gases......but they don't want all the plastic and insulation that comes with them. You'll see scrappers gut the motors and coils out of a fridge left on the street, and leave the carcass behind. Scrappers will cut the coolant lines in a heartbeat, just to get the copper.

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