Borrowing Trash And Judgment Enforcement
I'm not a lawyer, I am a judgment referral expert. This article is my opinion, and is not legal advice, based on my experiences in California. If you ever need legal advice or a strategy to use, please contact an attorney.
Diving in dumpsters is an old tactic used by judgment enforcers to discover hints to judgment debtor assets. Some judgment recovery specialists believe it only makes sense to inspect the garbage of wealthy judgment debtors. Yet, many times rich judgment debtors are more careful to hide, burn, or shred records, than to toss them away. Many times seemingly average and poor judgment debtors toss out the most valuable hints to possible assets.
Diving in dumpsters has some danger, and if something goes wrong, don't blame me, because my articles for your amusement only. For the daring, here are a few tips about dumpster diving:
A first question is - when are the debtor's trash cans filled, and when are their garbage receptacles collected? After you learn that, double check that taking another person's garbage is legal in your debtor's jurisdiction. Do not trespass onto someone's private property. Wait until the garbage receptacles are on a public street. In certain places, folks must bring their garbage to a remote central location.
One shortcut which sometimes used, is to directly contact the garbage truck driver or the worker driving shotgun with them, and give them the address of your debtor, and offer them money to bring you the judgment debtor's trash to you; on the next street, in exchange for payment. The amount of money depends on several factors, $60 to $120 is perhaps typical.
With this time saver, one could easily move your debtor's garbage to your inspection zone. This shortcut is much harder in cities with mechanized garbage pickup systems. When the garbage worker will go for it, this is the easiest way to intercept trash.
If this shortcut won't work, then one has to do this themselves, or pay someone who will. Note that when the contents of the garbage is getting collected by any service other than the city - for example, a private trash company, you may be robbing their property. Once trash is deposited in their receptacle, it is their property.
An easier shortcut, is to figure out which garbage service the judgment debtor uses. Then you can contact the company and ask which day they work the judgment debtor's street. You can check things out on your first visit, then you will know what color trash bags they use. On a future garbage day, one can arrive soon, or right before the garbage vehicle rolls down their street.
Recently, lots of cities have separate trash and recycling containers. The great part is often the most valuable hints will be inside the (usually cleaner) recycling container. The bad part is that two receptacles are usually twice the hassle. Also, recycled paperwork is hardly ever in bags, and might need to be fished out out manually.
Although most folks use plastic bags to put their trash in, and ties their plastic bags closed, and then puts the bags in the garbage can; not everyone does. If there are no bags, and just loose and icky garbage in the trash receptacle which is not inside plastic bags, that is a lot more time intensive, extra messy, and a big hassle.
Judgment Enforcers that have dived in dumpsters, recommend that you bring your flash-light. One use is to separate mail from newspapers and advertisements.
When the judgment debtor trash is bagged, there are 2 ways to proceed; you may change the judgment debtor's garbage bags or don't. Some of those who dumpster divers don't change the bags they take, figuring that most folks would not notice that their garbage is missing, and if they did, not as a result of the official garbage person.
An alternative option used if trash bags are changed, is to take some other customer's garbage (maybe the next block over) who has the same color trash bags as the judgment debtor. The trash bags get taken from one garbage receptacle, and used to replace the bags in the debtor's garbage can. That way if the absent bags get noticed, the confused person will not be your debtor.
When the trash is in bags, and you change the bags, bring at least six bags of replacement recycling material. If you don't know the color trash bags the judgment debtor has, bring both colors. The reason to bring both colors of bags, is to match the color of the bags inside the garbage can. The recycling material can be crushed newspapers (perhaps one of the last remaining uses for newspapers). The goal is to quickly change your bags for their bags.
The best vehicle to use when diving in dumpsters is a pick-up truck. After the dive into a dumpster, you could put the tailgate down, and sort the trash on your tailgate. After you are done, you can use your garden hose to wash the back of your truck. An alternative way to go is to use the floor, covered with a tarp, plastic sheet, or a drop cloth. Experienced dumpster divers use a cheap dust mask, goggles and V-Force gloves. Divers use tongs, and have large forks and spoons handy. When sorting, they put genuine garbage into a new trash bag, and the items to keep into small clean bags.
They put a dab of Vicks Vapor Rub cream under their nose, to help reduce the odor of the trash. A can of bug spray can be handy. For those that dive into dumpsters, may your judgment debtor's paper shredders be broken, and may all of your judgment debtors have functional garbage disposals.
About the Author
http://www.JudgmentBuy.com - Judgment Enforcement. Nationwide free judgment referrals. The easiest, fastest, and best way to get the most money for your judgment. Mark Shapiro, the judgment matchmaker. We pay for judgment leads, and have the best quality free judgment referral leads for enforcers, collection agencies and contingency collection attorneys.
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