Resident shocked by neighbor's reaction after pulling items out trash: 'Does he have a case?'

One savvy dumpster diver made a major score with his neighbor's junked mountain bike — so major, in fact, that the neighbor attempted to change their mind about the bike after the fact.

"Neighbor threatening to sue me," the original poster wrote on Reddit, asking for some basic legal advice. "Does he have a case or should I tell him [to] eat it?"

The OP explained the situation: "My neighbor threw out his mountain bike last week in the trash. … I pulled it out of the trash and had my uncle who's a welder fix it. Today he saw me riding it and started yelling at me that he wanted it back. He claims he changed his mind and went out a few hours before trash pick up but it was gone."

The response was nearly universal: Once it's tossed, it's fair game. 

"If it's in the trash and on the sidewalk for pick up that would generally be considered abandoned property and you are free to take it," one person said.

Another echoed that argument: "If you can prove it was put in the trash by him and set to be picked up then the bike is 100% legally yours and there ain't s*** he can do about it."

Going through trash is legal in all 50 states as long as it's on public property — in this case, the curb. "It's the reason cops can dig through your trash for DNA," a commenter pointed out.

Considering this bike was only a year old and worth approximately $1,200, the decision to toss it was a careless one on the part of the neighbor — and a major win for the OP.

Many dumpster divers get into the hobby for precisely this reason. People toss perfectly intact items because they don't want to deal with the cost and effort of repairing them. It's why dumpster divers have shared finds from a high-end vacuum cleaner to a Nintendo Switch to a full vintage drum set. 

While the phrase "dumpster diving" evokes an image of crawling around inside a dumpster, the reality can entail driving around and looking for items left on curbs. Similarly, many grocers discard soon-to-expire food to make room on shelves. Other stores toss everything from computer monitors to office chairs to beauty products. 

Should homeowners associations be able to determine what you grow in your garden? Yes Only if it impacts your neighbors Depends on what you're growing Heck no Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

It's an effective way to stock up on necessities and nice-to-haves without cracking open your wallet or contributing to planet-warming emissions by buying new manufactured items.

However, pesky neighbors can be an issue. From discouraging vegetable gardening to taking landscaping into their own hands, the people we live closest to can sometimes be the biggest hindrances to sustainable lifestyle choices such as dumpster diving. That's why it's important to know the local ordinances in your area to ensure you're acting completely within your legal rights.

Fortunately for the OP, the case of this mountain bike is cut and dried. One Redditor summed it up: "You found a broken and abandoned bike on public property. You repaired it, made several improvements to it. It is now your bike."

Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.