Dumpster Diving

Dumpster diving is the practice of sorting through another’s garbage or recycling to retrieve something of value. While the object of the activity may be food for a hungry person, it can also be used as a surveillance tool—sorting through the trash to uncover information. Potentially directed at both individuals and organizations, the latter has had more discussion because of its prevalence as a means of gathering competitor information (though individuals related to an organization may be targeted as well). This entry focuses chiefly on dumpster diving for surveillance of organizations, providing a review of reasons for doing it and the techniques employed, opinions about the ethics and legality of dumpster diving, examples of well-known organizations that utilized the technique, and governmental usage of the ...