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Recycling robbers

San Diego isn’t very strict, so we tell them to go there

Person rummaging through recycling bin in Imperial Beach.
Person rummaging through recycling bin in Imperial Beach.

Each week in Imperial Beach residents are putting out their blue recycling bins and thieves are stealing their aluminum cans and other beverage containers.

Before the Edco garbage trucks arrive, many bins are picked clean by people who take the bottles and cans to a recycling center.

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Cindy Horned, director of customer service for Edco, said via email “This is an ongoing issue throughout San Diego County. Sometimes the police will respond if there is no emergency situation happening as this is an offense or you can call for advice. We will also attempt to send our route supervisor to help discourage the scavenging.”

Sue, who answered Edco’s customer service phone line, was less diplomatic. “As a company Edco can’t enforce the law. That’s up to the police. But these people are breaking the law by taking your stuff. It isn’t just your recyclables they're after either. You need to worry about identity theft. It’s usually the same person, at the same time, at the same place. It’s not just you either — it’s happening everywhere. Report them.”

Working in pairs.

A sheriff deputy talking to me off the record says he stops scavengers all the time. “It’s a violation of the municipal code against scavenging. I let them know it’s illegal. San Diego isn’t very strict so we tell them to go to San Diego.”

An older man who didn’t want to identify himself was collecting aluminum cans from an apartment complex dumpster and acknowledged he's been hassled by the cops for taking recycling. “Honestly, it’s all bullshit,” he said before taking another dive into the dumpster to fish out more cans.

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Person rummaging through recycling bin in Imperial Beach.
Person rummaging through recycling bin in Imperial Beach.

Each week in Imperial Beach residents are putting out their blue recycling bins and thieves are stealing their aluminum cans and other beverage containers.

Before the Edco garbage trucks arrive, many bins are picked clean by people who take the bottles and cans to a recycling center.

Sponsored
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Cindy Horned, director of customer service for Edco, said via email “This is an ongoing issue throughout San Diego County. Sometimes the police will respond if there is no emergency situation happening as this is an offense or you can call for advice. We will also attempt to send our route supervisor to help discourage the scavenging.”

Sue, who answered Edco’s customer service phone line, was less diplomatic. “As a company Edco can’t enforce the law. That’s up to the police. But these people are breaking the law by taking your stuff. It isn’t just your recyclables they're after either. You need to worry about identity theft. It’s usually the same person, at the same time, at the same place. It’s not just you either — it’s happening everywhere. Report them.”

Working in pairs.

A sheriff deputy talking to me off the record says he stops scavengers all the time. “It’s a violation of the municipal code against scavenging. I let them know it’s illegal. San Diego isn’t very strict so we tell them to go to San Diego.”

An older man who didn’t want to identify himself was collecting aluminum cans from an apartment complex dumpster and acknowledged he's been hassled by the cops for taking recycling. “Honestly, it’s all bullshit,” he said before taking another dive into the dumpster to fish out more cans.

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The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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