Dumpster D (epr) iving

A woman has admitted handling stolen goods after being accused of taking potato waffles, pies, and 100 packets of ham from a bin outside of a Tesco Express in Essex. But if something is thrown away, when is it illegal to take it?

Diseased pigs

One precedent-setting example from 1877 was the case of a diseased buried pig. According to legal text Archibold's Pleading, Evidence, and Practice in Criminal Cases, even if someone discards something and does not intend to use it again, they can retain ownership of it. "The carcass of a diseased pig, which had been killed and buried by the owner in his own land, and of which he intended to make no further use, was still held to remain his property, so as to support an indictment for larceny against a person who afterwards disinterred and sold the carcass," according to the ruling.

In Britain it is estimated 5.3 million tonnes of edible food is thrown away each year.