They went through my skip!

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Is this a thing? We have a skip outside as we have been doing some decorating/clearing out. I heard a van outside the house which seemed to have stopped so I looked out and two blokes were rummaging in the skip! I went downstairs to ask what they were doing but they had just left. I noticed some metal items had gone out of the skip.
Is this normal? Do people just drive round looking for skips to have a nose in? I’m not bothered by them taking stuff out but surely it would have been polite to ask?!

You really think the police have time for this?! Don’t be ridiculous!

They’re just metal collectors and it’s completely normal.

Yeah, usually you leave metal out front and they take it. Kinda similar. I'd not be bothered as at least I'd know it was being recycled and not sent to landfill.

It's very normal but it would be polite to ask.

We had a guy knock on the door and ask if he could take some metal from our skip last year, and I said that was fine. He then gave me his business card, and as he was so polite I then sent him a message any time we had any scrap metal to give him first refusal.

I used to help a traveller friend with scrapping/totting. We used to always knock and often the householder would give us a load more or say come back in x amount of time & there would be loads more. There's money in scrap & unbelievable what people chuck out! Friends and neighbours have had people dump their crap in the skips. That's not on.

Oh and yes, someone rang the police on us once because a family member said take the scrap then the dad/husband went up the wall as he wasn't aware. The police never showed up. We are Surrey's most wanted now.

Happened when we had a skip. One man did knock and ask which I appreciated but he was the only one!

Might technically be theft but I'd be quite happy for anyone to rummage in it and make more space for me to put more in. I wouldn't expect (or want) to be asked first.

Pretty standard. I remember in fact once upon a time. Our local council used to drop
of one of those lorry sized skips twice a year and it basically a local area swop shop of bikes and tables and what not till
the collection day. Shame they don’t do it anymore but I guess health and safety since the children were always clambering in and out. Never had fly tipping down those streets though as it was only ever six months till the big collection.

We leave scrap metal at the bottom of the drive, and most people pop stuff like tablets and that with a little sign saying free here.

Have put the third NESTING table out between the skip and the pavement- see if they come back for it. I guess they could be reused if someone has the time - all three were rusty and the glass has cracked on one.
And no, I would never have called the police.

When we were renovating our house we had a skip outside. A random man knocked on our door and said, I'm fitting a bathroom a few houses up and I need a specific washer, can I see if you have one in your skip". As it happened we did, he then also took the old electric shower as he said it was good for parts. No skin off out nose absolutely happy to help

Its normal but not acceptable. We had one last year on our drive and I went and told someone off for doing exactly that. It was full of builder's rubbish, nothing useful and also had some large shards of sharp glass so I basically told them to bog off or they would injure themselves.
It was covered for that reason with a notice on, but was concerned about injury and a claim.

It appears to be normal but I did get stressed out the last time we had a skip and a woman showed up with a few children and had them inside the skip rummaging for stuff. There was all sorts of broken bits in there! So dangerous. I let them be though - it was very clear there was broken crap in there, so I guess the woman didn't care.

I always thought it was etiquette to ask before you took. Do people not do that now

This !

I don't see the point in wanting people to ask. When we had a skip we had dozens of people taking stuff or having a nosey on a daily basis. Would people honestly want disturbing so frequently every time someone wanted to take a look?

Haha it used to be a highlight of my childhood when we'd happen to drive or walk past an interesting looking skip and have a root around for treasures 😅. We got some lovely furniture and ornaments/vases/paintings etc that way. Even now here in Bristol people put stuff they dont want out on their front wall or the pavement for people to take if they want it (then take to the skip or arrange council collection if it's not gone within a couple of days).

I don't get why you think they should have asked? I'd have been more irritated to be disturbed by having to answer the door to confirm that yes, it is in a skip because we do not want it and yes, therefore please go ahead and take it!

It is actually illegal to take things from a skip. Not that I would mind if someone took things as it is recycling the items.

We had this when doing building work. They obviously drive round looking for skips, then once they'd found ours they came back every day looking for scrap metal. In fact there were several vans that came looking. I actually watched them climb into my skip to go rummaging, despite there being 2 bifold door panels that had smashed into millions of bits of glass on the top.

Whilst I agree it's good to recycle, I think they should knock to ask first. I'm sure the price of skips has increased due to it, as the skip companies know they aren't going to be able to retrieve any metal or anything else worth selling on.

I got a original rocket lamp out of a skip in Liverpool in the 80's. Best skip find ever.

Perfectly normal, perfectly acceptable and can save you money by releasing skip space.

There's really no point in deeming something as only suitable to be skipped and then getting all precious about someone helping themselves to it.

I really don't mind if people take things from a skip. We had one a couple of months ago and saw people occasionally go through it. One lady asked if she could take something but others just had a bit of a rummage and maybe took something, maybe didn't. It's fine.

we have often been skip diving.
But we do always knock and ask.

We mostly dive for wood. We have a wood burner and if there is any wood work being done the offcuts get thrown in the skip, and they are great for the burner.

But we have got a few bits of furniture and other things.
Got a couple of metal dog bowls and plant pots.
I think our garden bench came from a skip too

But as I said we always knock and ask.

I love a good rummage through a skip!

I know it's illegal but I don't think it's immoral.

I don't understand why anyone would get annoyed at not being asked first. If it's in the skip then clearly it's unwanted, and answering the door repeatedly especially if you're busy doing other stuff would wear thin after a while. It just seems like a power trip TBH, needing people to grovel and doff their caps to take your unwanted crap off your hands, when they're actually doing you a favour by creating more room in your skip.

It's normal here, we've had 3 skips over the last 12 months (doing renovations in various rooms) and we've had people foraging and ferreting through them all. Only two people have bothered to knock and ask. But I don't mind it so much. I'm happy whatever they're taking is being used, or sold, or recycled, or upcycled, or whatever. It's no good to me and if they can save any of it from landfill, that's fine by me also.