Removing recyclables is not theft

Mailbag contributor Steve Urbanovich grumbles about individuals taking recyclables out of refuse bins on his block, believing what these people are doing is theft (“Put an end to recycling theft,” Aug. 7). Sorry, Mr. Urbanovich, but it’s not theft; trash in bins on the street is considered abandoned property and even though the city wants the money, it does not have exclusive rights to the recycled material.

In 1992 Los Angeles Times columnist Patt Morrison wrote about this subject when she interviewed a well-heeled resident of Hancock Park who groused about her money being pilfered by scavengers on trash pick-up day. It prompted me to write a letter in response where I advised the complainer that if she wanted to see her money being pilfered, she should visit City Hall where she could see her money pilfered every day. My original suggestion still stands.

Molly Shore
Burbank