Editor —

 It was great to see your story, “Professor promotes Dumpster diving to save money” (Technician, Nov. 13). I am a hardcore Dumpster diver, and like Bridget Lassiter, I am disheartened to see the enormous waste in our nation, and the failure of retailers to allow their «trash » to get into the hands of those who can use it rather than it end up in landfills. 

 Lassiter may be incorrect, however, when she says Dumpster diving is illegal in North Carolina. In my 25 years-plus years of Dumpster diving, I have never been told it was illegal. Since most Dumpsters are on private property, digging through them is just fine as long as the store owners don’t object. If you are trespas sed by police (at the store owner’s request) and return to the same Dumpster you could be arrested.

 Left out of Lassiter’s story, however, is the sad fact that N.C. State students toss out tons of perfectly good items at the end of each school year (NCSU Dumpsters literally overflow with great stuff each May). But it’s best to hit Wolfpack Dumpsters at night with flash lights because the NCSU campus police are some of the worst hasslers of Dumpster divers I have ever met. 

Patrick O’Neill 

Garner, NC