Be Careful About What You Put In The Dumpster After Christmas

You wouldn't think twice about all that packing, wrapping, boxes and more from Christmas, you can't WAIT to get it out of the house. But be careful about letting people see it piled high in the dumpster. Here's why.

According to KEPR-TV, Richland Police and other authorities, burglars are getting more clever now. Authorities say the latest growing holiday trend (besides stealing delivered packages from your front porch)  is people looking for expensive item boxes in your garbage.

It's NOT for recycling, but tells the potential burglars you got a lot of expensive nice stuff for the holiday. A dumpster with a Playstation and game packing, and maybe a huge 52-inch plasma TV box beside it let them know there are targets inside the home. The same goes for expensive watch or video game or computer boxes.

Officials say if you're going to dispose of expensive item boxes in the dumpster, shred or tear them apart enough so they will at least fit inside and are not recognizable.  It's a little work to do that, but it will also make them fit better.

But even more safe is to take them to the landfill and dispose of them quickly.  Keep the boxes inside your home until you are ready to haul them to the landfill drop off. Take steps NOT to flash your 'expensive' garbage, and you will significantly reduce the chances somebody might target your home for a burglary after Christmas.

 AND, they also stress not putting shipping labels, receipts, return labels or other items in the trash that contain your personal information. Thieves are known to look around for those too, in the hopes of committing identity theft.  Shred them if you can, or take them to a known trusted shredder, perhaps Columbia Industries CI Shred. Some people have been known to mix torn and shredded holiday papers, receipts and other sensitive items with household food garbage, making the prospects of dumpster diving even less attractive for would-be thieves.

A few precautions with your holiday trash can prevent lots of headaches and crime down the road.