Is scavenging for scrap metal a bad thing?

[matt819]

20. Ah, ethics

If you "throw it out," that's the end of it for you. You could have taken it to Goodwill. You could have taken it to your town recycling center. You could have sold it for scrap, etc. You didn't. You put it on your front lawn with a sign. Whoever takes it can do with it what they want. They can use it for target practice, use it for its intended purpose, sell it for scrap. Heck, they can take it to the town dump and let them sell it for scrap. Why do you care?

Now, let's say you take it to the dump for recycling, as one could do in my town. They might put it in the swap shop section, and let someone else take it. Despite the "no scavenging" sign at the entrance, I suppose anyone who takes the file cabinet at that point can do whatever they want, though the intended goal of putting it in the swap shop was so it it would be available to someone who needed a file cabinet. But once there, it's fair game. Or the dump guys could tell you to drop it in the metal container and then sell it as scrap with all the other metal bits.

I wouldn't get too excited either way. You got rid of something you didn't need, and someone was able to use it in some way, either for filing or for money. That's fine.