The reason merchandise is tossed in the garbage is the fact that it's cheaper to throw out then the cost of returning items to the distributor/manufacturer. As far as dumpster diving, go right ahead. Once an item is in the trash, it is in public. That's why identity theft is so easy. People throwing out papers and the like with personal info on it. The store throwing out the merchandise is suppose to destroy the merchandise first. Simply unrolling ribbon or fabric is not considered destroying. It is supposed to be made "undesirable" to deter diving. The store getting credit has nothing to do with someone else re-purposing an item. If the store did not destroy properly, it's not the fault of others. It my position that re-purposing is doing a great deal of good for landfills and the environment.