How can they call him a thief if he was getting it out of a dumpster?
Not just a regular dumpster, it’s one specifically for grease. And a contractor pays to haul the stuff away.
It’s stored in a container out by the regular trash dumpsters. Companies come an collect it for recycling/reuse.
It’s not really “trash”.
It’s an outside grease container, not a dumpster. Here’s an excerpt from the website of the container owner:
Lost revenue due to used grease theft is a serious problem. When grease is stolen from a foodservice location, the restaurant loses the revenue, and so does Valley Proteins, Inc. Together, we can take measures to stop grease theft and protect the safety of foodservice employees.
Used grease has become a valuable resource that is used to produce biofuels. Valley Proteins pays our foodservice customers for their used cooking oil to produce valuable animal feed ingredients and biofuels. As the value for the used grease increases, grease thieves and “pirate” restaurant services companies steal the grease from our outside grease containers.
Valley Proteins works closely with law enforcement agencies to prosecute grease thieves who steal this valuable commodity. We work with federal and state law enforcement agencies to educate them about the grease theft problem and how to identify perpetrators. Astute restaurant employees are also helpful in identifying and reporting grease theft. The information they provide has resulted in numerous arrests and convictions.
Second, if a thief comes onto your private property and takes what you own it's stealing. Used grease is not placed in a 'dumpster' it is either held in a in ground storage tank or in barrels locked in enclosures called a grease safe. Either way a 'thief' trespasses on private property and breaks into a locked receptacle to take what does not belong to them. That's how it is stealing.
I guess you would be OK with someone going onto your property at night and taking some of your property that they figured was trash.