California is cracking down on cardboard theft

Cardboard theft is big business — (Image credit: The Associated Press/YouTube)

Taking collapsed cardboard boxes out of a business's Dumpster is apparently not a victimless crime.

When the economy is booming, creating a shortage of cardboard packaging for manufacturers, pilfered cardboard can be a hot commodity, fetching up to $200 a ton at recycling yards, The Associated Press reports. Police in several California counties have started conducting stakeouts to catch cardboard thieves, because if the cardboard hauling company can't make a profit, recycling services will get more expensive. Watch Maggie Mazzetti's report below. —Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.