I live in a small town next to a giant pile of gravel lol It’s probably not free. In my case, the owner of the property was planning on putting in a gravel driveway to a old house he was going to fix up but then never did. It’s been abandoned for years, no idea what’s going on now. But he owns the gravel and taking it would be theft. Although I could probably get away with it if I was in a desperate gravel situation.
In the Great Depression, when people would leave their farms, it was common for their neighbors to strip their house to the foundations. However, if that person came back, it was also common for those neighbors to give most of what they took back, and even help rebuild. I think there’s an argument to be made that stealing something that isn’t being used isn’t stealing in a traditional sense, but more ensuring appropriate usage of resources and lessening waste.
