Celebrities have to deal with a lot of hassles. It’s part of the deal with fame: you get a lot of cash, but you may get a lot of stalkers too. Or maybe just plainly creepy, unnaturally curious people. Some weirdo went through Mary-Louise Parker’s garbage can outside her Washington Square apartment in Manhattan. As if that weren’t creepy enough, the person then wrote to the New York Post to tell them all about it. They included photocopies of Parker’s prescription receipts from a nearby drugstore.

CELEBRITIES who live in Greenwich Village may want to run out and buy paper shredders. Their garbage is being sifted through by creepy trash-trollers who want to bare their secrets. One recent victim is Mary-Louise Parker, the sexy star of Showtime’s “Weeds,” who lives in a luxury apartment building overlooking Washington Square Park.

An anonymous letter was sent to Page Six from someone who claims to have sifted through the actress’ refuse and included photocopies of Parker’s drug prescription receipts from Bigelow Pharmacy on Sixth Avenue. They show that last year she shelled out a $20 insurance co-payment for a supply of 30 tablets of a medication that’s commonly used to treat low-thyroid function and prevent goiters. It was prescribed by a Manhattan internist.

A rep for Parker had no comment, but sources say the South Carolina-born beauty, 44, has been treated for an underactive thyroid for years. Other celebrities who live on some of the Village’s best blocks are even more vulnerable than Parker because they have private townhouses and place their trash in cans easily accessible to passers-by. They include Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker, Liv Tyler, Charlie Rose and Graydon Carter.

One longtime village resident told us, “This is incredibly creepy. It’s like nothing is sacred. I hope they find the nut job who’s doing this.”

[From Page Six]

It’s kind of unclear whether or not what this person did was illegal or just super, super creepy. Once something’s placed in the trash outside, it’s no longer your property. However I’ve heard of people getting arrested for going through people’s garbage cans… so clearly there’s something that could be done.

It’s pretty common practice in New York for people to go through other’s trash. A lot of poor people make money by visiting areas the night before recycling is picked up and collecting all the cans to get the refunds themselves. An old lady and her son do it along my street at about midnight every Wednesday, and they bring a van along. She pushes a cart and fills it up while he keeps pace in the van. I only noticed because at first I thought he was following her and got worried.

Pretty much everyone I know has some stuff in their apartment that they found on the street. Not being a New York native, I find this really, really disgusting. Not in a snobby way, but that’s a great way to transport bugs and God knows what else into your home. I am proud to say that the only thing that’s ever ended up going from the street to my apartment is a child’s chalkboard easel. Roommates do weird things when they’re drunk.

The point is, if you live in New York, celebrity or not, you know that people are going to go through your garbage. Absolutely no one is immune to it. I’m not sure what workarounds there are, but I’d think if Mary-Louise Parker were really private about her thyroid prescriptions, she would have shredded the paper. She probably will from now on, but as creepy as it is I doubt it’s going to be the next upcoming celebrity crime wave as the Daily news suggests.

Here’s Mary Louise Parker with son William and daughter Ash walking around Manhattan with a friend on August 23rd. Photographer: Anthony Dixon. Header at the ‘Showtime Showcases its Best’ reception at Gramercy Park in New York City on September 24th. Images thanks to WENN.