Free food without growing your own

[OllieMartin]

Just watched this video on YouTube:

YouTube - Dive! Trailer

About a growing trend in America for 'dumpster diving', whereby a group of people get ALL of their meals by routing through grocery store dustbins.
Really made me think about the waste 'we' (or in this case America) produces.

I know it's not exactly new news that generally Yanks have little respect for the planet, but it's interesting to note just how some people are changing that.

I also knew that the Grapes would have plenty to say on the subject. Let loose the opinions!

[rustylady]

It really pees me off that food is dumped because its past or near its sellby date. Why dont stores either reduce the price drastically or offer it to charities?

[Tractor Boys]

I managed a project for homeless individuals M&S used to donate food to us but under very stringenet conditions as where they had donated food else where it had ended up been sold at Car Boots. We had to ensure that the food was for the homeless indivuals consumtion only.

[Lazgaot]

Its because of the blame-claim (ambulance chasing) culture that has engulfed us. Its far easier for the supermarkets to dump it than deal with litigation from a few people that will get ill and decide to sue them for feeding them food thats just past its ideal condition.

[Glutton4...]

In Australia, supermarkets clear out their stock on a monthly basis. Anything nearing the end of it's shelf life it is given to the local Pensioners, or so I've been told.

[Two_Sheds]

About a growing trend in America for 'dumpster diving',

also known as freegans

[WeeGarden]

Haven't done it myself, but I think it's a fab idea. Unfortunately, the supermarkets themselves don't think the same.

I was stood outside a Sainsbury mini once (the ones they have attached to petrol stations), and saw the security guard give chase to a Freegan who'd gone into the bin to get a few loaves of bread. He chased him all the way down the street, tackled him to the ground, and took the bread off him, before putting it back in the bin, and padlocking it.

The wastage in this country makes me so mad!

[Rhona]

Branches of Sainsburys, M&S and Waitrose already donate sell-by food to charity. Common sense means they have to bin certain items.

There's quite a few initiatives and it helps if people actually get involved at a local level. The Tesco near our old house started to donate some items because people started a petition and asked them to.

In the US, there are many similar schemes - a google search finds lots of mainly city-based ones.

[weekendwellies]

i saw a programme about freegans once. I think it is good to make use of what shops have to throw away, but I am stunned that it is illegal, and I also think the shops shouldn't be throwing it out in the first place but giving it to local needy (like me)

[taff]

I know quite a few people who live in squats who dive for food.
Good on them I say.

[matthew2riches]

I read somewhere a few years ago that Tesco, among a few others actually soak the food to be dumped in blue dyed bleach so it cannot be used

[organic]

Food in bins has been soaked in many things in the past - bleach, soap, oil, allsorts (not licorice ones though!) to stop exactly this kind of thing.

Wellies - I'm with you on the "appaling that it's illegal" thing too. It's a (minor) pet hate of mine.


Not food, but I did a bit of diving today. I saw a couple of bits of wood (I thought they were about 4 feet long) on a skip so went to pull them out... they were about 12 feet long! All in all I got about 6 or 7 planks ranging from 8 to 12 feet in length... probably about £10 to £20 worth of wood if bought at B&Q prices!

I did wonder about the potential for hassle about doing it but decided that on balance I really didn't care and if anyone said anything I'd have a quiet word about the utter stupidity in chucking something in a skip for landfill and then complaining when someone actually tries to use it for something worthwhile.

Noone said anything. I got a load of free wood and started hacking it to bits on my table saw... a nice feeling!

[porridgemaker]

Glutton 4...given to local pensioners! Well maybe 1 Australian store does (I'm sure 1 Brit shop does too). Multinationals are similar the world over I assure you. Food is dumped, and freegans get prosecuted. Same here in NZ. Actually the main supermarket in Dunedin has its bin right beside the main road and police station!
Sigh. We do live in a very litigious world. Even if it were to be given to pensioners, I'm sure many would be asking why the food is suitable for them and not those who can afford it!
A sorry wasteful situation.

[taff]

Too much choice = lots of stuff thrown away.
The aisle that really irritates in any supermarket is the breakfast aisle. Who needs 60 different types of cereal based stuff? Who eats it? And special k? how many types? grrrr......
It'd be interesting to find out how much waste a local shop used to throw out...a job for my days off I think...

[OllieMartin]

Another part of this that I don't understand is:
Every supermarket I've been in has a discounted/dented/going out-of-date section with marked down produce in it, there's always a small crowd around it as well.
The popularity of these sections surely suggests there's a market for this food, especially in the 'current economic climate' (sorry to use that phrase, it really is becoming boring!)

Perhaps there just isn't enough space in the supermarket considering the limited margin they'll make on these (if any), but any amount is surely better than just throwing it away.

These 'freegans' also take any vegetables that have gone mouldy and compost them too, i'm sure any rotten meat could be vermicomposted too, so nothing goes to waste completely.