**THIS STORY WAS NOMINATED FOR A WELL FED NETWORK AWARD FOR THE BEST FOOD BLOG-POST**
I’d first heard about Freeganism, a worldwide anti consumerism movement, whilst watching Gordon Ramsay’s “The F Word” TV show where top end food critic Giles Coren gathered himself a meal from a dumpster. Since then Oprah has devoted several episodes to the idea along with the idea of living on less and reducing the amount of conspicuous and unnecessary consumption. For those of you unfamiliar with the concept itself, Freeganism is a movement, borne of a reaction to the mindless consumerism and wastage that goes on around the world. An offshoot of Freeganism, is Dumpster Diving aka Skip Dipping or Urban Gleaning, where people salvage still edible food (as well as other things) by foraging through commercial dumpsters. It’s not a huge movement here in Australia but it certainly has a very organised and strong movement in the US and UK. The participants include middle class people, students and pretty much anyone and everyone (ok except maybe A-list celebrities although I wouldn’t discount D-List Big Brother reality show types). People that can afford to buy the food, but don’t because there is so much thrown out already.
There is also an offshoot of Freegan which is the Meagan, vegetarians who only eat meat will be discarded and therefore its life hasn’t completely gone to waste. Which brings up an interesting question that my husband asked his vegetarian family. Would they eat roadkill? Their answer was, if they were starving although they would probably feel sick from eating meat. Hmmm.
For most, there is a line where if it goes into a bin, they don’t want it. But a lot will buy an item that is nearing its use by or best before date, if discounted or if in desperate need of that item. So the actual point of refusal is if it actually makes it into the bin. Once it’s in there, most people wouldn’t be interested in it but before that point, it’s fair game (depending on the produce, sashimi would be out). And I think whilst many would pick up hard rubbish items like furniture on the side of the road, they may draw the line at picking up a food item in a dumpster, either through fear of food poisoning or another reason.
And why Freeganism? Over 17 million tonnes of solid waste is disposed of in Australian landfills every year.*
An internet search revealed that whilst the US has websites devoted to where one can Dumpster Dive, or Skip Dip as Australians like to call it, organised by state, city and area, Australia has no such directory of sites. I decided to find out a bit more about it and contacted Ash Falkingham, Dumpster Diver expert and veteran of 4.5 years Dumpster Diving across the UK, US, Canada, Germany and across Australia. I got in touch with him through a Freegan message board where there were about a dozen freegans wanting to meet up and Dumpster Dive together. He responded quickly and was amenable to showing me around the best places to Dumpster Dive as he likes spreading the word.
When we picked him up at his terrace house, it was 8.30pm at night on a cold Sunday night. He was well dressed in a jacket, shirt and pants and carrying a spiffy camera. He was accompanied by his friend, another chap called Ross, another hardcore Dumpster Diver who lives in a Motorhome. We traveled to an Inner City Coles dumpster. They warned us that whilst this was an excellent place for food, it was probably the dirtiest dumpster we’d see tonight. Parking a little far away, we walked over to the Dumpster. I had no idea what to expect, having never looked in a Dumpster before (and on TV, don’t they always contain a dead body? OK too much Law & Order for me). But my husband’s eyes lit up and they grabbed a hand of bananas from the top in great condition.
Cat food with broken packaging
Soon they were pulling out all sorts of items including tortellini, pasta sauce, ham, cat food and bread, some covered in cream as a bottle of cream had broken open. For the most part it was in excellent condition and whilst there were items on the ground, Ash and Ross wouldn’t take those. With a box full we walked back to the car, stunned at what we had found. Around the corner, a trip to a crowded Petrol station yielded a dumpster without much except for orange juice all the way at the bottom. Keen to not draw attention to ourselves, Ross hung back while we eager newbies went to have a look with Ash.
Juices at a Petrol station dumpster
We were keen to try some more places so Ash showed us a location of a CBD Supermarket skip. He said that during the day, there is a massive amount of food in there and no-one bats and eyelid, especially if you look like an employee going through the skip. Unfortunately tonight, the roller door was closed.
Salvaged goods from Woolworth and Health Food Store
We drive further North to the lower north shore to a set of Skips for a health food chain and a Woolworths supermarket. The health food store dumpster is mostly full of paper, scraps and cardboard but foraging under the cardboard we find some Organic Earl Grey green tea and a Celestial Seasonings sampler box both brand new and sealed with plastic. In the supermarket’s skip we find a range of fruit and vegetables, some in better condition than what you’d see in the actual supermarket. Ross also spies two 20litre drums of vegetable oil and points out that it could power a diesel car.
Two 20 litre drums of pure cottonseed oil
We see an old man curiously looking at us and then take a crate and help himself to the things in the dumpster although he refuses Ross’s offer of a hand of bananas and walks off looking at us as if we’d fallen from a spaceship. Perhaps he’s a regular diver there and resents people taking his stash. Other people that walk past us look at us curiously and without judgement, perhaps because we are well dressed with photographic equipment and just happen to be grabbing stuff from the dumpster. Some people don’t even bat an eyelid.
The Divers
We ask Ash if he’s ever gotten sick from eating food from a dumpster and he says that this only happened once, from eating meat that was not cooked through properly. He also avoids seafood when Dumpster Diving which is obviously a wise idea. His motivation for doing it? He dislikes the amount of waste that he sees on a daily basis and consumerism for the sake of consuming. Plus of couse, you can’t discount the idea of getting something for free. And he has been extreme Dumpster Dumpster too-he got into a compactor in the US where they tend to crush most of their garbage. Thankfully he knows when the compactors are full, as indicated by a strong smell.
Ross got started with hard rubbish days in the 80s. Later, while dumping some of his own rubbish into a dumpster he discovered a huge bounty of free food. He has been Dumpster Diving mainly in Sydney and Melbourne and he adds that it can be somewhat of a compulsion. Whilst walking around day to day he sometimes has to curb the urge to check out a Skip. Both Ash and Ross have a $0 grocery bill although they do find that sometimes they do have to spend money if they are out and want to buy a cup of coffee at a café.
And what of their greatest finds? Fishermen brag about the size of the fish that they caught, so why wouldn’t Freegans remember their greatest finds as fondly? Ash recalls seeing huge boxes of frozen pies in Darling Harbour on NYE with a chain of people throwing at least 20 boxes full of frozen pies into a giant skip bin. He asked if he could have a box and they obliged him with one box which was so large it was all he could carry. He also found a Apple Wi-fi AirPort which was brand new in its box. And it’s not just things from Skips, he also found a latest model mobile phone in a fountain which he took to get repaired only to be persuaded to sell the parts to the mobile phone shop for a couple of hundred dollars.
A salvaged Paw Paw
Ross’s greatest find was around Christmas one year where he found five cases of expensive, imported beers thrown out, due to an overstock. His eyes are wistful as he recalls the names of the beers. Another one of Ross’s fondest memories is Anzac Day this year where he came across fifty 1 litre bags of liquid omelette, bacon, sausages leftover from a Digger’s breakfast. More recently, both of these were topped when he found 4 cases of bottled wine.
And what if they find something that they don’t want? Easy, put it up on freecycle to find someone else that could use it. Some people even make a living selling the things that they find (usually electronics) on ebay. And the dream find? Both Ash and Ross want to find a working laptop.
My husband asks them what is the weirdest that they’ve found as he recalls an article where someone found a fake scrotum in US which is so hilarious and bizarre at the same time and makes me wonder, who made the first deicision to touch it? Did they think that someone had been Bobbited?. Ash’s strangest find was a petrol generator in a Big W bin in Bendigo. It had the fuel lines cut, but he managed to recycle it and give it new life by giving it to Ross’ brother to repair and use.
From a Woolworths and a Health food store
And which supermarket or store chain has the best Skip produce? They both prefer Coles, although Aldi reportedly has the cleanest bins and good fruit and vegetables. And for both, finding food in a well known Bakery chain’s skip is like hitting motherload for bread due to the sheer amount that they throw out as the chain doesn’t discount at the end of the day. Sometimes they even find that the types of breads are sorted into different bags. Ross recalls fondly the times that he found enough bread for a week and how he used to regularly go there until it triggered a gluten intolerance. We ask them about why bakeries don’t give it away to charity and Ash explains that charities can only take a fraction of it, that a large proportion of it just has to be thrown away.
We ask them, what are the reactions from people at the stores are and they explain that the lower down the “food chain”, the more sympathetic they are. Managers or people that don’t have anything to do with disposing of rubbish and don’t see how much is thrown out are less sympathetic and can get aggressive. But they can be persuaded at times. Once, Ash was confronted by a African Security guard over an avocado which he had just picked out and once he showed him the pristine condition of the fruit and explained what he was doing, the guard had little choice but to agree.
Spreading the word/more than just stuff for free
Given how much we’ve found just by traveling to a few select dumpsters, we ask what they most commonly find. It can be a range of things but very commonly, a whole carton of eggs will be good with only one broken and as they broken egg has leaked all over the carton, the whole carton goes into the trash.
And what of other wastage? Ash finds that one of the most heartbreaking things is seeing Fairtrade food which comes all the way from the other end of the world (requiring large amounts of fossil fuel), only to be chucked in the bin here. Which brings up an interesting dilemma, do we buy local or Free Trade food?
And it’s not just food, Electronics often get smashed up so that they won’t be usable which creates an enormous amount of waste. Is it better to give it to someone who can use it rather than create more rubbish? CRT TVs are often smashed up to get precious copper out although again, is it worth smashing an entire television up to get the copper? Conversely, CRT televisions use up more energy. Recycling to Op Shops can work but often Op shops throw out an unseemly amount of usable product too.
This is why Ash tries to get the word out on Freeganism and let people know about the amount of food that goes to waste. Once, he got a whole tray of peaches from Aldi and went out into the street and started giving them to people outside. Some asked where he got it from and he was only too glad to talk with them about it.
Overseas and interstate
And what have they found from state to state or country to country?
In Victoria, alcohol can be sold in supermarkets and disposed of, in NSW it must go back to distributor. But aside from that, there isn’t a great deal of difference between the states, Ross says.
In the UK, Marks and Spencer used to put bleach over the food but it is now illegal to do so so they now put blue dye all over it to discourage foragers. Ash actually has footage of himself with blue dye all over his hands as a result of going through their Skips. Another bakery chain in the UK even had something along the lines of “We’d rather it get eaten than it go to waste” printed on their bags. When confronted, a Dumpster Diver simply showed them the bag with their slogan (which incidentally has since disappeared from the bags).
According to Ash, betweeen UK, US and Australia there is not much difference although in the chilly UK winters things can be out for 3 days and still be ok as they’ll be frozen. Further afield in Greece there was not much on offer and in India and Kenya there was virtually nothing to be had in the Skips.
Want to Dumpster Dive?
Interestingly, the Homeless don’t seem to Dumpster Dive, rather Ash says that in general they need people to look after them because of whatever issues they may have so they prefer to go to soup kitchens. Several times, he has told them where to go for food but they don’t or won’t do it. They also have particular preferences for foods and are comparatively choosy. I can’t help but think back to the Seinfeld episode where Elaine tries to palm off the muffins bottom to a Soup Kitchen to be given a sound drubbing by the woman who runs the Soup Kitchen who says “Oh, so you just assume that the homeless will eat them, they’ll eat anything? I know what you thought. They don’t have homes, they don’t have jobs, what do they need the top of a muffin for? They’re lucky to get the stumps.” OK I will use any excuse to insert a Seinfeld reference but this one was relevant.
There’s very little competition, and people like to Dumpster Dive in groups. Indeed when you come across another Dumpster Diver they will offer or show you good things from the dumpster or swap items with you. I ask Ash why there isn’t any competition and his answer is simple, there is already so much available every single day that they couldn’t possibly use and they know that tomorrow will be the same. Generally, the ones new to Dumpster Diving tend to grab everything but the more you do it the more discerning you are because you learn you’ll never use it all.
Ash and Ross recommend dressing well, perhaps not in your wedding suit but looking respectable. You’ll encounter less opposition and Ash points out, he often gets away with it if he looks like he may be a store employee.
Although some people have been arrested in the U.S. (it is illegal in some states), Ash tells us that no-one in Australia has been prosecuted. Nevertheless, if confronted, be polite and walk away. If you hear someone coming, it is easier just to walk away rather than risk confrontation.
http://members.aol.com/TheDumpsterLady/thedumpsterlady.htm
There is a useful set of rules and tips that “The Dumpster Lady” has laid out.
Health Precautions:
If the packaging is puffed up, the vacuum seal broken, or it is on ground don’t take it. With items that have expired or if it’s a warm day and food may have been out for a long time, eat items that you know what they should taste like. Smell is a very good indicator.
There are either items that are thrown out because the outer packaging is torn or marked or items that are past their use by date. Obviously the ones with torn outer packaging should be fine as long as the inner packaging is sealed, however use common sense when eating food past it Use By or Best Before date. Best Before means that the taste is somewhat affected after the date but it is generally edible. Use By is a stricter code for items such as meats or dairy where the item is generally more compromised after the date given.
Never eat food that is not sealed. Restaurants are not as good a source as the food is not sealed.
And of course, this is not a comprehensive or exhaustive list of precautions, for more details see http://freegan.info/?page=DoctorsNote
Box of tea, sealed in plastic from Health Food dumpster
And our haul? We found a massive:
· Over 3 kgs of Bananas plus 1 lady finger banana
· A sealed packet of Planet Organic Earl Grey Green tea (25 bags)
· A sealed packet Celestial Seasonings sampler pack of tea
· 200g pre pack of button mushrooms
· 3 red apples
· 1 head of broccoli
· 7 tomatoes
· ½ paw paw
· 2 winter pears
· 1 mandarin
· 1 unwashed and 1 washed potato
· 1 bunch of choy sum
· 1 baby wombok
· ½ cauliflower
· 1 butternut pumpkin
· 2x packets of Don Lite leg ham 100g each
· 2 x packet sof Primo eat well chicken and ham 100g each
· You’ll Love Coles 3 pack of croissants
· Bertoli sweet tomato pasta sauce
· San Remo Beef tortellini
· 1 loaf seeded bread
· 1 packet of bread rolls
· 6 packets of cat food
For more information, see: www.freegan.info
* Skip Dipping In Australia, Australia Institute Webpaper February 2006
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70 Comments | Add your own
It was interesting to read about M&S in the UK. They do a great range of sandwiches and any left each night they do donate to a homeless charity rather than throw away or even reduce.
It’s such a shame that more places don’t donate the food to soup kitchens and homeless shelters instead of just dumping it.
What a fascinating read! I’d never heard of this before, but what a fantastic concept.
I’ve sent it on to a bunch of friends to spread the Freeganism word
I like the sound of this… FREE food, and lots of free bananas!
This is fascinating – an entire food subculture. It reminds me of the hippy movement during the summer of love in San Francisco (1968) when an entire community survived on leftovers from businesses in the Haight Ashbury area. If anything, waste has probably increased since then. It would be so great if freeganism prompted an organised pick-up service for people in need. Great posting!
we were talking about this at the office the other day,
i think food store employees gotta be encouraged to take a bit of time and pack edible whatevers and donate em.
after seeing and hearing from the countergirl at wynyard’s luneburger bakery that they throw away all their baked goods at the end of the day, i wrote tellin em to donate to teresa’s house, a homeless shelter. i think luneburger’s pastries will satisfy even the most most fussy Homeless.
That is amazing, very eye-opening post!
WOW!! That was so interesting, I never knew about it until I read your post. Thanks so much for sharing! Imagine the amount of money and waste that can be saved….and also my joy if I can find luneburger’s dumpster, hehe. Great post
This is a great post…eye opening!
I dream of $0 grocery bills, that being said, I’m not sure I could go about getting all my food out of dumpsters!
Something that struck me – the health food store’s dumpster was full of paper and cardboard? They don’t recycle?
That said, I spoke to the guy at Bourke St Bakery about this one day and he told me the reason they don’t donate the food is that it is a liability issue, especially with things containing meat. If anybody got sick from it they could sue. Unbelievable what our litigious society has brought us to – perfectly good free food being thrown away.
Wow – this post is amazing! I can totally understand them having a oompetition with themselves to come up with the bst find! Isn’t it disgraceful how much of a throwaway society we are? Hx
Great post! I had no idea that this was big in the UK, I thought it was strictly a US thing.
As intrigued as I am, I’m not sure I could bring myself to go through skips for food. It just doesn’t seem right (for me). Plus, I’d have to bring a step-ladder as I’m so short!
Yup businesses don’t give away a lot of their food because they are scared of being sued. I wish there was a liability free zone where good unwanted food can be left and taken at freely by those that need it. Its never that simple though is it?!
Wow what an interesting an enlightening read. I read of a report near where I live (Milton Keynes, UK) of people being going through the dumpsters in our local shopping centre and always wondered why! It is such a shame to hear about eh amount of waste there is in the world and yet I don’t think I could bring myself to go through rubbish!
Hi Mira-Yes I was floored at how much was thrown out. I think once you see (either in photos or in the flesh) it’s a mixture of astonishment and being appalled.
Hi illegallyblonde-That’s great to hear! I’m sure everyone can only benefit from hearing about it
Hi Cappucino-Hehe yes there’s no denying the thrill of getting something for free!
Hi queen viv-Yes it is very much like that and I agree waste and consumption has probably increased since then. That would be a great idea
Hi tian-Agreed, if things weren’t smeared with other substances of origins unknown or just packed well, there would be even less wastage. I think some employees are told to discourage dumpster divers which is a pity although I suppose legal issues with people picking up food and getting sick come into play.
Mmmmm luneburger, now that would be a seriously good find for anyone!
Hi Iron Chef Shellie-Thankyou so much! It was certainly an eye opener for me going along to one
Hi Jenni-Thanks so much!
It’s not so big here although I think it’s more because it’s not well known, not because Australians aren’t into conservation because I think we are.
Hi sarah-Thankyou! I’m so glad that you liked it
Hi Popeye-Yes hearing that they had $0 grocery bills was quite amazing. It seems when everyone else’s are going up, theirs isn’t at all!
Hi SydneyGal-Excellent point! You’d think they would recycle being a health food shop. Ash actually mentioned seeing a dumpster full of those recyclable bags which was such a shame that someone had gone to all of that trouble, only for them to end up in landfill!
I can see meat and dairy items if incorrectly processed being a liability but if they’re picked up at the end of the day in a decent manner than I can’t really see why that would be that different from what you would buy from a service station (where the pies etc have been sitting in the warmer for the whole day). But even so, I think plain bread could definitely be passed on. And imagine how rapturous someone would be getting BSB bread?
Hi Helen-Thankyou very much!
Hehe yes they had very fond memories of their best finds. I suppose it’s like how I get when I get a great pair of shoes 
BTW the wedding cake you made was gorgeous, I wish you were around when we got married!
Hi Angela-Hehe I know what you mean, it’s hard when you can’t really see into the dumpster. You may not want to reach inside in that case!
Hi Maria T-Yes I guess once insurance and legal issues come into play, businesses can get cautious. I can’t say I blame them. Society is so litigious nowadays. That guy that sued McDonalds for the “too hot” coffee certainly started a trend.
Hi Charley-Ahh it sounds like Freegans! I must admit I’ve never really seen anyone going through the dumpsters but I think it may because I don’t know where the dumpsters are (they tend to be out the back). I think a lot of people would be stunned but like you, reluctant to put their hand in the dumpster.
this is an unbelievably edifying post. i think i learned more from your single write-up than i did in a month at school.
very interesting stuff indeed.
We all love The Observer and Guardian for the veggie and meat recipes. Well, here is one for grey squirrel pasties and a low down on what squirrel tastes like.
Evidently butchers can’t get enough of them! (Squirrels that is, not pasties). Certainly when it is the on dit that Nigella will be serving a confit of squirrels served on a bed of Puy lentils and a drizzle of 2000 vintage Modena balsamic with a few artfully placed leaves of rocket those who are not in the favoured dinner party set gnash their teeth and rent their clothing, for they will not experience those heavenly delights. It is truly the new environmentally friendly green eco-meat.
This reminds me, there’s a business called OzHarvest (supported by my employer, I’ll admit) who collect surplus food from food manufacturers and distribute it to charities.
The gardner in me is wondering why we couldn’t turn some of this into compost! Such a missed opportunity.
Thanks for that, fascinating post. Now at least I know that I wouldn’t starve if I somehow lost my job, my family and used up all my savings. Would you do it again?
Once I wanted to buy a pack of croissant pastry but the shop person didn’t let us buy it because it was something like 1 day out of date, and I didn’t even care, but so punctilious was he. I should have just hung around the dumpster and got it for free.
Wow NQN, you are really getting everything into food research.
I never heard about this freegan before and I think yes, it is a waste to throw things just like that.
Hi grace-Thankyou so much! That’s so lovely to hear-imagine if school was this fun!
Hi R.A.D. Stainforth-Interesting, thanks for that! I also saw a segment on the F Word where they ate squirrel. I wonder if I will find anywhere that serves it when I visit London? It seems they’re in high demand!
Hi SydneyGal -Yes my sister in law told me about them. I wish I knew more about them though! it’s great that your work supports them
Hi littlem-This is true, there could be so many better ways of disposing of these things!
Hi Lori-You’re welcome, thankyou! It’s true, you could certainly feed yourself and supply yourself with various other things without spending any money (except for perhaps transport). A lot people comment that it is quite liberating too.
Sure, why not. As long as I’ve got someone to reach in there for me!
Yes a quick trip round back might have nabbed you the pastry!
Hi Lilia-Anything and everything to do with food is interesting to me sadly. It’s an obsession
Diving into a stinky dumpster is not my thing but then I am not in the business of wasting food.
I first heard of this some years ago when, at a pub in chippendale, dumpster divers re-grouped to cook up their loot. I suspect they needed a little better education re what was worth keeping because some of it stank.
Having said that, it is hard to believe that companies hide behind the “liability issue” when in fact legislation has introduced protection against liability in NSW when donating food to charity.
OzHarvest mentioned ^^^ recruit smaller businesses to donate food that is then recycled. They are not a company but a CHARITY and macbank is it’s foundation sponsor.
Anyone in the food business with leftovers should contact them – I do!.
It’s a worthwhile cause and supported by some excellent businesses. I posted on their third birthday bash here!
I find Freeganism so interesting and admirable. If only i had the guts to climb into a skip.
I saw the Giles Coren and Oprah shows and i’m amazed at how much perfectly edible food can be found in bins. If only those companies could be more proactive like pret-a-manger is in UK at giving their ‘leftover’ food to the needy.
Hi NQN! Great article.. very interesting in fact as I’ve never heard of this before. But.. was there a need to mention that the security guard was African?
Hi grocer-I think that when the packaging of things has things spilt on them that can often smell if it’s not discarded. So perhaps it wasn’t the food itself that was bad but the packaging that may have had cream or something spilt on it. Interesting, when was this legislation introduced that protected businesses?
Hi Lauren-Yes it’s a worthwhile cause but I think a lot of people would stop short of that!
It is definitely something that should be addressed I agree!
Hi MT-Of course I thought it was relevant, in fact the security guard agreed with Ash that in his country in Africa, an avocado of that standard would have certainly been eaten!
I see your point re the packaging and spillage but these guys were cutting up “fresh” veggies they had rescued. They were young students – kudos for giving it a go.
The relevant legislation is The Civil Liabilities Amendment (Food Donations) Act 2005.
As I said I am not in the business of wasting food. If I have an amount I can’t do something with, it goes to ozharvest, so I always have something to do with extras.
Hi grocer-Thanks for citing the legislation. Would be good to see if any of them would change their policy, I like to give them the benefit of the doubt but you never know, they may know that but still not want to donate which is sad.
having worked with both major supermarket chains in this country, do NOT give them the benefit of the doubt.
If little old me can work it out, you can rest assured they know the true status of things with their corporate secretariat, legal team, external counsel, and PR spin.
If you support these businesses, then you support their wasteful ways no matter how much we would like to believe in the good.
Hi grocer-I don’t think that people that shop there necessarily “support their wasteful ways”. One has to shop somewhere. Even health food stores which one would assume recycle and don’t throw things away due to their clientele and market position obviously do. I am interested in where you shop?
Wow, a great post Lorraine, and I love how you’ve even broken up the article into neat sub-heads too
And what a great haul from just one night!
Hi Helen-Thanks so much! I thought it was a bit long so it needed the separate sections
It was amazing what one could get, jaw droppign really
I had read part of this post Lorraine closer to when you wrote it.. so today actually.. while hubby was backing out of a car parking space.. I noticed a discount food store ‘skip’ bin and some boxes around it..with some products in them. I didn’t check them out or anything.. but I did think of this post and wondered about the contents of the boxes. That particular food clearance store sells a lot of packaged/tinned foods.. and some freezesr and fridge items, but also items for pets and cheap household items.
They often sell stuff that is past ‘best by’ dates.. so I’d imagine anything they’d throw out would be past their dates or WELL past their dates. I’m not good with food past any date.. I can usually always taste the difference. I’d be worried about sandwich meat not knowing how long it hasn’t been unrefrigerated.
Truthfully, this dumpster stuff doesn’t appeal to me. Not searching for freebies like this. I might have my own issues I guess re: people watching, commenting.. confronting me. I’m not brave enough and the desire to find something for free isn’t strong enough for me personally. I do understand what the appeal would be though.
Hi Maria-Ahhh ok well the stuff they would be throwing out sounds like definitely, definitely past its use by date! I think it’s better to do in the Winter when it’s colder. To be honest I’m not sure what happens in the summer when things can go off much easier.
It’s not for everyone, I would feel a bit self conscious too but I was really interested in how it worked and can really see how it appeals to people.
Hi guys
I’m a reporter looking to write a story on freeganism – does anyone know if it has spread to Perth in WA?
Shame so must is wasted!
Stupid: super-litigious society!
I’ve drank milk that was 1 month past it’s USE BY date, and it was FINE! Amazing!
Supermarkets shouldn’t be able to be sued for food that people take for free!!
oops! – Grocer has shown this not to be the case! Great!
Sometimes, a particular (and the others, maybe, too) Big W chucks out cans of soft drink, when one has been ruptured. And sometimes they sell them for 40c each!
Sometimes a supermarket will chuck out stuff, if it’s hit the dirty floor, as it’s too much effort and time for the staff to wipe/wash it, and reshelve it.
Crazy!
littlem: As a gardener too, I know it CAN be composted! Often when I bring home free food, I feel really depressed when I see it rotting and darkening (or lightening in the case of cucumbers). It is usually stuff I was hoping to eat, or give to neighbours. But the weather, or time didn’t permit. But then I just put it in my compost, and I know my compost will be getting a constantly varying assortment of nutrients!
If we only put in grass, leaves and a small range of vegetables/fruits into our compost, then the resulting soil/compost will only contain certain nutrients. But when we give it more varying ingredients, we increase the scope of benefits it will then give to the plants we plant in it. I reckon.
There’s a product called the Bio Bin, that was featured on The New Inventors, and this is an automated composting ‘container’. It can even handle meat, unlike most compost heaps.
Angela: you don’t need a step ladder, as often, you’ll find milk crates around. And you can use them as steps, 1 or 1 plus 2 make a great set of stairs.
Lori: I have seen a box of Sakata Apero rice snacks, that were on their own, on a trolley, I saw that it had a reduced price sticker and someone had circled the BB date (probably only JUST passed that date) So I bought them, and hoped that the date on the bottom of the pack wasn’t noticed by the check out guy. Yes! Got it. Better I kept my mouth shut! I don’t know YET, where that supermarket keeps their dumpster(s).
If they had noticed, they wouldn’t even LET ME BUY IT!! Crazy
NQN, you said:
Hi Lilia-Anything and everything to do with food is interesting to me sadly. It’s an obsession.
I say:
We need to eat, to survive, so why not!
Another source for free things:
I went to Bunnings, to look for their dumpsters, and squeezed through a gate, as it had a rather wide opening, and was looking around, and then from the other end of the site, I heard a siren going off. I thought: I wonder if that’s this site, and did I trigger it? I got out of there pretty quickly and realised it must’ve been me.
Well… I know that site won’t be an easy target in future! Unless I’ve got a invisibility cloak, like the Mythbusters came up with!
I know one supermarket chucks out dog food or cat food with a tear in the bag. Crazy! The dog/cat isn’t gonna care if AIR has gotten to the contents!! And this is like 14Kg bags of dry food!!
And ever more stupid: They throw away large bags of paper-based cat litter, when the bag is a bit damaged. Like, it’s not going to be EATEN! The cats are just gonna s#|t and p!$s all over the litter anyway!
I have 2 LARGE bags now, but haven’t got around to start using them yet.
BTW: Is there a list of sites us dumpster divers can go to ? Or is this Ash guy, the person to ask for that info ?
I know I can add the details of 10 places I’ve been to that you can get some great things for free. Although one of them:
I was JUST about ready to leave, with a nice haul of food, and up comes the security guard on his electric buggy/cart, and he tells me to chuck it all back in the bins.
DAMN! I didn’t want to, but he lifted back his jacket, to reveal he had a set of handcuffs – to scare me, and to show he could detain me!
So, I have been too scared to go back there since then. How can I get the courage I need ?
And can I quote some law, to him/the cops, if need be, to allow me to take what is in MY POSSESION, in my vehicle ?
Or can they just use the fact that I’m on THEIR property, to say I’m stealing. And I get a criminal record ?
There’s also the option of – as soon as I see someone coming to interrupt me, I don’t hang around for a second, I high tail it/hot foot it OUTTA THERE!
But then they could call the cops, and say his vehicle was a such & such and it’s plate was so & so.
No way around that, is there?
There is another way: it’s expensive though.
Get a rubbish collection truck, and take the whole bin(s) away, and empty them into your own sorting area, then return the bin empty, or with the unwanted stuff from the previous haul!
No one argues with rubbish truck! And it’s easy to make it look legit, just copy the signage of the truck that usually picks up the rubbish! Problem is, who can afford a rubbish truck, and then you’d probably need a heavy vehicle license to drive it!
Plus, fuel to get there, with such a heavy vehicle, would be expensive, unless you only go to your local shop to do that. I sometimes travel around 15Km from home to get free stuff.
Hi dodgy-Yes it’s a real shame about the waste that occurs
Interesting, was it UHT milk that you tried or fresh? I can see UHT milk might be ok but I find fresh milk starts to puff up very quickly after the use by date just from seeing it in my fridge.
I don’t know if there is a central site for Australia but I think Ash would know if there was one. Thanks for your comment, you sound very passionate about the cause!
In Brisbane the bakeries near me used to give all their stock at the end of the day to the Rosie’s Catholic Mission van and the Drug Arm Outreach Van so it didn’t go to waste. It makes me sad when this kind of thing is just thrown away when people in need could use it.
Hi Amaya-That’s very admirable isn’t it! It’s also terrible to see wastage I agree.
This is an incredibly informative article.I’ve just moved out of my parents home and into the inner west and this has probably been the most useful thing i have discovered.
thanks so much.
Hi Peta-That’s wonderful! I’m so glad that you found it useful. Thanks for letting me know
I have been scouting for some good bins in my area but they all seem to have been padlocked. Also woolworths in my area crush all unused products not sure why but this seems to be local practic has any one else found this
Hi Kate-Hmmm I wonder if it’s because Freeganism has gotten more coverage lately? That’s a bit disappointing
I have been dumpster diving and it’s great. There is some criticism from few, about health and hygiene issues. The only puzzle in my mind is, what happens to the meat. I come across packages which once contained meat every night. But they are empty, only blood stains. Are the supermarkets repackaging and relabeling them? Or are the employees taking them? Milan Melbourne
Interesting. Never heard of this before, even though I live in US. I would have to opt out, though, having had food poisoning four times since moving to Nashville from California. Two of those times were so severe I thought I needed to be hospitalized. Luckily I was healthy, but such an attack could have killed someone else.
But, I do appreciate the article.
I’ve seen it too many times. Shops will always throw food. I’d rather sign a declaration form not to sue them in case of food poisoning and take thrown away food. And most of it is in good nick anyway. Just use common sense. If I lived in the country I’d grow my own but in the city I’d take it any time for free.
Hi Milan-Ahh that’s very interesting! I wonder that too!
Hi Angela-Oh you poor thing! That must have been awful
Yes it’s not for everyone and certainly not for anyone that is vulnerable health wise just in case.
Hi Sasha-Exactly, I’m sure give the option plenty of people would sign that. Yes common sense is essential!
This article is great! I would love to give it a go sometime, just got to find the bins!
I found your article so inspiring that I did my first dumpster diving tonight…. I found a fair heap of stuff too (left lots in there, this is all I could fit in my car which was full of things to Freecycle that I got free from another business).
1.1kg Aus. grapes
1.4kg Aus. apples
1kg Aus. cucumber
850g Aus. apricots
450g Italian kiwi
spatula
packet of precut and washed stir fry veges
tin of Oust, antibacterial spray
5 packets of herb and garlic breadcrumbs (BB Dec 09)
The ammount of waste is unfathomable and disgusting. I wish I could move to an island and build a hut out of straw.
Hi,
Just wondering if anyone knows of any Freegan / dumpster groups here in Canberra, Australia that I could join. Pretty new to this & don’t really like the thought of tramping round dark alleys at night on my own. Cheers now and thanks in advance for any suggestions.
I did my first dumpster dive with my more experienced housemates a few weeks back and was hooked from the first moment. We hit up a Coles near our house that fills up black bins as opposed to the giant dumpsters. There was kilos and kilos of fresh fruit and veg, half of which was still amazing looking without the slightest hint of a blemish. Me and a fellow first time diver got a little too carried away and took more than we could possible consume, but I do know better now; take less, because there will always be more in the bin when you need it.
I work full time at the moment so I don’t need to dumpster dive as I have the cash to buy my groceries, but instead I choose to dive because I really hate the waste. The things they are throwing out people would happily eat, yet instead it is turned into landfill. At least our local fruit shop piles a lot of fruit and veggies about to go off into a box and sells it for $5 (seriously these things are amazing- 15 punnets of straberries or a dozen mangoes for $5) but Coles is big enough and makes enough money that they dump it and don’t care.
I have just found out about dumpster diving and wouldn’t mind giving it a go. I’m vegan so I’m not that worried about meat and milk making me sick
Anywho I’m in South Australia, so if anyone know anyone here who is interested in going as a group, or knows a group, please email me clouded_past@hotmail.com
Wonderfully informative article! Xo
Milk and meat are always poisonous no matter what the use by date.
If you were in England last week there was no need to dumpster dive round the back, you could have just gone in through the broken front window and looted a big old bag of rice!
Although the term Freegen is new to me I have eaten well, off and on, (mostly when I’ve been low on money) for many years from bins. I have recently began bin diving as a form of manifesting abundance, allowing spirit to feed me and my family so to speak. Just today I went through 4 bins of Coles, woolies, aldi’s and franklins reclaiming around $350 of food that would otherwise end up as land fill.
The Coles Woodend Supermarket (high st)in Victoria Aust is throwing out ALL of its fresh meat dairy deli and frozen goods due to apower outage last night.$200,000 worth. I do not know where the special dumpsters are dumping but someone could follow them. All the food is fresh and some still frozen. Can you pass this on to whoever might be interested. They have to act fast.
Hey, This is a really interesting. I’m actually making a short doco on freeganism and was wondering if you had an email where I could ask you a few more questions. Also where abouts in Australia are you located?
Thanks heaps
I (Community Friends) give away over 1000 meals a fortnight for free. We do this in West End in Brisbane). The address is 155 Boundary St West End (West End Community Park). It is given away at 4pm on the first and third Wednesday of the month. It consists of frozen meals, fresh fruit and vegetables and bread. If you wnat some, just turn up. It is free.
Late to join the party again. Just came upon this post of yours Lorraine. Great work, really enjoyed it. It was so interesting and exciting, I felt like I was there going through the bins with you. I wouldn’t mind dumpster diving once in a while, I think it would be quite thrilling actually but I don’t think hubby would approve of it or let me bring any of it home. Keep up the great blog!
great article ^_^
I’ve been looking through hard rubbish & dumpsters for most of my life & have seen such monumental wastage for a long time. It has been getting worse.
As for getting excess food scraps, you can always compost the waste.
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