Food waste - free food.

[tanklv]

Just saw an interesting program here in the US - on the awful fact that literally tons of fresh food/produce is thrown away every day all over!

These are perfectly good food items - from veggies & fruits to meats and fish.

All are some "imperfect" with slight blemishes, odd sizes - BUT OTHERWISE PERFECTLY EDIBLE/SAFE!!!

I wish some of us could get together with the farmers/butchers/vendors to see how we could rescue this food to help those that need it most.

Or come up with ideas on how all this waste could be saved/used.

It was a real eye opener - and I'm not talking about dumpster diving.

These are foods that farmers literally throw into huge compost heaps, or groceries put in clean/new "trash bags" outside stores to be trashed simply because they are scheduled to "expire" the NEXT day.

It is really infuriating to see that this happens!!!

[o well this is ok I guess]

and I'm not talking about dumpster diving. y not

[Veovis]

y not

Probably because tanklv wanted to drive home the fact that these food items are not someone's leftovers having already been half-eaten, but whole and unused and totally wasted.

[o well this is ok I guess]

Probably because tanklv wanted to drive home the fact that these food items are not someone's leftovers having already been half-eaten, but whole and unused and totally wasted. In short, that which is dumpster dived.

[Veovis]

In short, that which is dumpster dived.

Right, but the term carries certain connotations:

vuD1oDth6es

[ellipsis]

he is talking about freeganism aka dumpster diving aka skipping. i just dumpstered about 40 lbs of food (meat, veggies, sauces, candy, coffee, olive oil, etc.) from trader joe's last night.

"dumpster diving" is used to refer to any sort of waste reclaiming, whether or not there is an actual dumpster involved or if you have to dive into it, making it slightly misleading. I use the term "dumpster" as a verb simply because "freegan" has no verb form.

a couple of old thread, which you can necro if you want

http://www.revleft.com/vb/dumpster-diving-t156686/index.html?t=156686

http://www.revleft.com/vb/showthread.php?t=145669

http://www.revleft.com/vb/showthread.php?t=138797

[danyboy27]

Some first nation group in the U.S are using discarded food from supermarket to make ethanol to fuel community buses, there is an innu/first nation community in northern canada who use it to make compost for their community greenhouses.

It can sometimes be an issue to get this kind of stuff, supermarkets often have some of their stuff under some kind of insurance policy, they have to throw it away or they dont get the money from the insurance company, sometimes they have to litteraly pour liter of liquid bleach on it before to throw it away.

Also corporation do this kind of shit beccause they are scared of being sued if somebody become ill from the injestion of the actual food.

In any cases there are probably legal way like signing a discharge that should make those corporation more at ease with giving the stuff away, especially if you represent a non-lucrative buisness (you can litteraly create a buisness with like 2 phone call).

You could also try to get friendly with some folks who work at the warehouse, and they could probably let you get the stuff (they are probably taking stuff for themselves has well anyway.)

[ellipsis]

I've never seen bleach on food, but store cut up clothes, video games, etc. to prevent them from being used or returned for credit.

Game stop dumpster, check it out, lots of good stuff...

[danyboy27]

I've never seen bleach on food, but store cut up clothes, video games, etc. to prevent them from being used or returned for credit.

Game stop dumpster, check it out, lots of good stuff...

what is your best find?

[danyboy27]

My father Used to do dumpster diving and a good spot for various item are university dumpster near the dormitory. Towel, clothes, poster, its full of great stuff like that, especially at the end or the begining of a semester.
I really dont get it tho, studients are usually broke but they still throw away all this perfectly good stuff.

[ellipsis]

+1 college moveout, people throw out iPods and beers... go figure...

[tanklv]

Some first nation group in the U.S are using discarded food from supermarket to make ethanol to fuel community buses, there is an innu/first nation community in northern canada who use it to make compost for their community greenhouses.

It can sometimes be an issue to get this kind of stuff, supermarkets often have some of their stuff under some kind of insurance policy, they have to throw it away or they dont get the money from the insurance company, sometimes they have to litteraly pour liter of liquid bleach on it before to throw it away.

Also corporation do this kind of shit beccause they are scared of being sued if somebody become ill from the injestion of the actual food.

In any cases there are probably legal way like signing a discharge that should make those corporation more at ease with giving the stuff away, especially if you represent a non-lucrative buisness (you can litteraly create a buisness with like 2 phone call).

You could also try to get friendly with some folks who work at the warehouse, and they could probably let you get the stuff (they are probably taking stuff for themselves has well anyway.)

Actually, it's more of a "health code" kind of thing. I used to help out at a caterer, and we bagged up a lot of perfectly good food in unused clean trash bags - very sanitary - trash cans full - and could not "give it away" - we were prevented from doing so by the local Health Department regulations. What a waste. We all tried to take as much home as we could use to not waste it.

And the above posters were right - I'm not talking about "garbage" or rotten or food that was "used" but thrown out.

I'm talking about perfectly good ripe veggies/fruits or meats/fish that is close to the end of their expiration date or otherwise "imperfect" - perfectly good chickens with a "broken" leg or wing, or a missing leg or wing. Or fruits with a blemish/spot - not all perfect red and shiney apples, etc.

A lot of the veggies/fruit/meats are found on site at the farm or at the fishermens warf or farm - they are literally dumped on the ground at the side of fields to be plowed into compost heaps - because some jerks picked something, and then decided they didn't want it and just left it in the field, etc. Shameful.

[ColumnNo.4]

I thought I would fire this thread up again because I've recently become more and more interested in "freeganism". Is anyone here into it?

[Chomskyan]

Just saw an interesting program here in the US - on the awful fact that literally tons of fresh food/produce is thrown away every day all over!

These are perfectly good food items - from veggies & fruits to meats and fish.

All are some "imperfect" with slight blemishes, odd sizes - BUT OTHERWISE PERFECTLY EDIBLE/SAFE!!!

I wish some of us could get together with the farmers/butchers/vendors to see how we could rescue this food to help those that need it most.

Or come up with ideas on how all this waste could be saved/used.

It was a real eye opener - and I'm not talking about dumpster diving.

These are foods that farmers literally throw into huge compost heaps, or groceries put in clean/new "trash bags" outside stores to be trashed simply because they are scheduled to "expire" the NEXT day.

It is really infuriating to see that this happens!!!

That's what happens when you make food into a commodity.

[Palmares]

I thought I would fire this thread up again because I've recently become more and more interested in "freeganism". Is anyone here into it?

I used to do it quite alot. Infact, have undertaken it in various different countries. Rich countries carry much bounty, whereas poor countries, unsurprisingly, almost if not actually impossible.

In the US, I loved dumpstering alcohol and pizza.
The main place I would do in Australia I would get of random stuff from out the back of a bourgeois charity shop, like camping gear.

[Illegalitarian]

Freeganism is pretty swell. I used to live right next to a Chinese restaurant buffet and after so long on the bar, the food had to be thrown out due to some state regulation. I would walk down there all the time and get the food right a it was being thrown out, the workers would even wrap it for me and everything.

No need to let anything go to waste.

[ColumnNo.4]

Freeganism is pretty swell. I used to live right next to a Chinese restaurant buffet and after so long on the bar, the food had to be thrown out due to some state regulation. I would walk down there all the time and get the food right a it was being thrown out, the workers would even wrap it for me and everything.

No need to let anything go to waste.

I don't live too far from a Chinese buffet, I wonder...

I'd like to find people in Colorado who are into freeganism but there doesn't seem to be a group like there is in the DC area.

[Illegalitarian]

Do you live anywhere near Boulder? There *has* to be some such organization there.

[Quail]

I had some bin veg for tea today... It can help when you're low on cash if you know where to look.

[ColumnNo.4]

I'm south east of Denver but I do think there's a group in Boulder. I'm not cash strapped I just don't like that society wastes so much.

[Palmares]

Why do you need a group? Just check some bins (dumpsters) homie! Bad thing about the US is the amount of trash compactors, but if you find somewhere that has stuff you want that might throw it out, and doesn't have a trash compactor, then you have your treasure. Though, I remember when I was in Canada some people I know would break into the trash compactors...! :ohmy:

When I was in Denver, we dumpstered hella booze. Micro brewery IPAs. This was downtown somewhere... There are plenty other dumpsters there too, but I would have to talk to my mates who lives there to get the locations.

[ColumnNo.4]

Why do you need a group? Just check some bins (dumpsters) homie! Bad thing about the US is the amount of trash compactors, but if you find somewhere that has stuff you want that might throw it out, and doesn't have a trash compactor, then you have your treasure. Though, I remember when I was in Canada some people I know would break into the trash compactors...! :ohmy:

When I was in Denver, we dumpstered hella booze. Micro brewery IPAs. This was downtown somewhere... There are plenty other dumpsters there too, but I would have to talk to my mates who lives there to get the locations.

Just more enjoyable in a group. I wouldn't mind making friends via.

[HoboHomesteader]

Why do you need a group? Just check some bins (dumpsters) homie!

it can be a nice shortcut or if you don't want/cant cook or store the food. i met some guy in oakland who has a bay area dumpster wikimap.

BUUUUT the best stuff is in the dumpsters with no competition, so go explore!

[BIXX]

Go bar dumpster crawling at sports bars around 3-4am every day. Delicious.

[Palmares]

What did you find...?

[BIXX]

What did you find...?

Well generally its just partially eaten fries with toppings (from what I've seen), but I've seen buffalo wings, all the materials for burgers, etc...

[Palmares]

*whew* :grin: