Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

General Discussion

Showing Original Post only (View all)

LynneSin

(95,337 posts)
Tue Jul 12, 2016, 10:19 AM Jul 2016

This Guy Spends $2.75 A Year On Food And Eats Like A King [View all]

This Guy Spends $2.75 A Year On Food And Eats Like A King

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/dumpster-diver-freegan-food-waste_us_577bd32ee4b0a629c1aac3d1


AdChoices

Over the last two years, William Reid has spent just $5.50 on food.

Reid is a committed dumpster diver: He dredges unsold grub from supermarket dumpsters and collects food scraps wherever he finds them. And he feasts.

A graduate student in film and electronic media at American University in Washington, D.C., Reid forswore store-bought food in August 2014. Since then, he’s been munching on found meals of green vegetables, fruits, meat, eggs, milk and candy ― really, “anything you can imagine,” he said, adding that he’s never gotten sick from food he’s scavenged, nor has he ever lacked access to healthy meals.

<<<snip>>>

That Reid is able to easily find good food in supermarket dumpsters is evidence of just how widespread the country’s food waste problem is. Roughly 40 percent of all food in the U.S. goes uneaten, and yet one in seven American households doesn’t have a regular supply of good food.

While food is wasted at every step along the supply chain, nearly half of the country’s wasted food is lost at supermarkets and restaurants, creating a vast supply of uneaten food sitting in dumpsters and trash cans ― ripe for the taking by people who know how to find it.


I am absolutely fascinated by the concept of dumpster diving for groceries but the concept of rooting through a dumpster for edible products in hopes that I could find a decent meal kinda gives me the creeps. But what's worse is these grocery stores waste so much food when it could be donated to charity and help feed the millions of people who go hungry in this country. I wish we could create some sort of system that allows for grocery stores to donate this food so we can help solve hunger in this country.

Oh take the poll - would you do dumpster diving? Only time I was in a dumpster was to find my passport the night before I was to fly off to Canada and turns out it got tossed with a bag of garbage. NOT FUN!
27 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited
I already dumpster dive for food
3 (11%)
I would consider it but only for certain foods
5 (19%)
No Way!
16 (59%)
Other
3 (11%)
Show usernames
Disclaimer: This is an Internet poll
38 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
my fridge looks like a dumpster retrowire Jul 2016 #1
*** tosses the dinner invite she got from retrowire into the trash *** LynneSin Jul 2016 #3
that's why god invented crockpots! Gabi Hayes Jul 2016 #11
I guess you and me are a serious minority around here bonemachine Jul 2016 #28
back in the day, my yoga class teacher and I used to make the rounds of the grocery stores Gabi Hayes Jul 2016 #30
Honestly... bonemachine Jul 2016 #34
whereabouts? I have friends/family in Oregon and Wash. Gabi Hayes Jul 2016 #37
Portland bonemachine Jul 2016 #38
We have a small magnetic write on/wipe off board on front of our fridge door to note/date leftovers woodsprite Jul 2016 #19
"Reid said he’s never been ticketed or hassled for picking unsold food out of dumpsters." Brickbat Jul 2016 #2
Amazing point LynneSin Jul 2016 #5
The article says he used to reclaim food for Food Not Bombs to give to food shelters; then he Brickbat Jul 2016 #7
He's working on a documentary that is coming out in 2017 LynneSin Jul 2016 #24
^^ This! Democrats Ascendant Jul 2016 #9
A couple years back, there was a story about a woman who had a party closeupready Jul 2016 #4
That is what freaks me out about dumpster diving for food LynneSin Jul 2016 #6
Correct - or items which have been picked over by vermin, insects, birds, closeupready Jul 2016 #8
And she deserved to lose them after that stunt... Blue_Tires Jul 2016 #22
I would perhaps attend a party like this... LynneSin Jul 2016 #25
I will happily eat dumpster dived food bonemachine Jul 2016 #10
Could you add a option for "I've dumpster dived in the past'? Lancero Jul 2016 #12
We used to get boxes of lettuce and cabbage and what ever they had for the farm snooper2 Jul 2016 #13
When I was a kid in the early 70s Lance Bass esquire Jul 2016 #14
You really can eat well. liberalmuse Jul 2016 #15
Everybody has been mentioning dumpsters and food pantries -- watch this librechik Jul 2016 #16
".......these grocery stores waste so much food when it could be donated to charity......." WillowTree Jul 2016 #17
I don't know how it varies from state to state... Initech Jul 2016 #20
Exactly. WillowTree Jul 2016 #29
It's crazy how many people have the mindset not to waste food. glowing Jul 2016 #18
No chance in hell... Blue_Tires Jul 2016 #21
first of all there is no standard for expiration dates on non-dairy items. Javaman Jul 2016 #23
Next thng you need to do is jamzrockz Jul 2016 #26
... Major Nikon Jul 2016 #27
It's amazing some of the things we've thrown away in the past Bradical79 Jul 2016 #31
just think of the savings enid602 Jul 2016 #32
May through September in south Texas: you'll die Ilsa Jul 2016 #33
To all the naysayers who say "you'll get sick" bonemachine Jul 2016 #35
2nd Harvest ... GeorgeGist Jul 2016 #36
Latest Discussions»General Discussion»This Guy Spends $2.75 A Y...