Commuting - dumpster diving on a bike

Hey everyone I eat trash- doesn't that sound crazy, well, it's not, you'll see if you take the time to look in a supermarket dumpster.

While commuting around Raleigh NC I pass Food Lion and Winn Dixie grocery stores frequently. It feels great to load up my panniers with ( i got all this today) 4 bags of Fritos(expire tonight at midnight), a bag full of oranges(one was moldy so they toss em all), and a loaf of bread that had a tiny tear in the packaging.

I find dumpstering to be just another way of combating the wastefullness of the U$A.

You all should really check out a dumpster, it's amazing the amount of edible food they toss daily.

GQ

lol, that's weird :)

No thanks

I think I'll have to politely decline your offer.

I rather go dumpster diving for bicycles.

People go hungry every night and these jack asses are throwing food out. Stuff like that mad. Although i have to admit im not ready to take a dive for food. pehaps you could persaude the manager to let you pick through things before they trash them.

In Seattle they started letting homeless activists dumpster dive for food a few years ago. For a while (thye may even still be doing it) once a month local chefs would get together and make gourmet meals from it as a fund raiser. I think it is a terrible waste of food. My local QFC doesn't throw anything out they donate all there food to the local food bank.

Now about 20 years ago when I was a poor starving student I knew a guy that was a steward for Amtrak. He told me that by law they were required to throw out all the food on the train at the end of it run. We used to hit the dumpsters for a while you would find steaks and roasts still in there sealed bags. Produce a pleanty you name it it pretty much was there, except dry goods. We ate like kings for a long time until the bastards starting locking the dumpsters.

Dumpster diving is one of my favorite past times :)

If I were really desperate I would do it. Years ago while working at McDonald's as a teenager I noticed all the food thrown out. Every night we would throw out a garbage bag of burgers and other stuff that had sat too long in the bin without being sold. Think the time limit back then was 5 or 6 minutes for burgers.

Aw man that's disgusting...

Heh I remember diving for passwords, credit card numbers, misc. electronics, etc.

Food dumpsters are especially dirty, I wouldn't want to eat the food after I'm covered in puke and filth after diving in. Especially the dumpsters in NYC.

I did, however, work in a soup kitchen for the homeless at a church. Supermarkets donate said food products that you mentioned would expire that day. A lot of food products have "sell by" dates, which does not automatically translate into "consume by". As a result, they usually have shelf life past the sell by date. Quite a few local places donate it to us and they get a nice write off.

We used to get a couple hundred cans of food, almost 100 lbs of dry pasta, meat, 3-4 garbage bags of bread, doughnuts, whatnot, fruit, every week. Sometimes they'd even donate plates, eating utensils, spices, etc.

The food we made for the homeless was infinitely better than mcdonalds and rivaled most mid-classed restaurants.

I remember my relatives in china were well off but piss poor. Back then, they'd have rice and if they had chicken wing tips (not the wing, but the tip of it, you know what I mean), that'd be a good meal. My cousin said than on more than one occasion, he'd have to share the single wing tip between like 3 people. And these weren't people you'd find scratching out a living in huts. My cousin had a phd in marine biology and 2 other people in his family had degrees in computer science and electrical engineering.

Long story short, he came here, ended up getting a masters in math and now works at a bank calculating interest rates or something like that, makes near a quarter mil a year and he's still stingy as ever just because of what he had grown up with.

It's really sad how much food we throw away, literally hundreds of thousands of tons every day.

I got sick thinking about the hundreds of millions of pounds of good beef that were thrown away because of a 1:500000 chance someone would get mad cow and no one bothered to keep track of where the meat came from.

I mean come on, your chances of dying in a car are probably 100x greater, why don't we go apesh*t about that.

The image of dumpster diving for food is probably worse than the reality. Imagine whole piles of bread and other food still in wrappers and maybe even cans. I don't think our friend here is talking about picking cigarette butts out of mashed potatoes.

When I was a teen working at a burger/pizza resturaunt, I found a homeless guy picking through our trash for food. I told him to come back the next day too. From that time forward, we kept all the clean, good food that would normally have gone into the trash separate and we put it in a special spot for him - all tidy in bags in a special box. This was stuff like burgers that sat under the heat lamp for more than 10 minutes or pizza that had onions and the customer complained "I didn't want onions, nya nya nya"; stuff like that.

We would have done more, but the boss man was not so sympathetic.

It depends where you dive. Nice bakeries and restaurants, you can actually go in there and ask and they'll give it to you.

Other places just throw it out in the same dumpster as everything else. Meaning you're gonna have to dig through the torn bags (no one seems to understand that dragging the bags across concrete will tear them) of rotting cabbage, that brown puke water that's a combination of veggie water, hog fat, animal guts and blood, and god knows what else is in there.

Not to mention the cost of food is severely offset by the cost of medical care when you get shanked by a 4" crack needle...

It depends where you dive. Nice bakeries and restaurants, you can actually go in there and ask and they'll give it to you.

Other places just throw it out in the same dumpster as everything else. Meaning you're gonna have to dig through the torn bags (no one seems to understand that dragging the bags across concrete will tear them) of rotting cabbage, that brown puke water that's a combination of veggie water, hog fat, animal guts and blood, and god knows what else is in there.

Not to mention the cost of food is severely offset by the cost of medical care when you get shanked by a 4" crack needle...
This is a good point. I'm not afraid of the sealed, fresh food in a dumpster, if you wash the packaging carefully. But the idea of getting a gash from a sharp object or part of the dumpster brings to mind the risk of serious infection.

Not trying to scare anyone, just think it's wise to be careful.

Overall, it's a crime that food is thrown out. Give it to me, I'll eat it!

I'm all for dumpster diving. I'm vegan by choice, but if I were in a bind I wouldn't be so choosy. I guess that would make me a freegan.

I guess that would make me a freegan.

I believe that is the term they use here. We have some who choose to dive, as they think it is unethical to waste perfectly good food. They are fairly frequently interviewed in the local media.

--J

Alrighty, it's not like I'm digging through bags of blood and rotten food. Nope, last night, there was a cardboard box full of produce that had been slightly damaged. A person everynight goes through the produce area and picks out all of the stuff with a slight bruise, tear, etc. Then they put it nicely in the dumpster. With the temperature in the 40s last night, the food stays good. In the afternoons in the summer the food can go nasty in a few hours in the direct sun.
As far as dumpsters being dirty-well the ones that I get my grub outta are clean.

Midweastmtnbiker, forum rider, paige, and most especially slvoid- get outta your middle class(just assuming), trained behavior and look in the damn dumpster of a supermarket before you say it's "disgusting" or some other lame comment. I can guarantee(well, maybe not guarantee but you get the point) you that I eat more healthy food than you all who go to some trendy Whole Foods or something and pay $4 for a quart of strawberries(just an ex.)

I hope this wasn't to attacking, but quit make assumptions.

Well, why not?

If the bin is reasonably clean, and you can get past the stigma, what the heck.
Preventing good food from being wasted and nourishing yourself
without expending cash is a good thing, as long as they don't arrest
you for vagrancy or something.

Yeah, they have those kids down in Bloomington (College town- go figure). Here in Indy, people only do it because they need to.

I live across the street from a place called, "The Lord's Diner", here in Wichita. The deal is, anyone can get one free meal a day there. I have been there twice when money was scarce. It's not bad food, very bland, but not bad at all. They get a lot of their food donated and they do a great job on very little, too bad we couldn't turn the government into a volunteer organization.

I guess I'll share todays find at school.

There was about 5 minutes left in the lunch period and these girls came in with a full pizza, me knowing they couldnt eat it all I kept an eye on them. Just as I expected, when the bell rang they threw 5 of 8 slices away(still in the box) so me and my friends all enjoyed great warm pizza.

There's something so gratifying about finding and eating food that would otherwise be wasted.

I guess I'll share todays find at school.

There was about 5 minutes left in the lunch period and these girls came in with a full pizza, me knowing they couldnt eat it all I kept an eye on them. Just as I expected, when the bell rang they threw 5 of 8 slices away(still in the box) so me and my friends all enjoyed great warm pizza.

There's something so gratifying about finding and eating food that would otherwise be wasted.

Hee hee. Now that is a legitimate dive! :D

A few points here.
1. It is a legal issue for most establishments. I know, my parents were in the food industry and I worked it for 27 years of my life. W used to be very easy going about food thrown out - place it in separate bags, keep it on the side of the dumpsters so as not to get contaminated, etc. We knew the needy would come around later in the night. But then it started, legally, even though you have thrown something out, you are still responsible. So, if someone gets sick, hurt, whatever, you get sewed. So we had to start making sure that all food was truly – trashed. In other words we put it all in the dumpsters without bags. The trash pickup hated it, we hated it, I especially hated it because I would have to clean those dumpsters every week.
2. I was in whole foods 10 minutes before closing, went to the bakery area and saw quite a bit of bread there. I asked what they did when they had so much left over. They stated, "we throw it out". I couldn’t believe it – throw out bread you just baked off that morning? I asked – what about wrapping it up in plastic like you would anyway when someone purchases it, and offer it at 30-50% off as day olds, (my families shop did this with donuts and buns)? They said it was policy and asked if I would buy it? I said I would and then asked at what time did they throw all this out – "30 minutes after closing every night." When I am hungry or riding by on my commute, you know where to get a good snack,
3. I ask stores, diners, etc. why they don’t donate the left-overs. It is the same story over and over – legally they are still responsible. I know this from when we used to cater and do parties, But we usually took the chance and drove by the shelter on the way back from a job if there was substantial food left over. Granted, you just have to use good judgement, basically asking yourself, "would I eat this in a few more hours and not worry?" If it was a hot day and its cream, fish, meats, etc… it went in the can… but then there are more days when you really can make a difference to others.

Ride on, and never go hungry.

Haha for someone who's family makes $18,000 a year, if you think I'm middle class, you're living in the wrong place man.

As for you, gqsmoothie, I think you're making a lot more assumptions than I am. When I was younger, I used to dive around for stuff too and like I said, it depends a lot on where you go. Behind supemarkets and restaurants here, it's pretty disgusting. I've actually seen the dumpsters around here. I can't say for where you are but you ask ANYONE in NYC about the juice that runs out of the thousands of garbage trucks around here, it's the same stuff in the dumpster.

I find it's utterly stupid that you would choose to attack being safe than sorry. That's like saying, "round here where I live, there are no cars on the road and you always fall on your side, you're all morons for advocating helmets."

Grow up and learn to read.

GQ, more power to ya and all the others who actually think about how much we waste in the US. As for standards in cleanliness and food service standards, I think a few of you need to take your bikes on a little trip south of the border for a few months, then come back and tell me what is 'gross' and what you can live with. Also, you'll have (or should have) a different outlook on what and how you consume, yourself.

Seems like a lot of you have mentioned being a part of programs some time or another that take this unnessesary waste and make good use out of it. Cool. I had a good experience with an organization called Food Not Bombs which did the same thing, took just-expired produce and turned it into great vegetarian meals for the homeless and hungry. www.foodnotbombs.org There may be a group in your area.
I think a lot of this wasting from bakeries and groceries has to do with them responding to our consumer habits. We overlook produce that isn't shining bright or has a bruise or scar, so they know they cannot sell the stuff. Also the bit about liability on selling or giving away 'old' food is another one. If we weren't so sue-happy in the US, I think things would be a lot different. Sure, they might be different in bad ways, like more people would be stepping into uncovered manholes and all that, but hey, watch where your going! :D

I am glad people are thinking about waste issues. I wish more people would. The way these companies package our food is rediculous and should not be supported. In my opinion it should be outlawed. I think companies that use plastics in their packaging should have to pay for recycling programs and should be taxed if the packaging is not recyclable. Oh man, this turned into quite the rant.

I support dumpster diving. But sure, use common sense, if you can ask for the stuff before it goes in the trash, of course it is better that way. And leave the syrupy stanky bins for the rats, roaches, and bacteria, they need to eat too.

Peace

Dave

Yea, some bakeries will hand it over if you ask at the end of the day, some will put it in a bag and throw it out front instead of in a dumpster.

When I worked at the soup kitchen, the "just-expired" produce was actually just expired from the sell-by date, not the consume by date. Which means the food's still perfectly good, lots of times we'd just sit down and eat with the homeless, hell we cooked the food, at least we know it's good unlike some restaurants.

GQ, more power to ya and all the others who actually think about how much we waste in the US. As for standards in cleanliness and food service standards, I think a few of you need to take your bikes on a little trip south of the border for a few months, then come back and tell me what is 'gross' and what you can live with. Also, you'll have (or should have) a different outlook on what and how you consume, yourself.


That's exactly what I'm doing this april, I'm going to Nicaragua. My high school owns and feeds 1500 kids a day in school cafeterias we built. We also moved a large village to a plot of healthy land with proper bathrooms and water supply. This will be my first time going but the club(Students For 60,000) has been going for about 10 years. In the country, we help build houses, teach kids, build wells and do other helpful things.

The saddest part is that most of the central countries are poor because of the US.

Have you ever been to Nicaragua?


-Dave

When I used to work on afternoon shift me and some guys from work would go to a coffee/donut shop after work. One night at 3:00am we get there and the fellow behind the counter is taking all the trays of donuts and pasteries and throwing them in a garbage bag. My friend asked him what he was doing and he told us that he was throwing them in the dumpster. So my friend asked him if he could take some home to use in his lunches. But the guy wouldn't give them to us, he said he had to throw them out. Then he proceeded to sell us some that he hadn't thrown out yet, after he sold us some he threw them in the bag with all the rest. This really made me mad, cause they were obviously good enough for us to pay for them, but he wouldn't give them away, instead he threw them in the dumpster.

That's exactly what I'm doing this april, I'm going to Nicaragua. My high school owns and feeds 1500 kids a day in school cafeterias we built. We also moved a large village to a plot of healthy land with proper bathrooms and water supply. This will be my first time going but the club(Students For 60,000) has been going for about 10 years. In the country, we help build houses, teach kids, build wells and do other helpful things.

The saddest part is that most of the central countries are poor because of the US.

Have you ever been to Nicaragua?


-Dave Please explain why Nicaragua is poor Because of the united states? And this had better be good because, I do not think you have a leg to stand on.

http://www.americas.org/News/Features/199902_Hurricane_Mitch/EconomicRoots.htm

Skip the speedo can pick up yourself a nifty nabber (http://shop.store.yahoo.com/easonr/niftynabber.html). Dive clean. ;)

I work in a pizza joint. We don't throw out food-we're all poor college students. However, we have adopted a homeless man. He gets a free medium pizza a day, and all the free Dr. Pepper he wants.

I don't dumpster dive, but have considered it. I do support it, though. Unfortunately, I'm afraid of the bacteria inside the dumpster. My bf and I once saw hundreds of raw chickens inside the dumpster in garbage bags at the local supermarket. We thought about taking them, but I'm already paranoid of e-coli, and I didn't know how long they had been there.

"Yea, some bakeries will hand it over if you ask at the end of the day, some will put it in a bag and throw it out front instead of in a dumpster."

Yeah I used to study at this coffee shop in Davis and the shop officially closed at like 10p but they'd have to clean up so they'd let you stay until 11p. WELL....at 10p they'd give away all of the muffins, croissants, breads etc to the customers.....it was THE only reason i studied there and it therefore might have improved my grades a bit. Studying=free food. Thats a good trade for a college student.

jeremyb

As a college student, I also learned to go to every conference, career fair, luncheon, exhibition, club meeting that I could go to for freebies.

People go hungry every night and these jack asses are throwing food out. Stuff like that mad. Although i have to admit im not ready to take a dive for food. pehaps you could persaude the manager to let you pick through things before they trash them.

I used to work in a supermarket during college and you would be surprised at all the food that is thrown out! We were not not a large store by any means but we threw out CARRIAGES full of food every week. I remember throwing out 6 carriages full of bread into the dumpster. A bus pulled up and saw what I was doing and just parked there as I dumped dozens of loafs of bread into a dumpster. If I tried to put this food to aside, it would have ment my job. I can just imagine what some of these super-centers throw out every week! The tons of food thrown out in this country is insane. I remember homeless people used to go into our dumpsters every night looking for food. Very sad.

All dented cans and halfway opened packages in a supermarket MUST be thrown out. A supermarket generates a carriage full of dented cans EVERY WEEK! All produce that began to go bad MUST be thrown out or it will spoil the rest. All meat and diary that go beyond the date of sale must be thrown out or flushed.

It's against the law to sell this food and any store manager puts his job on the line if a customer becomes ill and decides to sue the supermarket. Furthermore, our insurance company would not cover us if we gave it to some charitable organization.

The cafeteria where I work today prepares dishes that are being served displayed in the open. I asked a worker what happens to these dishes at the end of the day? He told me they throw them all out! I was amazed! He then looked amazed at me and said all the food that is left over was thrown out too! Folks This place serves several thousand people a day and there is plenty of food from breakfast and luch left over! The whole situation is insane.

http://www.secondharvest.org/site_content.asp?s=7

this organization has the right idea

I got my bike, a Columbia Commuter, out of a dumpster. Does that count? ;)

All of you guys have your hearts in the right places. I have been dumpster diving ever since gqsmoothie showed me a grocery store dumpster full of bananas with only a few brown spots on them, back in August. You will be amazed by both the quantity of things you will find in a grocery store dumpster and the variety. During the summer months, I was concerned about taking any meat since warm temperatures can easily lead to rapid spoiling. Now that it is getting colder outside, I am taking home much more quality meats that the grocery stores are always discarding for dumb reasons like sell-by dates, convenience, and any imperfections in the cut of meat. Although some grocery stores are smart enough to donate this food to food banks and other charitable organizations, most simply toss it into the dumpster or compactor - very wasteful indeed! The main reason why I dumpster dive for food is because of my philosophical and moral beliefs, and NOT because of money issues! I strongly believe that way too much food is wasted by our society and ending up in landfills, when this food is still perfectly fit for consumption (based on my experiences thus far). If this food is sent to homeless shelters and foodbanks, hunger could very well be erradicated in this country, but we must start acting now! Please help spread the word and recover good, edible food when possible. (David)

Well, I'll pay a little extra for hygiene insurance, myself. Still, I understand the indignation over the staggering amount of decent food that gets tossed every day. <p>

I once worked in a supermarket. A major chain. The milk supplier in our area was the same for each major chain. The labels on the jugs were the only things that varied. <p>

One morning a truck driver accidentally left a tall pallet of milk at our market that was meant for a competitor chain. <p>

The manager put a checker on duty, for a full shift that day, doing nothing but pouring each and every perfectly good container of milk into the sink. Wow.

Germs are a myth. If I can't see 'em, they don't exist. At least until some poor woman marries me and makes me change my mind.

Two weeks ago I walked by a garbage can with a pizza box on top of it. My roommate flipped open the lid and there was half a supreme pizza in it. We ate it. It was glorious.

Free pizza. Woot.

My girlfriend works at the food co-op next to my house. All the stuff that would probably get thrown out at most places is held for employees to get there. I end up getting a fair share, too, and I'm really surprised by the stuff. Great bread, tons of produce, cans with little dents... I'm all for it.

There is a lot of dumpster diving in Seattle, much restaurant & bakery food is tossed in bags or boxes. I used to walk to work from the ferry dock & my back alley route took me past the "a la Francais" bakery dumpster. Always enjoyed seeing the street guys who were in the know walking past me munching on French pastry & breads. Also, some of that supermarket & restaurant throw away food is not wasted. One of our attorneys has a pig farm in Elma & he cut a deal for all the throw away food from a local supermarket & several restaurants.

A while back my GF worked for an Organic Coffee company, doing delivery/sales to grocery stores and restaurants. Each day she would come home with breads, cookies, produce(mostly fruits), and tons of other stuff that was "thrown away" by the local organic type groceries. Apparently, all of the produce and breads would get chucked into seperate "dumpsters" then say ordinary trash, or simply left on the loading dock for employees/others to just take home. Most of the stuff would be expiring date of that day or the next, or just 1 bruised orange in a bag of 12.
It's ridiculas that this much food gets wasted...especially from a "green" grocery store...for me, it's a perfect example of American Corporate wastefullness of our enviornment, economy, and well being. C'mon corporations...give this stuff away to the hungry!

it would probably be easier to have a talk with the manager and ask him if you may have all the soon to expire/expired food.

The waste is incredible. I used to work at a high volume buffet style restaurant. ANYTHING that was set out on the buffet line had to be tossed. At least mgmt let employees take home "to go" boxes ... but I know there were some issues cause they thought the cooks would purposely prepare more food late in the shift so staff could take stuff home.

Food is not the only thing wasted in this country. A couple of summers ago, the local Home Depot moved to a larger store a few miles away. So for the next several months the old Home Depot had a moving sale. Finally at the end, whatever they didn't sell and deemed "not worth taking to the new store" was tossed out. HD employees were tossing out full-on brand new loads of lumber, carpets, doors, hardware, insulation, etc. They were throwing them out in shipping containers so it gave the impression that they were loading them to move. But I watched how they were doing this so hap-hazardly so asked an employee their intentions and when he said they're being loaded to take to the dump, I asked if I can take some. Even though he gave the standard "sorry but it's a liability issue" story, he gave me the wink-wink and said, "But who's going to stop you once we leave?" So after they left, hubby and I came along with our truck and got free lumber and hardware. We completely filled our half-ton truck! A man stopped and asked what we were doing (I think he thought we were stealing). I told him the story and he climbed in and helped himself. Then word spread and people were in the shipping container like flies on horse manure.

Weeks later at the new Home Depot, I saw the employee who gave me the tip about coming back once they left and thanked him. He said that he intentionally scheduled for the dumpster pick-up to occur several days after being loaded figuring that the dumpster divers would be there in no time. He thought it wasteful by just throwing it all away and thanked me for getting the chain started. :)

Weeks later at the new Home Depot, I saw the employee who gave me the tip about coming back once they left and thanked him. He said that he intentionally scheduled for the dumpster pick-up to occur several days after being loaded figuring that the dumpster divers would be there in no time.

Although corporations will usually frown on this circuitous way to avoid waste, this employee was obviously doing the right thing. Imagine how many hungry people could be fed with food overages if liability was not a concern. Maybe restaurants and supermarkets could post a standard waiver of liability on food dumpsters that contain items just past their prime.

Food is not the only thing wasted in this country. A couple of summers ago, the local Home Depot moved to a larger store a few miles away. So for the next several months the old Home Depot had a moving sale. Finally at the end, whatever they didn't sell and deemed "not worth taking to the new store" was tossed out. HD employees were tossing out full-on brand new loads of lumber, carpets, doors, hardware, insulation, etc. They were throwing them out in shipping containers so it gave the impression that they were loading them to move. But I watched how they were doing this so hap-hazardly so asked an employee their intentions and when he said they're being loaded to take to the dump, I asked if I can take some. Even though he gave the standard "sorry but it's a liability issue" story, he gave me the wink-wink and said, "But who's going to stop you once we leave?" So after they left, hubby and I came along with our truck and got free lumber and hardware. We completely filled our half-ton truck! A man stopped and asked what we were doing (I think he thought we were stealing). I told him the story and he climbed in and helped himself. Then word spread and people were in the shipping container like flies on horse manure.

Weeks later at the new Home Depot, I saw the employee who gave me the tip about coming back once they left and thanked him. He said that he intentionally scheduled for the dumpster pick-up to occur several days after being loaded figuring that the dumpster divers would be there in no time. He thought it wasteful by just throwing it all away and thanked me for getting the chain started. :)


That's tha sh1t. :)

I love dumpster diving for stuff.

I still will never forget one of my best finds. I was dumpster diving behind a KMart not too far from my house and found a playstation. I already owned one, so I nabbed it anyway. I took it home, plugged it in, and it worked with NO ISSUES! I wound up giving it to one of my friends. It's still working today! :)

-Matt

Did you find a bottle of Kaopectate in that same dumpster? It might come in handy if you keep diving!

The waste is incredible. I used to work at a high volume buffet style restaurant. ANYTHING that was set out on the buffet line had to be tossed. At least mgmt let employees take home "to go" boxes ... but I know there were some issues cause they thought the cooks would purposely prepare more food late in the shift so staff could take stuff home.

My wife works in the deli of a large chain store and they have lots of rules about waste disposal that are designed to keep employees from intentionally "misplacing" stuff until the expiration date for the benefit of them or their dumpster diving friends.