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dumpster diving/ freeganism?
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29-12-2010 3:11am#1
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Hey rosebud, nice thread topic!
I wouldn't be prepared to take unspoiled food (even if it is still in it's packaging) from a bin outside a supermarket or from a neighbour in order to save money. Pride I guess. I always make sure I've good food in my house and I love shopping in the English Market or M&S when I can.
I've always liked the idea of a community garden for growing your own veg though, I don't think there is one in Cork?
Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't dumpster diving more prevalent in the US? I don't know a single person who is into dumpster diving in Ireland. Sure I know of a few people who have taken perfectly good furniture from a neighbour's skip (with their permission) if they've been doing up their home or something but never food....
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TBF isn't freeganism more a choice of lifestyle in order to benefit and better the environment and themselves etc (in their opinion) as opposed to a post-apocalyptic dog-eat-dog way of life? Like whatever about dumpster diving but isn't freeganism itself more about anti-consumerism and community?
Again, I do like the idea of a cummunity garden, cheers for the link rosebud! But I'd never route through the contents of a Dunnes skip no matter how protected and nutritious and plain old yummy the food is!
I won't even share the same spoon with my OH for a cup of tea nor would I eat something from my own fridge if the sell by or use by date was today.:o I'd definitely struggle with the Freegan lifestyle!
OP are you thinking of going this way or are you already doing so?0 -
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But I'd never route through the contents of a Dunnes skip no matter how protected and nutritious and plain old yummy the food is! I won't even share the same spoon with my OH for a cup of tea nor would I eat something from my own fridge if the sell by or use by date was today.:o I'd definitely struggle with the Freegan lifestyle!
Food is chucked by supermarkets when the sell by date is up, not the 'best before' or 'use by' which is the supposed time when the quality and safety of the food begins to deteriorate significantly. Even for BB or UB dates though there is a large safety factor built into the predictions, so that with the exception of raw meats, the stuff is still perfectly safe for quite a while longer after expiration. I lived with some very silly girls once who used to throw out perfectly firm and untainted fruit and veg, cheese etc just because the packet told them the date was up. I got fed up trying to talk sense into them in the end and just started getting them to give it all to me There really isn't that much reason to worry, the food companies need to apply these dates with a huge margin of safety to protect themselves from the very small chance that someone vulnerable could contract something and they could get a law suit thrown at them. 0 -
Food is chucked by supermarkets when the sell by date is up, not the 'best before' or 'use by' which is the supposed time when the quality and safety of the food begins to deteriorate significantly. Even for BB or UB dates though there is a large safety factor built into the predictions, so that with the exception of raw meats, the stuff is still perfectly safe for quite a while longer after expiration. I lived with some very silly girls once who used to throw out perfectly firm and untainted fruit and veg, cheese etc just because the packet told them the date was up. I got fed up trying to talk sense into them in the end and just started getting them to give it all to me There really isn't that much reason to worry, the food companies need to apply these dates with a huge margin of safety to protect themselves from the very small chance that someone vulnerable could contract something and they could get a law suit thrown at them.
I absolutely understand the differences between sell by and use by but I just have it in my head and as you said it is very silly. I just know the dumpster diving for food is not something I'd do. Call it a snobby pride thing; you'd be right which is unfortunate for my character.
However, I'd be on the same wavelenght as you regarding furniture in skips when someone is redecorating or something. We used to do this in the past on asking whoever owned the skip for permission.
It was interesting to read what you wrote about your friend who set up the homeless feeding centre. I guess it is a waste to see the food going in the bin and this would be a far greater output; I don't understand why shelters and other such organisations don't do this to be honest!
EDIT: Sapsorrow, you said you used to do this in Galway, could I ask you why you stopped? You don't have to answer that question if it's personal or whatever. - Never mind, I just reread your post and realised you stopped because the supermarkets dyed the foods. Sorry! 
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RoverJames wrote: »Don't be so hard on yourself, grub from a skip, never please (fingers and toes crossed it never comes to that)
Sad part is that restaurants & hotels could feed bus loads of people with the waste they generate, but is has all to be destroyed under the various rule & regs. A shame.0 -
+1 to your comment gbee.
On another note, I just googled "dumpster diving legality" and went to click on this link - http://www.emoware.org/dumpster-diving/dumpster-diving-laws.asp - and it was blocked as "pornography"!!!:eek: What's worse was it was in gigantic, bold, capital letters so everyone could see. :pac: 0 -
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+1 to your comment gbee.
On another note, I just googled "dumpster diving legality" and went to click on this link - http://www.emoware.org/dumpster-diving/dumpster-diving-laws.asp - and it was blocked as "pornography"!!!:eek: What's worse was it was in gigantic, bold, capital letters so everyone could see. :pac:
No porn there :mad:
Dumpster Diving Laws
by design this page is still under construction, and shall remain so indefinately. this is the nature of the world we live in, with it's abstract borders, segregation and bureaucracy, there is no way anyone could provide a comprehensive list of your rights as a dumspter diver. however, we still endeavor to produce the best legal guide we can, and for this we need your help. if you know the various laws that affect dumpster diving in your country/state then please email us so we can include them here (ideally in both the regional language and english if possible). it would be nice to not rely so heavily on the (rather poor) wiki section for this page.
also i'd like to point out that none of us, nor anyone we know, has ever had any trouble whilst dumpster diving, nevermind legal trouble. infact, the only case we've heard of was two americans being erroneously sentenced for six months, but they were let out after ten days because the whole case was bull****. most likely, if you run into a cop in a dark alley, that you've taken food from someone's dumpster will be the least of your worries.
the laws you need to worry about are those relating to trespassing, as the only laws that specifically refer to dumpster diving are concerned primarily with identity theft. i will personally come and bust you out of jail if you are sentenced for stealing out-of-date food (but not if you also jumped a fence, cut a padlock and set fire to a trash compactor), and that's almost a promise.
USA (from wikipedia)
Because dumpsters are usually located on private premises, dumpster diving is illegal in some parts of the United States, though the law is enforced with varying degrees of rigor. The California v. Greenwood case in the U.S. Supreme Court held that there is no common law expectation of privacy for discarded materials. Dumpster diving per se is probably legal when not specifically prohibited by state or local law.
Canada (from wikipedia)
In Canada, The Trespass to Property Act - legislation dating back to the British North America Act of 1867 - grants property owners and security guards the power to ban anyone from the premises, for any reason, forever. The catch is, they have to actually ask you to leave - serve you with a notice prohibiting entry - then you have to return for it to be trespassing. And ever since a cop dug through a curbside trash can, looking for a ditched weapon used in a holdup, and the judge ruled that he needed no search warrant to do so, Canada's garbage has become fair game.
UK (from various wikipedia pages)
In the United Kingdom, while dumpster diving in England and Wales may qualify as theft within the Theft Act 1968 or as common-law theft in Scotland, there is very little enforcement in practice (see below). In England and Wales, despite the prevalence of notices asserting that "trespassers will be prosecuted", unless the trespass is aggravated in some way, it will only be a civil wrong (unless you're on Ministry of Defence property, in which case it's a criminal offence, but only a complete fool would try dumpster diving the MoD)
However, police work on some sort of (ridiculous) points system, where arresting and prosecuting a dumpster diver for theft is worth just as much as apprehending a murderer, as one woman found out when salvaging a set of plastic garden chairs (police were called after she refused to return the chairs to the dumpster, then after refusing a caution she was arrested, photographed, DNA'd and fingerprinted, bailed four times, and asked to take part in an identity parade, with a potential charge under section 1 of the above mentioned Theft Act).
Italy (from wikipedia)
In Italy, a law issued in 2000 declared dumpster diving to be legal. (er, citation somewhat needed)
Sweden (from wikipedia)
In Sweden, the contents of a dumpster is the property of the owner of the dumpster so taking items from a dumpster is technically theft.
but remember, when it comes down to it the only rule that matters is the golden rule. would you mind someone going through your trash and making good with whatever useful stuff they found? of course you wouldn't, and even better it would negate your guilt for throwing away something useful to begin with (maybe that's why people get so uppity).
that isn't to say we condone breaking inexplicably stupid laws.. aw shucks, of course it does.0 -
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To be honest, I often thought about it. Not because I cant afford food or I'm poor, just for the fact that its such a waste to throw it away.
For example: I have a horse and it wouldnt mind at all if the bananas are brown.
Stuff like that.
If anyone has any tipps regarding this, pleas PM me 0 -
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To be honest, I often thought about it. Not because I cant afford food or I'm poor, just for the fact that its such a waste to throw it away.
For example: I have a horse and it wouldnt mind at all if the bananas are brown.
Stuff like that.
If anyone has any tipps regarding this, pleas PM me
and if you ever need to get rid of the horse, i'll have the barbie fired up for a few burgers
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