Sharing Society recently got a tip of a store that frequently throws away fresh (though not always ripe) produce that's not even spoiled. We came to investigate and rescue some unused produce in a dumpster looking similar to the one below.
Inside, now bear in mind this was just at a random day we checked after closing when they're likely to dump, there WAS definitely usable food in there. Luckily we know anyone in need of food but we did save a box full as you can see below.
In all we saved:
- Zucchini
- Can of cut sweet potatoes
- Fresh caesar salad lettuce kit
- Brussel Sprouts
- Red Potatoes
- Radishes
All good and safe to eat!
FYI
The can of sweet potatoes has a best by date in January 2019, therefore it had no business in the trash!
This is also an area where 60,000 people have been displaced by the October Northern California wildfires.
FYI
The can of sweet potatoes has a best by date in January 2019, therefore it had no business in the trash!
This is also an area where 60,000 people have been displaced by the October Northern California wildfires.
Sharing Society wants to End this kind of Waste
One of our major goals looking forward is to stop ridiculous waste like this and to use or recycle anything that one person or entity can't use by another person or entity that would love to use it. And these kind of consumers always exist. In fact our representative took this box home because he literally is planning to consume this previously nearly food.
Dive at your own risk
We don't know all the laws in all areas so we can't directly advocate all forms of dumpster diving but we promote all forms of recycling and ending waste.
For some tips on this tactic you can read Rob Greenfield's Guide to Dumpster Diving I found.
There is a whole community label about this kind of recycling called Freeganism, checkout some videos below:
General Freeganism YouTube Search
We can solve this problem
There has been numerous communities who have worked to stop this waste.
Maryland Man Makes Money on Food Waste while Feeding the Hungry
Hungry Harvest takes the less pleasant looking produce that's otherwise completely fine that is normally thrown away (infuriating, isn't it?) and puts them into a special fruit stand for customers who appreciate and like what he's doing (in this case, college students). For every $15 purchase they donates food to people in need.
SaveTheFood.com is encouraging people to realize what households in America really do (throw away 40% of food).
A store in Denmark (WeFood) is selling only expired food so that it doesn't go to waste. They say the country throws away 25% less food than it did just 5 years ago.
Our Advice:
Approach your local stores and ask them if you can take their otherwise wasted food or check their dumpsters if they would not give directly to you. And don't worry about "expiration dates" they're really just best buy dates as they state. Even the FDA says that expiration dates are simply an indication of optimum quality as deemed by the manufacturer.
Sharing Society's Future:
When our site and brand are developed we will help coordinate unused food pickups, drop-offs and giveaways. Like I said, this is one of our main goals. From farmers to stores to your kitchen window sill herb plants we want the resources used not abused and wasted!
It's lunch time, salad good to go!
