Taking a dip in a skip is a step some are taking to reduce food waste in Australia. Could the freegan lifestyle be Australia’s future in recycling?
Fishing your weekly groceries from a supermarket bin may sound out of the ordinary, but for dumpster-divers, it’s a contribution to Melbourne’s ‘war on waste’.
Every year, Australians throw away about 20 per cent of the food they buy. That’s the equivalent of one in every five bags of groceries ending in the bin.
Damon*, a 45-year old from Prahran, has been foraging in dumpsters since a former hippy housemate got him into the practice three years ago.
“It would be ridiculous to stop. Our house is full of food. And good stuff, like blocks of reggiano and dried figs,” he said.
The most common consumables Damon retrieves include bread, fruit, vegetables and canned goods.
While most supermarkets are taking steps to reduce waste, many products deemed unsuitable for consumption are disposed of, including damaged food packages or chilled products placed in unrefrigerated sections.
Coles has recently pledged to halve its food waste by 2020 and, along with ALDI Australia, donates much of its unpurchased product to charities like SecondBite and Foodbank.
Although supermarkets are trying to cut back on waste, some supermarkets are taking measures to stop dumpster-divers taking discarded product.
An ALDI spokesperson said bins are sometimes locked “to avoid vandalism or theft from occurring,” while Coles said it “certainly discourages people from trying to retrieve items” from bins for health and safety reasons.
Given Australia’s vague laws on claiming disposed of property, dumpster-diving remains a legal grey area.
“Someone got done for dumpster diving and I think they got a $300 fine…well so what, I get that in groceries in a week,” Damon commented.
As long as supermarkets dispose of edible goods, freegan-living will continue to step up Australia’s recycling game.
*For identity purposes, Damon’s surname has been withheld.
(Featured image: Skips outside a Coles in Brunswick West. Dumpster-divers are stepping up the fight against Melbourne’s ‘war on waste.’ Photo: Elizabeth Pillidge)
