Freegans / skipping

moneysaver-69

Hi everyone.

I have read a fair bit in the past about "dumpster dipping" as it's called in the US, or skipping this side of the pond, i.e. raiding bins at the back of supermarkets for perfectly good food. I like the principles of the freegans in general, including this.

I've not been in circumstances in the past to have the time to actually try this myself, but now I have. I would love to visit such bins and rescue food and even better, take it to a homeless shelter. There is one I have some connections with.

But I'm having real trouble finding any information on this. Are there any UK freegan groups? I have had a walk round the back of quite a few supermarkets, large and small, in and out of town, but drawn a complete blank. Most just have high walls, I assume the bins are behind there. Only one I could actually see the bin (a small spar) and this was one huge one with a big chain and padlock. Have the supermarkets clamped down on this? All info I can find on the net seems several years old. If it's because they don't throw out much now then I'm happy

Ken68

Probably illegal MS69. But the local homeless would know.

moneysaver-69

I tried reading up on the legalities and it seems a grey area. I certainly wouldn't want to go scaling walls or breaking locks as that's clearly damage to property / trespass. But it seems no one has ever been prosecuted for taking from a bin. It depends what info you read, but one said it was only illegal if you were personally gaining from it, which you're not if you're taking it to a hostel. I think it's something to do with whether you are benefiting personally from it. Anyway, that could be a whole other debate.

But I'd still like to know if supermarkets have cleaned up their act or if they are still wasting perfectly good food. If they are simply locking it away so no one can get it but still chucking it, shame on them.

I'm interested in freeganism in general though and would love to know if there are any freegans out there. Given this is an ethical forum I'd have thought there were plenty??

Ken68

The supermarkets probably pay lip service to the principal of helping the poor and homeless, but would guess that most out of date stuff gets dumped. Just had a thought, lots of digesters in this area, producing gas for the grid. So shops probably get paid .


http://www.biogas-info.co.uk/

crazybird2015

Is there anyone local in Bradford west yorkshire who is a freegan? X

crazybird2015

Is there anyone local in Bradford west yorkshire who is a freegan? X

Ken68

Found this: http://freegan.org.uk/


If it wasn't for growing own food, I think I would be a freegan.
And isn't foraging similar thing. Free Food.
Don't know where the idea of dating food comes from, probably pushed by the supermarkets initially.