When I saw the headline for this article, I predictably cringed. I can hardly get through an episode of "Dirty Jobs" without almost gagging, so the idea of dumpster diving is far from appealing to me. While I don't expect I'll be taking it up soon, I did enjoy reading about some UGA students who are happy and successful dumpster divers (so successful, in fact, that most of them don't even have to buy food anymore). They find fresh and package-intact food that's often quite expensive and frequently organic. Most stores discard the food because it's past the display date but not the expiration date. One student says he eats much better now than he did before taking up this, er, hobby. Apparently there is a larger movement in support of dumpster diving as a way to reduce consumer waste ("freeganism").
There are certainly some health concerns that arise with this practice, and it does seem like ultimately there has to be a better way to procure this food from stores through actual partnerships (not foraging), but in the meantime it's still a quirky and novel idea to cut back on waste and spending. Good for these guys.
No comments:
Post a Comment