Becoming a Dumpster Diver
Well folks, I have some news. We've been eating dumpster food almost exclusively for 2 months now. Yes, that's right. We eat garbage. I know what you must be thinking. Images of people's nasty trash displayed on our dinner plates. I know you have to be thinking this because I had these thoughts when I first heard of dumpster diving; however, I quickly found my preconceived notions to be completely inaccurate.
I wish I could pinpoint the exact moment we made the transition from grocery shoppers to dumpster divers, but really there was a series of events leading up to the moment.
First of all, when I see something I don't like in the world, I evaluate what I can do help. If one of those options seems legitimately doable, I do it. For example, when I see a video on food waste, I either get in the dumpster or move on. This trait paired with buying our first home, getting married, and generally asking ourselves how we could save money, ultimately led to us peering in our first dumpster.
How to Dumpster Dive
If you're wondering how to dumpster dive, or maybe you're thinking it's complicated or scary, it's really quite simple:
Open any dumpster, look inside, if you see something you want, take it. It's legal almost everywhere, and store employees either ignore you or cheer you on.
Is Dumpster Diving Safe?
Our very first dumpster was the Dollar Tree. We found about a case full of peanut butter crackers and a dozen boxes of donuts. Upon closer inspection, the donuts were deemed inedible, which brings me to the food caution process: if a food looks good, smell it. If a food looks and smells good, taste it. If a food looks, smells, and tastes good, eat it. The donuts had white fuzz on them, so obviously we didn't eat them. Into the compost they went.
Dumpster Haul
Our second dumpster was for a local market, where we found a box full of squash and two other boxes of various veggies. That's when we knew we were onto something. I'll add that, about half of the contents of the boxes have been past prime, so we compost that portion. What's left is perfectly awesome edible food. Just remember, before you dive in, have a plan for compost.
Well folks, I have some news. We've been eating dumpster food almost exclusively for 2 months now. Yes, that's right. We eat garbage. I know what you must be thinking. Images of people's nasty trash displayed on our dinner plates. I know you have to be thinking this because I had these thoughts when I first heard of dumpster diving; however, I quickly found my preconceived notions to be completely inaccurate.
I wish I could pinpoint the exact moment we made the transition from grocery shoppers to dumpster divers, but really there was a series of events leading up to the moment.
First of all, when I see something I don't like in the world, I evaluate what I can do help. If one of those options seems legitimately doable, I do it. For example, when I see a video on food waste, I either get in the dumpster or move on. This trait paired with buying our first home, getting married, and generally asking ourselves how we could save money, ultimately led to us peering in our first dumpster.
How to Dumpster Dive
If you're wondering how to dumpster dive, or maybe you're thinking it's complicated or scary, it's really quite simple:
Open any dumpster, look inside, if you see something you want, take it. It's legal almost everywhere, and store employees either ignore you or cheer you on.
Is Dumpster Diving Safe?
Our very first dumpster was the Dollar Tree. We found about a case full of peanut butter crackers and a dozen boxes of donuts. Upon closer inspection, the donuts were deemed inedible, which brings me to the food caution process: if a food looks good, smell it. If a food looks and smells good, taste it. If a food looks, smells, and tastes good, eat it. The donuts had white fuzz on them, so obviously we didn't eat them. Into the compost they went.
Dumpster Haul
Our second dumpster was for a local market, where we found a box full of squash and two other boxes of various veggies. That's when we knew we were onto something. I'll add that, about half of the contents of the boxes have been past prime, so we compost that portion. What's left is perfectly awesome edible food. Just remember, before you dive in, have a plan for compost.
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| Dumpster Diving for Lemons |
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| Beautiful Dumpster Veggies |
Sealed dairy yoghurt lasts a long, long time. The best-by date is meaningless. It’s easy to see that it’s still good.
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