Poor fag here anons, but I love to cook and eat healthy. Obviously food costs money so I dumpster dive and buy the remaining things I want. The places I dive usually have compost programs (some not) so all the produce is in smaller bins for pickup and is picked up very frequently so nothing is rotten. A lot of Food either is ugly or has a small bruise. It is easy to cut it out and not feel bad about cutting off half an apple and tossing the rest. Today I had a good produce score, sometimes canned/dried goods. Have found LOADS of stuff in the past, pretty much everything you can think of. Been doing it for past two years, eating like a king and barely paying for anything. Feels good buying meat and not worrying so much about the price.
Bananas from today. there were at least 5x this in the bins
5 avocadoes, a lemon and some onions. Sounds like I'm going to make some guac. Avocadoes were all pretty soft/mushy, but surprisingly they were all nice and green on the inside!
lemon had a bad spot on the other end. cut off 1/3 of it but the rest was still cash
makin dattt guacccccccccc
>>7531722
>>7531724
>>7531730
>>7531739
>>7531744
good on you but I couldn't handle the social toll put on me if anyone learned I dumpster dived for food.
>>7531722
Do you do this at night after the store has closed? What happens if they catch you? I would try it if I could. All the supermarkets out here have locked fences around their dumpsters most of the time.
I just don't understand why they just can't give this to a homeless shelter or someone on the down low that runs one. I know, regulations or whatever. Still it's just So wasteful. I would try to figure out a way to help someone out instead of just tossing stuff in the trash.
>>7531806
If people wouldn't try to use businesses over getting "sick" it would happen
Sorry for the delay. some people came over. they are leaving soon. salt pepper ground cayanne garlic powder and mix
>>7531781
Yes, it can be hard to get over. I still keep it very secret. Very few people I know have learned about it. Most are stoked to learn the hordes of granola bars and candy i give them i didnt buy haha
>>7531787
Most stores arent good. Lots of compactors, locked shit. gotta keep looking. some days the best score places have nothing all week. one day they have everything. generally at night, sometimes right after a store closes they take it all out and then lock up. Sometimes day time. I try not to be seen so that they don't stop doing it. Have been caught twice, have had interactions with other divers a few times. can tell if people are curious
>>7531890
Yep. even taking from garbage businesses are weary of this. I cant imagine a court would take that case though but who knows. personally i wouldnt sue.
I don't do this for social justice. Im just broke because I don't work as much as i should and spent the past 10 months travelling on the road/rock climbing 5 days a week. good life dudes
>pic - some times the veg has a soft spot that you cut out. honestly, often enough they are perfect veg that the company is getting more of so they toss the old (some companies are really wasteful, generally places with high volume will do this, i.e big store on busy street corner with large bus station nearby/highway too
>>7531722
I would be making fruit loaves and banana bread on an industrial scale if there were any dumpster dive-able places near me
>>7531939
at one point we had SO MUCH that i bought a dehydrator. Made BOXES AND BOXES of dried fruit. lived off it while travelling. so many apples, and EVERYTHING mangoes, peaches, rasins, more more more. some times pre slice mixes of veg and freeze for easy fast stir fry
dehydrated sour plums were fucking boooom
>pic today- 5 canteloups, these two were ripe so i cut em all up. one had a bad spot so i cut it alllllll away
bad parts cut out of these two loupes. they are perfectly ripe and very sweet :)
loupes for now. three more ripening for later :)
All produce gets washed reallllllllllll well. dried and put away in the fridge. Some items are a little too bad so i just throw em away. ones that have a bad spot i just cut up now for a quick fruit salad tossing away anything that is remotely bad
>>7531963
Hows dat guac?
Forgot about the two heads of iceberg, and green cabbage head/purple cabbage head. Also, didnt include the stuff that doesnt need to be washed really like oranges, clementines, onions and kiwis. Also, found a box of dry spaghetti and a spaghetti squash. maybe dinner tomorrow.
>>7531966
Absolutely great. Found these english muffins yesterday. Had over medium eggs (purchased ~ 23cents an egg x4) guac (free) red pepper (free) and cheese (purchased on sale, probably 50c worth of cheese) good lunch for less than $1.50...
>>7531967
I just don't get why this produce was tossed into the dump. Nothing in your pics even looks remotely spoiled or heavily bruised.
Good on you for finding a use for it tho. I would too if I could find a food treasure dumpster. Dang, lucky bastard.
Well thats all for now anons....
Will check and answer any questions. Maybe post another thread some time with more dumpster dinners. Maybe i should make some blog or crap. fuck it.
>pic was the haul from a few weeks before. good stuff.
Haul (nopic) from a few days before was About 200$ worth of dry foods. Lots of nuts (cashews/walnuts) and sunflower seeds. Candy, chocolate, canned goods, marshmellows, granola bars...
>>7531980
I know right. You'd be surprised what you can find. It takes checking and checking and checking over and over again everywhere. Seriously, some of my best places can have nothing for a month and then I'll hit a jackpot. you gotta keep checking man. everywhere everytime. Lately i had a bad streek of a month with nothing. then BANG the past weeks have been amazing.
Some stores will toss out cartons of eggs when there is one broken one in the pack. hahah. or damaged labels- BOOM free nut butters.
>>7531980
also, this pic was after tossing out maybe 6 or 7 items... most of these apples and stuff have a small bruise or something on them. easy to cut out.
>>7531890
There is a law that specifically immunizes companies that donate food from suits for this.
>>7532043
I thought about making a non-profit company doing this, but in reality i care less about the social justice aspect and more about just wanting to eat really well myself without having to pay for everything. That way I can save to travel, save while travelling, or buy some more expensive items and not feel guilty about it at all... you know cause like my whole salad is free, why not splurge a bit on some nice feta and olives?
>>7531806
This or at least or give the employees what they want out of it. I could never be an employee and throw this stuff away. I'd take everything that was still
Good enough to eat, keep some for myself and give away the rest.
>>7532075
I've thought about this, but it opens up an avenue for some system abuse. Would be easy to classify stuff as unsellable if you get to take it home. From a 'corporate view' im sure this would open up more shit than benefit. Lots is definitely good enough to eat! I've given away countless stuff to friends and family. Oh it was on sale or someone else gave me too much or something. hah
where ya from? cant do that shit ehre...
>>7532176
From Canada. Have had success in the east, and in the west. Alberta and mountain towns tend to be hard because they are bearsafe. Also, USA is a GOLDMINE (only been to east from NY to TN
>tfw all the stores in your shitty little town have nothing but produce worse than the stuff you dug out of a dumpster still out for sale
>>7531980
People wont buy a bruised apple if there are plenty of better ones next to it.
The store cant just cut out a chunk like OP is doing and expect someone to buy it then either, and setting up a free sample thing takes time and effort.
Its easier to donate to homeless shelters or have someone toss it out.
>>7532241
this. Stores with high standards and high traffic through the store are therefore best candidates for finding food.
Sometimes small stores are good too! its really variable.
>>7531724
Good for you dumpster kangz, but it makes me wonder how much perfectly good food idiots throw out ever year. Like are they afraid of a little bit of brown on their banana peels?
>>7531722
hey are those gather bags? Baltimore?
This is illegal in the UK and we have CCTV everywhere :(
>>7531781
Would be a good occasion to overcome judgment. We trash dive for good reasons, we'd be dumb to be ashamed for this, and people would be dumb to shame for this. It's a good occasion to know which people are not worth it.
You're living the dream OP.
>>7531975
Good job nigga.
>>7532352
>ant just cut out a chunk like OP is doing and ex
millions and millions. Staying with my wife's sister right now and she wont eat an apple if it has a bruise on one side. Loads more. any brown spot on a bannana...etc. too funny, whatever I'll eat it lol
>>7532353
no, IKEA
>>7532372
Brutal man. would still try, get some pantyhose over your face. Someone going to call the cops? I'm sure a cop would laugh his ass off or at worst tell you you're tresspassing or something and have to leave. Ok, sir, have a good day!
>>7532390
The dumpster dream lads. eating like a king and spending pretty much nothing when the finds are good. I've had wayyyyyyy better scores too. Sometimes so many chinese eggplants that I pickled 20 mason jars. dehydrated soo much last year and lived off it. One time i found 10 frozen pizzas. put 5 in the freezer and cooked the other 5 for work lunches that week.
>>7532399
Thanks anon, get out there and find some eats
>>7531781
Just pass it off as hipster shenanigans or political idealism.
Don't reveal your powerlevel. Ever. It's the most basic of rules when dealing with normals.
>>7532511
Yea man, I figure a dehydrator would be a dumpster divers best friend and what not. If you scored big, like a bunch of the same fruit and no way to consume it all before it rots, dehydrate and enjoy for months.
>>7532521
Has been amazing. Dehydrated everything. Papaya, canteloupe, SOOOO many apples and rasins. the home dehydrated stuff is wayyy better than any store bought, especially rasins. My grandmother had an apple spinner/slicing thing that she didnt use so when we lived nearby we used that. made everything so fast.
>>7532372
They further you go up North the easier it is, my sister lives in Leeds and barely has to buy a thing.
>>7532521
>>7532542
Here's my dumpster dived dehydrated fruit.
Trader joes and aldis have the worst dumpsters real talk
>>7532610
Nice stash! i'd say at my prime I had maybe 4-5x that. lived off it for like 10 months :D. also no bannanas. i got sick of dehydrated bananna so fast which is a shame because you find so many. and just can't eat them fast enough or do anything with them. 2 many
>>7531937
>have had interactions with other divers a few times. can tell if people are curious
go on, faggot..
>>7531722
How and where do I start. Dont most grocery stores have compactors? NJ here.
QUALITY THREAD OP
Do you get dumpster juice all over you? How do you keep it from getting all over your car, do you change your clothes when you get in the car?
>>7532650
Nothing too interesting... really
One time i was going through some bins and a lady came out and started bitching at me saying she was the manager. that i was stealing, and I could get real sick. i said ok and took my stuff and left. Another time an employee said you gotta leave man
One time a security officer at a mall rolled up and asked if I worked there. I said no. he said you gotta go man.
Another dumpster bro rolled up one time and asked if I found anything good. I said theres lots bro dig in. He offered me his little flashlight.
One time I came up on a dude diving and asked how his search was going. he said pretty good and offered me some of his taco kits he found. He asked that I don't steal the cases of coke that he was stashing behind somewhere because he was on a bike and coming back. left it for him, and took a bunch of cans/dried pasta.
>>7532653
Most do. but some that do have a compost program in place. you gotta just look around and check whenever you're out. most of the time you'll find nothing. sometimes you'll hit the jackpot
>>7532677
Some dumpsters are pretty slompy, some are clean. Lately I've been finding smaller bins that dont require me to jump right in. Sometimes you gotta though! ideally you don't wear nice clothes when heading out. when travelling i keep baby wipes with me to clean up a bit. Places that have compost programs usually have a smaller dumpster for food, or many of those home sized bins
>>7532683
suicide? I have a biochemistry degree lol, you'll be fine. Wash it up and don't eat things that are clearly moldy. Bruises are actually mostly OK to eat unless they become moldly. Really there is nothing to worry about and when its bad you can tell via smell or a small taste. Look at the pics i posted, 99% of that is barely bruised.
My upbringing tells me it is risky and embarrassing to dumpster dive, but my love for food just wants to give you props for getting good meals out of all this stuff that would have gone to waste.
Here in Denmark, a lot of recent initiatives, along with loosened regulations on the sale of unmarked produce and foods marked with "best before" or "sell by" dates, have led to more organised ways of reducing food waste, especially in supermarkets.
A particularly great initiative is the service TooGoodToGo, which allows users to pay a small fee to collect boxes of leftovers from buffet restaurants and bakeries at closing time. It's quite a new website/app, but it's already spreading to several other parts of northern Europe.
>>7532650
I peeked in a Cash & Carry compost dumpster and there was a rough looking homeless guy sitting in there eating from a big tub of mascarpone cheese using his dirty fingers like a spoon. I couldn't believe it.
Hi, I'm also into dumpstering. We go twice a week after the stores are closed. The thing is, our supermarkets get their own rooms for dumpsters.
You can buy a key get into the room. Been doing it for a year now and I haven't spent much money on food anymore.
I love it. There is also a suspense of not knowing what will be in the next dumpster.
We also take pics after each "raid"
>>7532762
risky, yes but not too much. embarassing- definitely. I don't tell many people if any. some of my family knows, most do not. Definitely wouldn't want everyone knowing, but if they did its not crazy bad. Im getting free food and able to live off next to nothing so i can go hike all week or do stuff i enjoy. It can be time consuming though finding stuff and then processing it all.
I like how places are moving towards reducing food waste, but at the same time dislike it because I enjoy getting food for free. I generally don't share this with people because more people= more competition and then companies making it harder to get at that sweet sweet food booty.
>>7532769
Not me, but yeah I believe it. there is food and people are hungry man.
On another note. usually LOADSSSSSSSS of bread.
>>7532774
Buy a key eh, I wonder how liability works with them knowingly giving you access to it?!
Nice looking haul, fresh basil pestoooooo boiiii
Its great and fun sometimes. You never know what you will find, and when you score you gotta put the pieces together and see what you can make. like today, those avocadoes lemon and onion = guac time
You are an amazing human being.
>>7531724
Bruh, banaynays are cheap af in the first place.
>>7532776
Yeah all the structured improvement is definitely making it harder for dumpster divers here. The few people who have told me they do it have basically stopped now.
Still, I'm very content with being able to reliably fill a box from a buffet across the street with meat and veg to use in almost free stews and curries.
>>7532782
It works here, because those rooms are city property and free access for those who have a key.
One of our best findings was a case of Pale Ale PLUS a fucking steak.
Most people are skeptical when I tell them what we do. Until I show them the pics.
My uncle's dad used to drive to the city's wholesale food market almost every day for free stuff just like OP and come back with a shitload of boxes and boxes of produce, then give us almost half of what he got.
The thing is, the people selling would just put all old and stained/ bruised produce on a side stand and give it away to people in need or farmers looking to feed their animals/ make compost. He said pretty much no one directly discarded their food there.
At first my family felt it was almost like eating from the garbage, until we realized over time just how much fucking good food goes to waste. We, a family of 5 grown ass people, literally ate for days for free as if we were paying big money.
>>7532683
fuckoff, tripfag.
>>7531781
Not any worse then finding out you post here. Get over yourself man
>>7532774
>You can buy a key get into the room
how does this work? is it legal? what do you mean by 'room'? where do you live?
well yeah op thats quite impressive. but quite exhausting too i presume. at least thats what i remember when i tried it in france.
now im living back in my 3rd world latam country and the abundance and quality of fruits and vegs here impresses me. just got all this for the equivalent of 8 euros, a bit more than 9 dollars, and it took me 10 minutes to go to the store and come back.
i know all the civilized aspect of life here sucks, but if you dont give a damn about that and just wanna live by yourself doing your own shit ignoring neighbors, this place is great to live cheap and eat good, healthy and easy.
>>7532843
>chocolate bars
>999999999999kcal in picture
hello fatty
>>7532637
You can freeze bananas and they keep just fine.
Pretty awesome thread man.
I'll be honest I toss produce that have blemishes and buy ones that look perfect but given your situation I think I would be thankful for whatever
>>7532843
Are they all the Mars Bars with Plastic in them?
>>7532843
Wait a second, those products look like the stuff we have here in Germany. Where do you live, is it possible for me to start actually saving money?
>>7531730
Honestly, these look waay better than the ones i recently bought...
>>7534120
Not bad, but finding it for free is also nice :)
Exhausting definitely when you can't find anything and waste your time trying, Rewarding when you find, and then exhausting processing it all in one shot- washing, cutting, etc. but then you remember its all free and you saved 50$ or 100$ or 200$
>>7532971
Curious about this too
>>7534159
Yes, but you still usualy find them faster than you can eat them- at least for me. I eat so many sometimes I get sick from eating any more. Usually my freezer has a constant 10-20 bananas but never use because keep finding more
>>7534177
Brutal, yeah when I buy ill pick good ones like anyone else. but being able to save money on food and then take multiple month long vacations a year is pretty dope too
>>7534190
I was SUPER surprised too man. They were all amazing inside and SUPER squishy on the outside. must have gotten mangled and thrown out without time to rot. Feeling them I thought they'd be black inside.
Well thanks for reading anons, I think with this success I might post some more cooking stuff and finds. Its a fun challenge to cook with what's given to you rather than go out and have a choice. Sometimes you'll need to pick up a few items, but sometimes its all there.
>>7531925
They left as soon as you told them about all the great stuff you were gonna eat out of a dumpster?
>>7534733
Don't hate the player, hate the society that wastes and destroys millions of tons of good food every year while failing to provide for the needs of all.
>>7534187
Well judging by how the carrots say "Zuckerkarotte" and the potatoes say "Salatkartoffeln"... ja
