dumpster diving, anyone?

**Maisiedotes** · 01-04-2012, 01:45 PM

wow thanks for the responses! I checked our local laws.. if the dumpster is on private property, it is illegal (isn't everything private property?) I made the trek over to stop and shop that night. Their dumpster is only accessible through a tunnel out the back of the store. I couldn't get in. *sigh* There were 3 other unsecured dumpsters in the same plaza... there are 3 more stores I am going to check out.

**nuisance26** · 01-04-2012, 01:49 PM

~Good for you for checking things out. It may take a while to find some good spots.

~

**butterflywatcher** · 01-04-2012, 02:46 PM

My mom just told me yesterday that a man was going through their garbage at the road for pickup. My dad happened to be throwing out some old things of his mother's who died tragically 25 years ago. They were just random pieces of junk, that were worthless really, but he was having a hard time even looking at them for all these years. Anyway, when he saw the man going through that box, he yelled at him to get off his property. The man then made some very crude gestures to my dad and cussed at him. Oh boy--the drama ensued! My dad got a baseball bat and threatened the guy. He eventually left and went on to the next neighbor's trash.

**tmjsquared** · 01-04-2012, 04:18 PM

Maisiedotes - did you dumpster dive last night? I would totally do that and will live through you vicariously! I may actually go try to find out what is done with all of the "waste" at my favorite grocery store here in Virginia. When I started juicing I asked them if I could buy any older organic produce they were getting to throw out and they said no. I saw the doc earlier this week. It was so interesting. I loved how they tried to donate a lot of the food to shelters, etc. It's such a waste to throw it all out.

**sabrelvssammy** · 01-04-2012, 04:42 PM

Originally Posted by tmjsquared

Maisiedotes - did you dumpster dive last night? I would totally do that and will live through you vicariously! I may actually go try to find out what is done with all of the "waste" at my favorite grocery store here in Virginia. When I started juicing I asked them if I could buy any older organic produce they were getting to throw out and they said no. I saw the doc earlier this week. It was so interesting. I loved how they tried to donate a lot of the food to shelters, etc. It's such a waste to throw it all out.

Maisie- Since the grocers have to be very careful with what comes out of the store (either sold or 'given away') because of the Health Dept (they do inspections on us all the time checking for 'Dates' and what have you). When items are expired or looking bad we CANNOT by law sell them or even give them away...(ah- but what the Health Dept doesn't know can't hurt 'em, right?) It kills me to see the stuff that goes into the dumpster.

The grocer you went to may be a little reluctant to give you the food in case YOU eat it, get sick & sue them. (Yes, people do sue over stuff they have been given FREE- geez)...anyway- go back and ask them if you can have it for your rabbits, pigs, animal rescue, whatever.... they are more inclined to let you have stuff in that case... it's worth a try anyway.

Good luck!

**tmjsquared** · 01-04-2012, 04:51 PM

The grocer you went to may be a little reluctant to give you the food in case YOU eat it, get sick & sue them. (Yes, people do sue over stuff they have been given FREE- geez)...anyway- go back and ask them if you can have it for your rabbits, pigs, animal rescue, whatever.... they are more inclined to let you have stuff in that case... it's worth a try anyway.

sabrelvssammy - thanks for the advice and yes I totally get that there are regulations/guidelines, etc. My grocer basically explained the same thing to me. I will try the "animal" thing (with another manage...) and let you know how that goes

**Maisiedotes** · 01-05-2012, 01:36 AM

We do have a "reduced to clear" produce rack at the back of our produce department with some good buys.. but it always seems to be peppers and cauliflower. Once in a while I hit it really well... I am doing my shopping there if I can't find a worthwhile, accessible dumpster....

**christinej96** · 01-05-2012, 09:43 AM

We watched the same documentary and then proceeded to do a bunch of research on this topic. Apparently, Bill Clinton signed into law the Good Samaritan Act which lets grocery stores off the hook if they donate items to someone and someone gets sick. Truthfully, if the items are bagged up and not near anything unsafe, if they're washed and prepared carefully, they're not any less safe than the stuff on the shelves.

My husband and I spent the last two nights scouting out dumpsters and finally had a successful dive last night. We came home with about $70 worth of stuff from two dumpsters! We found more milk than we could possibly use, so only took three gallons and put two in the freezer. My kids woke up this morning to orange juice and bagels, a treat that we haven't been able to afford for some time. We were very, very careful about the condition of the food and cleaned off the outside of any questionable containers.

It's sickening to think that we throw away enough food to feed the hungry in our country three times over. I plan on calling around today, to the shelters in our area and then to the stores with the locked dumpsters (which we won't breach) and see if we can't work something out. I can't even imagine how hard it is for families right now when we're struggling on a full time income! It's sad that my family just ate better out of a dumpster than with our budgeted allowance for food.

**sabrelvssammy** · 01-05-2012, 09:59 AM

Originally Posted by Maisiedotes

We do have a "reduced to clear" produce rack at the back of our produce department with some good buys.. but it always seems to be peppers and cauliflower. Once in a while I hit it really well... I am doing my shopping there if I can't find a worthwhile, accessible dumpster....

Find out who works the produce in the store and 'friend' them. When you are by the store you can them check with them and see if they have any produce in the back they haven't 'reworked' (that's what the grocers around here call it so it may be an industry wide term).

Anyway, the reason I say this is in our store our routine goes like this:
1st thing is the case is always cleared in the morning of 'questionable' items. They are thrown in the back and left to last because the #1 priority is keeping the case full & stocked of new & fresh veggies/fruits. Only after that job is done do we deal with the 'rework' to put on our reduced shelves.

Many times thruout the day things are pulled and thrown on the counter in the produce room and they sit till someone can get to them and get them out. If you stop and ask you never know what may be sitting there waiting to be processed at any given time. We have customers stick their heads in the door all day long asking what we are 'hiding' back there (of course, I already took all the GOOD stuff- haha) but if we have something they might want we just wrap it up, reduce it and hand it to them.

**shoiji** · 01-05-2012, 01:17 PM

Live in an apartment complex and am constantly on the look out at the dumpsters. This week I got a really nice floor lamp that was left beside the dumpster. Just need to purchase a lampshade for it. One time a woman moved out of a two bedroom apartment and filled all the dumpsters with her stuff. There were so many things to look at. Ended up with longenberger baskets. Not something I collect but they were in mint condition and something I could use.

I have yet to actually "dumpster dive". Mainly look at stuff left next to the dumpster. Do check your local laws since it could be illegal to dumpster dive.

Happy hunting.

**maw-p** · 01-05-2012, 03:45 PM

Our critters like our finds

**Ramona** · 01-05-2012, 09:47 PM

Originally Posted by Maisiedotes

We do have a "reduced to clear" produce rack at the back of our produce department with some good buys.. but it always seems to be peppers and cauliflower. Once in a while I hit it really well... I am doing my shopping there if I can't find a worthwhile, accessible dumpster....

I love shopping the reduced for clearance racks at our Market Basket. Last time I got eggplant, carrots and potatoes. Made eggplant parmesan and used the carrots and pots to make beef stew.

**Maisiedotes** · 01-08-2012, 08:14 PM

I am still staking out some places... my husband has been working late so by the time he gets home, I am out cold. I am trying to get him to watch the documentary I mentioned, "Dive!" to get him on board. Thanks everyone!

**hippytreehugger4ever** · 02-06-2012, 01:57 AM

I've dumpster dived for live plants before because a local big-box store had PALLETS filled with the half dead geraniums and hanging pots next to the dumpster, most of which I was able to revive and give away. My flower beds never looked better than they did last summer LOL.

At the bakery outlet we buy bags of "feed bread" for ourselves. All it is is bread thats' sell by date is that day. We can easily end up with 20+ loaves, plus tortillas, bagels, donuts, and flatbread for $2.50.

I also managed to salvage a case of overipe bananas one day when I was walking by the post office, which is behind the grocery store and saw a kid that works there throwing them out. I asked him about them and he let me have the whole case, just need to get up the nerve to go in and ask for leftover produce "for my chickens" (yes, I really do have chickens)

I buy the .99 reduced bags of fruit for my juicer, usually end up with a large assortment of apples and all kinds of citrus.

Dumpster diving I probably wouldn't have a problem with if it was well bagged and the can wasn't grody.

**MissouriAngel** · 02-06-2012, 11:03 AM

You're right its a shame how much we throw out, very wasteful!! Our local Walmart puts everything into a compactor before throwing it out so that its useless to anyone. Though I can understand doing this with food sometimes, why add clothing to the mix? It drives me up the wall that they just won't donate that to any of the local shelters In town. There's probably enough clothes to dress the Duggar family for 5 years from Walmart alone in the landfill. Anyhow off the soapbox. I haven't ever got anything from a dumpster, the germ factor kinda freaks me out but I have nothing against those who do that.

And isn't it weird how we'd get so upset with someone going through our trash, I wouldn't like it but I really don't know why. I know we have to be careful now of what we put into our trash because of id theft, but other than that what could it hurt?