My inner "Freegan"

**Telephus44** · 03-16-2008, 08:11 PM

Ok, so I don't usually pick through our dumpsters for food - we live in a large apartment complex with a lot of turnover, so I do scavenge the dumpsters. I've gotten a bread machine, a Swiffer, a 2' x 3' white board - it's worth it to me. But today I reached in the grab a coke code from a 12 pack, and there's a single serving Apple Juice bottle that has never been opened, it's not sticky or anything, just lying inside the cardboard 12 pack. I checked the expiration date (next month) and double checked to make sure it wasn't open, and took it. I washed it off in the sink when I got in and put it in the fridge.

Weird - I never pictured myself actually getting food from a dumpster, but this was hard to pass by. Especially with my son now wanting juice all the time, this will last us 4-5 days when watered down for him.

Would you have taken it?

**Persimmon Lace** · 03-16-2008, 08:20 PM

Yep! It's amazing how many unopened things are tossed. You've gotten some great finds. The ONLY concern I would have had is if it's supposed to be refrigerated but most of the bottle juices don't need it.

**M55FF** · 03-16-2008, 08:31 PM

no I'd passed on the juice because for all you know it could have fallen into a bucket of wash water, a commode or been handled by someone who had any number of diseases.
I was a nurse a long time, I am very careful of germs since I saw so much working. Once a HIV positive patient vomited on his food tray...
I hope no one took the unopened juice.

Have you tried any food banks in your area? Maybe something to consider.

**dianne9106** · 03-16-2008, 08:38 PM

If it's unopened and untampered with - yep sure would take and drink it. Most of the packaging from grocery stores is pretty nasty - so I always wash the top of a can before I open it and I never drink from a can as a general rule. I can appreciate your inter-freegan - I love free stuff tooo!! YAY for you!

**sixfreds** · 03-16-2008, 09:30 PM

Unopened and not expired I would have taken it. Washed it like you said and been happy!

Eileen

**Telephus44** · 03-16-2008, 09:34 PM

Originally Posted by M55FF

Have you tried any food banks in your area? Maybe something to consider.

I'm not in a situation where I need to use a food bank - my main goal was to avoid the waste of a perfectly good (in my book) food item.

**Athena31** · 03-16-2008, 09:40 PM

Good for you I think I would have done the same!

**Denvergirlie** · 03-16-2008, 09:51 PM

I totally would have, but I dumpster dive all the time as well.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/1421215...7603884031586/

**Telephus44** · 03-16-2008, 10:16 PM

Originally Posted by Denvergirlie

I totally would have, but I dumpster dive all the time as well.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/1421215...7603884031586/

I'm going to have to keep my eye out for the chocolate covered pretzels!!!

You know, DH was tossing some old magazines this afternoon, and one of them was a "Hacker" magazine from 2004 - and it had an article about dumpster diving for electronics and selling them on eBay. I was impressed that there was a FV link under the "For further reading" section :-)

**annymoll** · 03-16-2008, 11:03 PM

Absolutely not.I cannot fathom giving dumpster food to my child.

**IntlMom** · 03-16-2008, 11:22 PM

Oh yea, I'm right there with ya! I'd be grabbing it in a heartbeat, and not thinking twice about it.....can't be any different than the food I buy at the salvage grocery store. Except that your container probably looked nicer than some of the ones that I bring home!

**Luv2BeFrugal** · 03-17-2008, 02:07 AM

I guess as long as it's washed it'd be okay?? I'm such a germ-a-phobe I don't know if I could bring myself to eat/drink anything that was dumpster-dived, though??

**wanderlusting** · 03-17-2008, 04:58 AM

I'd have grabbed the juice too! I've worked in a grocery store before- believe me, stuff gets dirty in the warehouse! Rats and bugs can crawl over everything.

I've found a dresser, brand new moving boxes, file folders still in shrink wrap and three ring binders.

**TheRootedNomad** · 03-17-2008, 07:39 AM

Originally Posted by IntlMom

Oh yea, I'm right there with ya! I'd be grabbing it in a heartbeat, and not thinking twice about it.....can't be any different than the food I buy at the salvage grocery store. Except that your container probably looked nicer than some of the ones that I bring home!

LOL!!!! This is so true. I'd do the same. I shop at our salvage grocery store here as well and I'm sure that some things that come out of the dumpster look better than some of what I've bought there all in thier dented glory.

My dad use to dumpster dive for scrap wire at remldle and strip it to recycle as copper. He made good money doing so. Also , he's root through store closing and warehouse dumpsters for whole cases of stuff and then we'd yardsale it. This always made for a yardsale that brought in a few hundred. Up on Long Island there were more factories and he had areas where he knew where to go. He never did find as good of a "route" here. Just thinking about the stuff he's pulled makes me laugh. Once he found three HUGE cases of cheaper designer sunglasses that had been discontinued. At $3 dollars a pop they went like hot cakes and he made a boatload. I have nothing against dumpster diving as long as common sense is used. As a country we waste more than lots of countries have.