Going Dumpster Divin’

            Viewing the movie Dive was an eye-opening experience.  The idea that people would actually dive into a dumpster full of smelly garbage in hopes of finding food treasures boggles my mind.  Many people do not fully understand the amount of food wasted until they are hungry and searching for their next meal.  Grocery stores and restaurants waste enough food daily that could feed hundreds.  The amount of food the United States of America wastes in one year could keep small countries fed for several years.  Having been raised on the mentality of cleaning your plate, it bothers me how much food is wasted.  As a child, I was told to clean my plate or there would be no option for dessert and at Grandma’s house you always wanted dessert.  Children in today’s society are too picky when it comes to their food choices and 40% of food waste comes from households.

            Dumpster diving is defined as the practice of searching through dustbins for discarded but still usable or valuable objects such as food or clothes (Dictionary.com).  There are actually websites that give how-to’s on dumpster diving.  I guess it makes sense to have instructions on how to perform the task of actually diving in if you have never done it before.  The fact that they list bringing gloves is funny to me but that is because I am a mysophobic.  I do not like germs therefore gloves wouldn’t be enough to get me into a dumpster (shareable.net).  A quote from a site referenced dumpster diving as follows: “The very name “dumpster diving” makes the nature of the activity pretty clear. It doesn’t hide behind a sanitized euphemism, like, say, “gently used snack gathering.”  “Free food? Honey, ain’t nuthin’ free,” (Adventures of a first-time dumpster diver, Kwak-Hefferan).  There are many people that dumpster dive for the sole purpose of keeping their families fed because they cannot afford to shop the conventional way due to lack of money or government assistance.    Be that as it may, many people will dumpster dive to help out local shelters that feed the hungry on a daily basis by recovering food that would not be donated under normal circumstances. 

Most of the food that grocers throw out is perishable, including fruits, vegetables, seafood, meat, baked goods, and ready-made meals.  Perishable foods are most often thrown away versus being donated because it releases the grocery store from being held liable if someone gets sick.  Food waste will probably always be an unfortunate by-product of the food service and food retail industries. Food recovery is a great way for all types of food businesses to help those in need, and can oftentimes result in tax savings when donated to a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization (Food Waste from Restaurants, Caterers, and Grocery Stores, Jan 03 2013).  With the amount of food wasted by grocery stores, many of our homeless shelters could feed hundreds of people for longer than usual with regular donations.  Most perishables can be frozen and it disintegrates the expiration dates printed on packaging because it time locks the food at its current state.  The statistic from the movie Dive of the amount of wasted food was sad at a staggering 96 billion pounds yearly.  The amount of food that the United States wastes in one year could feed many smaller countries for many years.  The United States is said to be the richest country in the world and yet we waste the most food while many other countries have people dying from starvation.  If we packed up our wasted food for one year, the entire country of Haiti could eat for five years (Dive!). 

Furthermore, children in today’s society should be thankful for the food choices they have in front of them as there are many who go without.  I can recall hearing as a child that I should clean my plate because children in China were starving.  Children are pickier nowadays than they were twenty or more years ago.  Children of the eighties and much earlier were happy to get a healthy meal or less.  I know more children who thumb their noses at vegetables and refuse to eat them.  When I was younger, it was clean your plate or you will just have to be hungry and there would be no snacks.  I can also recall my mom covering my plate and placing it in the refrigerator in case I got hungry later because I refused to eat it the first time around.  Even worse was going to my grandma’s house and having to eat peas in order to get dessert and believe me you wanted dessert at her house.  Children in smaller, poverty stricken countries do not have the luxury of food choices.  They are lucky to get some bread, rice, or crackers and most likely some dirty water depending on where they live.  Every day, almost 16,000 children die from hunger-related issues (bread.org).  Based on that number, one child dies every five seconds.  With the food that American children waste, that would not have to happen. 

All things considered, we as Americans can help stamp out hunger.  Dumpster diving can provide food for those who cannot regularly afford it as well as providing donations to shelters or food banks.  Choosing your meals wisely can help alleviate waste in your home by making sure you only prepare enough for the one meal unless you plan on consuming the leftovers and not throwing them away.  I know that we cannot force people or organizations to help but every little bit helps, one person at a time.  Be an example for your children by trying new things and attempting to finish your food so they learn responsibility for their food choices.  If it helps, remind your children that for everything that they throw away there are hungry children in other countries and even as close as your own city.  Helping each be more responsible about our wasteful tendencies in our own homes can reflect outward onto our community.

 

Works Cited

“Adventures of a first-time dumpster diver,” By Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan 12 Jan 2012 at 7:01 p.m.

 http://grist.org/food/2012-01-12-adventures-of-a-first-time-dumpster-diver/

Dive! A Film by Jeremy Seifert, Copyright © 2013 http://www.divethefilm.com/facts-about-food-waste.aspx

"dumpster diving." Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. HarperCollins Publishers. 12 Mar. 2013. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/dumpster diving>.

“Food Waste from Restaurants, Caterers, and Grocery Stores” Jan 03 2013 Flashfood and Food Recovery News  

http://flashfoodasu.wordpress.com/2013/01/03/food-waste-from-restaurants-caterers-and-grocery-stores/

“Global Hunger”, http://www.bread.org/hunger/global/

“How To Dumpster Dive, Eat Free & Fight Waste” by Willie Osterweil, November 7, 2012 at 7:43 a.m. 

http://www.shareable.net/blog/how-to-dumpster-dive-eat-for-free-and-fight-waste