There was an article in the Post today about the rise in popularity of dumpster diving. It's unfortunate that the first story they tell is of an altercation between a diver and an employee, because in my experience, that relationship is usually quite symbiotic. We make sure to be quiet, quick, and clean--so that the area around the dumpster and the dumpster itself are cleaner when we leave then when we arrive. Sounds like a win-win for all involved. My friend Ryan (who introduced me to dumpster diving) is quoted a few times. Click below for some highlights and a link to the full article.

Diving for Dinner: Whether Motivated by Eco-Activism, Social Consciousness or Simply Scoring a Freebie, Scavenging for Groceries Gains in Popularity

There was an article in the Post today about the rise in popularity of dumpster diving. It's unfortunate that the first story they tell is of an altercation between a diver and an employee, because in my experience, that relationship is usually quite symbiotic. We make sure to be quiet, quick, and clean--so that the area around the dumpster and the dumpster itself are cleaner when we leave then when we arrive. Sounds like a win-win for all involved. My friend Ryan (who introduced me to dumpster diving) is quoted a few times.

Diving for Dinner: Whether Motivated by Eco-Activism, Social Consciousness or Simply Scoring a Freebie, Scavenging for Groceries Gains in Popularity
...
The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 96 billion pounds of food are thrown away each year, making up 12 percent of the trash produced in the United States. Because of federal and state regulations for restaurants and grocery stores, expiration dates often come before the food actually spoils. Much of it ends up in bags separate from the rest of a store's garbage, providing easy access for divers.

"I'm trying to limit my participation in some of the corporate farming practices that are terrible for the environment and aren't healthy," said Columbia Heights resident Ryan Beiler, citing pesticides, animal cruelty and pollution. "I'm struck by the absurdity of how the American economy works."

Beiler, Web editor for Sojourners magazine, estimated that 95 percent of the food he eats comes from his every-other-week dumpster runs.
...

"It's about allowing God's provisions to be available," Beiler said. "I'll eat vegetables for a week, and the next week it'll be mostly carbs."Beiler's "dumpstering mentor," his Columbia Heights neighbor Preston Winter, said that it's difficult to maintain a balanced diet when he is relying on the trash but added that it's also easy to get spoiled. He used to be excited when he found gourmet cheese, but now he's come to expect it when he visits a high-end grocery store. He once found 40 unopened bottles of wine.

The reasons people are drawn back to the dumpster vary widely. Beiler said his Christian beliefs push him to live simply and refrain from wasting natural resources, whereas Winter described his motivation as "a mix of 'wow, it's free food' and a desire to conserve resources." Meadows said he dives mostly because he knows the food is there.

Click here for the full article .

Related:

• A Shout Out to Eating Garbage: On Dumpster Diving
• On food (more food-related links)
• Is eating caviar countercultural? (a short blog entry in the early days of Ryan's dumpstering, before I began going regularly)
• The Tao Of Dumpster Diving by Ryan (Sojourners)
• Diving for Dinner by Megan Greenwell (Washington Post)