The average person creates an incredible amount of waste on a daily basis and the average grocery store is even worse. The amount of perfectly good food that goes to the garbage is far too high now that we're living in an era of convenience. The United States throws away 165 billion dollars of food a year, which means over 30% of the food purchased in the US ends up in the trash. So next time you think about throwing out food, don't. Make a sauce with those musty old tomatoes.
You can also combat food waste by getting inside a dumpster. Dumpster diving is a popular form of modern salvaging that helps environmental activists reclaim food waste. While you might cringe at the idea, It's a great way for people to prevent good food from heading to the landfill. Don't believe us? Check out our previous coverage on Rob Greenfield.
Rob Greenfield has launched a new campaign raising awareness around Tony Moyer and Sam Troyer, brothers-in-law who were recently arrested for diving in a dumpster at a CVS store in Hershey, PA. Although the dumpster is located in an open enclosure in a parking lot in plain sight, with no "No Trespassing" signs or locks, the men were charged with loitering and prowling at night as well as criminal trespassing.
The video above shows that the pair have collected thousands of dollars worth of edible food from dumpsters and donate it all to people in need, with donation receipts to prove their intent.
Dumpster diving prevents food waste, plain and simple. It's not something we should punish but it is something we should reward. Help spread the word about Tony and Sam and together we might be able to change the dialogue surrounding dumpster diving to the actual issue at hand: food waste.