In today’s economic climate and environmental culture, people are looking for ways to cut costs wherever possible while still being green.

I recently took an enlightening trip to Vancouver and, looking for ways to scale back my own expenses, I stayed with friends. Considering their student status, I was struck by the overflowing pantry. An abundance of eggs, green vegetables, exotic fruits, whole salmons and multi-grain breads practically fell out of the refrigerator when they tried to open it.

Wondering how they could afford such a variety of fresh foods, they invited me in on their secret – dumpster diving. Why not take the food out of the garbage instead of sending it to a landfill? What better way is there to save money than to eat free food?

Dumpster diving has become quite the phenomenon in Canada, the U.S. and other Western countries, made possible by our obsessively high and largely superficial standards when it comes to food. Most grocery stores throw out large quantities of edible foods due to overstocking, small blemishes, bad packaging or “best before” dates (which are not to be confused with expiry dates).

Many young people, trying to save money, the environment or both, have resorted to raiding these stores’ dumpsters to fill their fridges.

“I think overall we save about $200 per month,” says George Stevens, 21-year-old Stanford University student, and one of the people living at the house where I stayed.

Taking dumpster diving to an extreme, Henry, a dumpster diver in Victoria, B.C., spent an entire summer eating dumpster food almost exclusively. Between himself and his brother, they spent about $100 in groceries over a four-month period.

There’s also the environmental component to consider. Eating what other people throw out is the ultimate way to reduce waste. “You definitely have very little environmental impact when you’re diving. … The least impact you can possibly having getting food,” says Stevens.

And so, I decided I would give it a try. I visited my friends again the next weekend, and found myself sneaking through an empty parking lot toward the back of a grocery store, ready to get my hands (and clothes) dirty.

That night, crawling in and out of dumpsters, we picked up bruschetta, a kilo of bocconcini, about 25 bottles of POM tea (normally $3.50 each), 10 loaves of bread – and more fresh produce than I can list. Despite a bit of an unknown liquid dribbling onto my fingertips, and the “meat bags” that made my stomach queasy, it really wasn’t half as bad as I thought it would be.

“I think one of the big misconceptions about dumpsters is just that it’s a big old pile of garbage. It’s actually mostly a bunch of fairly clean plastic bags,” says 21-year-old Sam.*

Diving isn’t just for essentials either. For dessert, Stevens says he used to do quite a bit of “luxury diving” – digging for doughnuts and other sweets from a coffee shop where he used to live.

Since coming back home, I’ve started to dive with friends and alone. But even when I go by myself, I find that I’m rarely by myself. More often than not, there are other people at a dumpster willing to team up, find the food and split it. I’ve met some interesting people and made friends through the trash.

I’ve also discovered that a brother/sisterhood exists amongst dumpster divers, and a code by which they abide. “Everybody’s really nice. If there’s something there you need or want, they’ll usually give it to you. There aren’t usually any squabbles or anything,” says Henry.

Divers typically go after the stores close, so as not to be too conspicuous or annoy the people who work there, and they generally make sure to clean up the mess they make. “You don’t want to run into management,” Sam says. “And you don’t want to make a mess, because then they’ll lock [the dumpster].”

Not every diver follows the code, though. Many grocery store workers still find messes from some divers, causing a lot of trouble for store employees and owners.

Victoria’s Market on Yates had a problem with dumpster divers who started taking food from the dumpster during the day, and leaving a mess at night. “We lock it all the time now,” says an employee, who does not wish to be named. “It used to be [locked] just at night, but they started to come during the day. They were argumentative about it. … Some people would threaten to clog the lock with glue, so that we couldn’t get in.”

The employee does not personally have a problem with people taking food from the dumpster, but some divers’ attitudes leave the owner upset. “He doesn’t like a mess; it’s garbage everywhere. If you’re pulling up to a place you own, you don’t want people in your dumpster throwing stuff out [of it],” says the employee.

To Henry, locking bins is understandable if there have been problems associated with divers. “On the one hand, I don’t like it because food gets wasted. Some places are too quick to lock up – they do it as a blanket policy,” says Henry. “I understand it, because there are a lot of people who don’t show respect, fling things everywhere, write on the walls.”

The owner has every legal right to ask dumpster divers to leave, and charge them if they don’t.
While it’s not illegal to be going through someone’s garbage, there is quite a stigma surrounding dumpster diving.

When I tell people how I get my groceries, most of them laugh uncomfortably, raise their eyebrows and ask if I’m kidding. Most people are turned off by the idea of getting sick, particularly from cross-contamination or rotten food.

“A few weeks ago we found four whole salmons. We’ve found chicken, cheese, yogurt – everything your mom would tell you would make you sick,” says Sam. “I have actually never gotten sick. It seems remarkable.”

Sam says once you start dumpster diving and get past the initial reluctance of pulling food out of the garbage, it’s a remarkably normal thing to keep doing. “It’s a pretty amazing feeling when you do get a huge hit,” he says. “Like, ‘I just got, so much food, and all it took was a bike ride around at night.’”

So, despite the social taboos, I’ll keep pulling the pineapples, coconuts, beans, macadamia nuts daikons, eggs and even orchids out of the dumpsters. I’ll be doing my part for my wallet, and the environment.

*Neither Sam nor Henry wanted their last names being used.

Allendria Brunjes is an intern in rabble’s book lounge who recently graduated from Carleton University’s journalism program, with a second major in English literature.

Allendria Brunjes

Allendria Brunjes

Allendria Brunjes recently graduated from Carleton University’s journalism program, with a second major in English literature. She loves to read everything from William Shakespeare and Shani Mootoo...