How Dumpster Divers Became Sustainable Heroes | One Small Step 

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During the pandemic meat processing plants shut down. Many farms farms killed 1000s of animals. They piled the bodies as high as the buildings they raised them in, then shipped them to the landfills.

@@kris_crafter another reason we need to re-evaluate our food system. Just because one avenue is closed doesn't mean there's nowhere to go. And that severely hurts the farmers too.

Erin, 100%. That and human hunger is what keeps me going. 11 billion farm animals' lives are robbed each year, for no reason whatsoever.

Yeah, it's not about the meat eating aspect. Heck, I eat meat from time to time. It's the lack of respect given for the animals' lives. The cultures that still live closer to nature don't have this sort of problem.

I'm curious as to why they just left it there? Why not take it to a shelter or something? To me seemed like we'll shine a light on what businesses are doing, but still leave perfectly good food in the trash, but yet complain that it could go to ppl who need it??!?! Make it make sense.

@@carameldoll96 It doesn't really make sense. Sadly they aren't solving many issues with this video. Sure they saved a few items, but that's not much in the context of this demonstration. This video only highlights that there is a large problem.

@@CaseyUnderCovers yeah but it can spark change when the masses know

@@carameldoll96 Homeless shelters dont want food that;s been opened or in the garbage. If they choose to eat it then it's their risk. The bakeries should be donating it instead

@@CyberMachineI get what your saying. But technically it's not in the "garbage" it's in a garbage bag while in its own package, with other packaged bread, on the side of the road, as opposed to being in a dumpster with actual trash on top of it🤷🏽. I can understand if the bread was not packaged itself and was open in the garbage bags. If the business donated them I feel like it would POSSIBLY be sent in the same way. In any case I think it's wasteful to just throw it out.

This reminded of "Food Waste is the world's dumbest problem" a video made by Vox

"Food insecurity" is an increasing problem. In other words, there are Americans starving. There's no excuse for it.

There's no reason that food couldn't feed the rest of the world as well.

During the pandemic meat processing plants shut down. Farms that raised pigs killed 1000s of pigs each and sent them right to the landfills. They showed pictures on TV and the piles of dead animals were as tall as the buildings they were raised in.

100%. But a very profitable one too.

I won't go to petsmart because of the destruction of pet food that should be donated

@Lucy Biggers Preach!

@@janecarolhogue3140 If enough folks shift, we will live in a different society!

That’s so sad 🥺 shelters would absolutely thrive if those goods were donated. There has to be legislative force to stop the endless needless waste cycle

@@nevadag606 100%

Yeah, that's bs right there. Why can't they just cut up the brand tag and donate the goods if they're that "protective" about their brand? I know it's not ideal, but at least it will be immediately usable and not go to waste

These corporations haven't realized this yet, but brands like Burberry are actually devaluing their image more by damaging out. Their products would actually look more valuable if old inventory were sold at affordable prices , and even if they donated it to charities. If they're still worried about brand image, they can just rip out the tags as long as they leave everything else intact.

The bare minimum a brand could do in my opinion is to make sure that there goods don't end up in land fills. Preferably by making them available to people that need clothes. If not they could at least be recycled using the fibers to produce something else like it is sometimes done with unsaleable donated clothes.

I don’t get why this is wrong. Nobody deserves anything for free and if you’re suffering and so poor then you absolutely do not deserve clothes that people pay thousands of dollars for as that’s just not fair.

@@georgebalan6201 if you dont get why this is wrong than you have a lot to learn in life

We never pay for bread, eggs and milk anymore

@@4babyhael that is commendable. 99% of chains refuse this, it's unacceptable.

Bless him and the grocery store owners

If the management know that, he'll get fired for doing it.

@@2243cbl2 The grocery owners would never do this due to regulations and the law. They dumped these because they are following the rules and the guide lines.

It's an incomprehensible situation. I am sorry to hear that the children you teach have been struggling. It is heartbreaking.

But you know who is going to eat that food? The rats. We could have used that food to feed people, but no. It goes on the curb in plastic bags. When the sun goes down, the vermin come out and it's an all-you-can-eat buffet.

The parents needs to be educated. They have poor financial and family planning. No one owes anyone a living.

@@alvinmah6148 poverty is literally a cycle that's nearly impossible to get out of, sure nobody owes them anything, but if you need help with something in life wouldn't you hate being told "deal with it?". I'm sure you've needed help with something before and expected people to help you out.

@@slashbat2375 Teaching someone to fish, you saved him for the rest of his life. There’s a reason why some people remain poor. Mentality.

Wow, should have started a jam business.

Absolutely! But clearly the prices at which they sell us this food covers their losses. Look at how much many of these businesses are making! We are literally making for waste by going to do these businesses...

Part of the problem is the consumer. We have an abundance mindset and are often not willing to buy the last of something or get annoyed if we don't get exactly what we want. A friend of mine worked at a farmers market for a summer selling produce and she told me that last 2-3 items would almost never sell as people thought they were already picked over but as soon as she put out a new crate of it after new stock arrived and added them on top they flew of the shelf. She was also told to always bring about 20% more of everything than she would normally sell so there would be no lost sales even though the overstock would be thrown out and would have still lasted in the refrigerated warehouse.

@@SGast Definitely - IMO we need way more farmers and way more education when it comes to food, farming, and nutrition. The total disconnect for most is scary.

It just makes good sense doesn't it? Let's save the problem that is white flour products for another time haha. But you are right there are many options available to all!

Omg I love bagel chips! And you're right, reducing waste is not only better environmentally, but also financially!

I finished college in 1970. We shopped at Salvation Army and rummage sales then. This is not new. The sad part is shopping as a hobby and people who can't live within their means. Tina

Do you think that people learn anything? We still have the same problems people had thousands of years ago!

Mad how much people waste... Such a shame.

@@matthomewood5485 absolutely agree

*purses. Learn proper grammar, "college graduate".

Wait so after they move out they just throw most of their stuff? Why??

@@samantha4138 far more common than you think! Many of these kids are heading back home or moving to different places and don't want to sort out what happens next with their items. A family member works in luxury rentals and it happens on this level too. If someone doesn't take unwanted items off their hands they just leave it and it gets dumped or the staff take it. Scored a 2k marble table this way lol

That's the biggest tragedy of this whole situation - just how many folks cannot afford this fresh food. It is unacceptable.

It really is. 690 million suffering from severe food insecurity on Earth, and then, as you mention, all those billions of folks who are struggling to get by.

Exactly, people could save a lot of money if these places donated their products to these people.

Bewildering. This is where state and federal government must step in. If retailers didn't have the option of trashing all their "surplus" goods then we would see huge shifts in pricing. Businesses are rigging the efficiency of the capitalist system, which is unacceptable. Both for consumers and the planet. Time for legislatures to GET TO WORK.

And eventually, someone will get cut off that broken glass. That is crazy. Dang.

Bingo! You're on point with your last point! Eliminating food waste is perfectly compatible with our capitalist economy, we just need to encourage the necessary practices in our society. Once I ordered a pretzel at a booth at a rest stop just before closing and they gave me extra pretzels and a couple cups filled with different flavored pretzel bits! It was great!

Great examples about the bakeries from France and Germany, it just makes good sense all around! This is why supporting small specialist businesses is often better. They actually depend on your custom whereas the big brands on the whole couldn't care less. I wonder how much food waste there is in London hospitality?

In Germany dumpsterdiving is illegal and can get you in pretty bad trouble. And sadly you are not obliged to donate. It is even cheaper for a lot of companies to toss instead of donating because taxes on donations are higher than the dumpster fees.

One info to add for germany: It's only regarding normal "plain" bread. If it is like pizza bread etc it will not be taken. Also cafeteria/mensa toss food out all the time. Reason because the hygiene chain was broken or better said, you can't say for sure if the food wasn't contaminated or not as people are walking up and down the food isle. HOT TIPP: Go to these mensa/canteen/cafeteria at closing time and ask whether it's okay to take it with you instead of it going into the bin. They often are glad to have someone eat the food (which they put the labour in to cook) instead of tossing it out. I learned about this from my ex working in a military unit, who hoped to help some poor souls, because it seems like military canteens have a HUGE overload of food waste... only problem with them. You just can't drive up on a military camp to get it... unless you perhaps call them and drive out the food, but still... wonder if they would even allow that.

@@TheWinglessHawk Wow, thanks for sharing these insights!

Great to hear! Simple corporate policies like this would change a lot for US food waste, indeed global food waste. It just makes sense.

💐 Nice. There should be a 💫special place in heaven🕊️ for compassionate managers (& employees) who use their "discretionary powers" for good. Like: (1) sell items approaching "sell by" date, day old 🍞 bakery🧁 items, or holiday/seasonal items (things they wanna clear off shelves) @ a 💲deep discount for customers; (2) offer discarded food/sundries to their 👥staff before tossing 🗑️; (3) bag these things separately in bins to allow ppl in need them to grab them w/o getting the items contaminated 🦠; (4) for bakeries 🥯 & deli's 🥙 to maximize food usage like using day-old bagels, pita bread, tortillas, etc. as chips to sell next day to customers; (5) arrange for 🚚 pick up and donation to worthy local ⛪charities in need of food & other expired goods; (6) who are bundling their non-food Returned or unsold Seasonal 🕯️decor 🛋️, 👕 clothing 👖 , and related stock💄 in liquidation auctions for enterprising entrepreneur resellers 🤑. 🌟 I would wholeheartedly support shops that behaved responsibly toward their "waste", and did whatever they could to prevent perfectly usable items from being destroyed ✂️/🔨 or going straight to the landfill😱. 🗣️Talk about "cancel culture" think corporations that do absolutely NOTHING to curb this wastage, who purposely damage stock, carelessly toss out items, or lock bins ought to be SHAMED outta business 📲. 🛃 It should be against the law for these corporations to lock bins & make dumpster diving illegal in order to protect these evil secret sins👿. Many of our 😵politicians have 💰sold their soul👹 to protect 'em too. Am not a militant vegetarian, but thinking of all those animal (🐄🐔🐖🐑🐐🐟) products (inclu. dairy that I do consume 🧈🥛, 🥚, 🧀). All that these corporate retail giants squander daily makes me sick 🤢 and angry😡. The animal's efforts &/or ultimate sacrifice count for nothing😭. All the farm produce waste too, esp. when I think about all the food insecure ppl in this pandemic😷. 😙 Whistleblowers deserve acclaim & awards🏆 for their efforts to bring these disturbing things to light. 😉We need responsible business owners who think beyond expediency. 🌎Worse are the companies who push completely false notions about their reducing waste. That create these "slight of hand" proposals for zero waste goals that really won't make a difference. Corporate environmental policies that ♻️ amount to a bunch of slick lies & convoluted speech🙊. 🙏Want a world that rewards Capitalism w/a Heart💜. That includes companies with fair labor practices that do not exploit workers or the Earth's resources. Groups that pay CEOs & top executives salaries in legitimate proportions or ratios to what their average workers earn. For places that have transparency in wages to prevent other pay inequities from happening across the board. Need continued kudos👏 for companies that continue to allow remote work in order to keep unnecessary 🚗 commuters 🚌 off the roads wasting their time⌚, creating 🚕gridlocks 🚛, and worsening our overall carbon footprint. 😫 Certainly the madness of coronavirus lockdowns has proved zoom teleconferencing & other online tech kept WFH efforts productive. Also reduced the need to adhere to costly formal business dress codes that use exploitive fast fashion industries as well as natural💦 or chemical resources to keep these wardrobes in good order. ps 🏪Corporations & wealthy individuals🏌️ that offer carbon off-sets as some kind of "get-outta-jail-free-card" for continuing environmental wasteful practices is simply a shell game for the ultra elites. It does not replace bad behavior with more eco-responsible choices for the environment🌿. 🚫Even if every ordinary consumer actually did their part to reduce their environmental impact and responsibly recycled, it would not come any where near the deplorable volume of corporate waste. 😏Although we do need to encourage that consumers reduce waste & repurpose goods more. Our packaging waste is simply not keeping pace with any official recycling efforts. 😔Sorry for long winded rant. 🎉Thankful for grassroots activists that try to make a legit difference in the world.🌎 💚 Bridget from Cali ☘️ (using my pal's YT acct)

It is so sad to hear how much the employees suffer under this horrific system.

Employees destroying necessities... just donate the items and keep the wages? Sickening I have to find a solution that only values profit to have any hope in this backwards culture

I suppose the issue with thrift stores is that they are inundated on a daily! What to do?

So interesting! This is a decades long problem, and we must get legislatures to stop these businesses cheating the capitalist system which is stunningly efficient at producing goods at low prices. People need this food at the right price!

That is interesting. From a business point of view I have to agree with it to some extent. Very wasteful though, either way.

whats worse is when stores lock their bins to prevent people from foraging.

Yes!! That app is awesome, I wish every store used it

Yes, I think until it is easier and/or cheaper to donate than just to toss, they will continue to toss.

I have a friend like that who always calls me up which is every day because she cooks new food everyday and won't eat leftovers and neither does her 3 kids. I was picking up some stuff I ordered from one day as she was making a gigantic pot of beef stew. Then the next day, she sends a text saying "hey I got a ton of leftovers, you want them because you know they're all going in the garbage". She even calls me her personal garbage disposal. I can't believe how much food that would be thrown away if I didn't get it

@@robertwalton1054 great to see people doing the right thing.

@@matthomewood5485 I have to when she literally tells me it either leaves her house with me or it leaves her house when it's in the garbage

Same!

@@gstrathmore194 Well its hard to find the specific dumpsters from a mall, but like a plaza that has BBW in it. I go an hour after they close with a trash picker (Amazon) and with that reach in there and get stuff

@@gstrathmore194 You’re welcome 😊 I wish there was a way to show pictures in the comments I can show you what I got from Walgreens last night you would not believe the amount of food. it’s insane lol

I will literally never buy a candle, pen, Ziploc bag, or pair of socks again thanks to the dumpsters.

@@ninacarman9357 heck yeah! lol

@@lisaturtle6374 I have heard these Amazon warehouses are seriously good finds...

That's the thing it makes sense for everybody, people will buy this stuff if the price was good!!

I love grocery outlet:):)

I shouldn't have watched this video. IT MAKES ME SO ANGRY !!!!

@@kris_crafter Definitely! With enough of us, we can change the system.

I've seen grocery stores donate meat, dairy, and breads to local organizations that either hoard it (freeze it) or give it to the public. What makes me mad is when a food recall happens and the vendors don't destroy the product and just throw it away. I think the dumpster diver's are going to get lysteria, salmonella or e. coli when they consume the product. The manufacturer did it's part in advising that the food products need to be 'tossed' so the neither the store or manufacturer is not liable. It's sad really.

When I cycled across the USA, it was so shocking to see how much Dunkin Donuts were wasting!! I've never heard of Baskin Robbins? 100% there should be no hungry people on this planet.

Glad you did. Lucy and her team have been working on this for months!

This is disgusting and unsafe. It’s one thing to encourage businesses to donate and where I live this is done by a lot of businesses. But going through trash yourself is very risky. There are other reasons why businesses ditch food like recalls and food falling below safe temps for too long. Lettuce is so routinely recalled due to listeria and ecoli in the US you should never touch the lettuce. And in a pandemic, this is just insanely irresponsible.

@@FirstNameLastName-wt5to This is simply not true. Luckily for us all, food recalls are a small % of total retail food waste. Please inform yourself more into the topic.

@@matthomewood5485 I notice you didn’t address the claim that we don’t know why the food was discarded. Food is discarded for many reasons, including unsafe temps, pests, cleanliness issues, and many many other food safety related issues. Failure to address that risk in this video and to not even consider the dangers of doing this during a pandemic is just irresponsible.

@Lucy Biggers Yes! That segment has lmao...

Incredible work she is doing!

I'm conflicted about thrift stores. Something might be usable but not precious or valuable. There's a limit to how much you can pass things down the line before they're really unwanted. We make too much stuff. The answer isn't to foist all that clutter onto other people.

It's terrible isn't it. All this should be donated at the bare minimum...

Definitely a highlight seeing those two doing their thing in NYC! Policies must change!!

You're right, many don't end up donating, which is so sad. The issue with dumpster diving is that for most people this is not an option, and so the vast majority does not get eaten. Price fluctuations must be the solution to this, so that consumers can buy these things at good prices!

Yes Amy and Dwayne r awesome!!💚

@Dirty Towel I eat fruits with a spot of mold all the time just cut it off. AnnaInOhio

consumer food waste is definitely a major issue too. People are throwing their money out of the window - completely crazy!

Doubt it. It's probably bagged already in the store. If they were a bit late to it the dump truck would've got it so

It is truly mind-blowing. Day after day after day. How old are you now?

What are your favourite accounts on TikTok?

Every single store...

Nice! I love World Market!! You must find some great things. What a treasure!!!😍

surely it is to do with time and resources? Not good reasons though.

Madness, isn' it?

At leest in The Netherlands i know that they don’t take everyhing. Like holiday stuff after the holiday they don’t want too much. Also we can’t donate things that are out of date

I used to work in the food industry, at a bagel place and Italian deli. We would toss so many bagels and Italian prepared dishes. I mentioned to both places that they should donate, but the problem is that they’ve had but the charities ended up being hoaxes, where the food did not got to food banks and instead were resold in bodegas and other food places. Those “charities” got caught, but it deterred them from wanting to donate ever again.

liability is the answer

Compactors definitely means huge waste! It's a huge investment so there has to be ample waste. Food banks are overwhelmed. Why should they accept food a week past its date? Economics is the way forward for this issue, not charity.

True. After decades of greenwashing PR, the words sound so hollow.

@@matthomewood5485 I can't take credit, the lyrics are from the song When We Stand Together by Nickelback

Glad to hear that your company is doing the right thing!

100%. Apparently, Amazon warehouses have huge amounts of food waste. Just need to find out where those goldmines are located...

Great to hear that you enjoyed Lucy's video! The team put huge hours into this.

Thank you Marie-Andrée, it is a crazy situation! Even in France, with the legislation, dumpster divers are still doing important work.

80% that's what I'm talking about. What's the company name please?

100% much of this food is weeks from passing the "best before" which doesn't have anything to do with food safety anyway...

No one owes anyone a living.

@@alvinmah6148 Its two way here either you are empathy or you are not.

It's definitely not only businesses who need change their ways, although when one witnesses the scale of their unsorted waste, I can see how some folks just give up.

That's so stupid omg :(

Oregon, in the midst of a pandemic. Bonkers.

Yeah, I love recycling and being creative and I’m afraid to even drive by an Oregon dumpster. Heavily guarded and it’s considered stealing:(

They don't have good recycling programs in Oregon. That's what I was told by some residents that I had visited over the holidays.

The paradoxes and injustices of the current system...

Me too.

A way better option would be donating to a place that is accessible to homeless people. Let them eat without having to dig through trash.

Thank you! I think so too! Thanks for the support :)

Actually its good that they throw it away because that's how homeless people get what they need. I know because I was homeless before. Without it we would have to rely on controlling Christian transitional housing.

At the very least!

@@zippydodahquirk9039 I see where you are coming from, but in the UK, homelessness has only got worse, as has poverty, as has food waste. We must separate these issues to fix them all ASAP!

@@matthomewood5485 I've been homeless before and nonprofit organizations are corrupt. They don't want people outside the system getting food without the government or corporations.

@@matthomewood5485 I know you think you are doing good by asking for no waste but the consequences are dire for the homeless. What happens if we switch to a national digital currency tied to social credit scores and all markets donate to nonprofits and switch to compactors? What will the homeless do?

Thank you! This is the very tip of the iceberg too. Only two cities!

Also, where I live in Canada, you cannot donate food left over at a restaurant at the end of the night. For example, a huge tray of freshly made pasta cannot be donated to a local shelter that same night due to “health concern” reasons. There are actual laws preventing you from doing this! They sell it up to closing to paying customers, but the remaining portions are “not good enough” for people living on the streets? As well, all the sandwiches from 711 convenience stores are rotated every 24 hours and thrown away. My brother-in law got in trouble for taking a huge box full of perfectly wrapped and healthy sandwiches to a local school in a low income area for lunch, they claimed he could of harmed the children with the “expired” food. A sandwich, in a cooler, expires in 24 hours? Who made these ridiculous laws!

I wonder why those behaviour patterns change? It's a shame, as it's a waste of money too...

So many solutions to keeping these goods flowing within the economic system. Anywhere but the trash!!

Check out the Bill Emerson Act in detail, there are no reasons for this. The whole legislative framework is there in that country.

@@matthomewood5485 that's explains the legal part. What about profit?

Where was this?