You don’t have to look far to realize just how much food gets wasted every year. How much do you personally buy, only to watch it wind up in the trash or a compost pile when it’s past its prime? Now add in the waste from supermarkets, restaurants, and unharvested crops. All total, nearly half of the U.S. food supply goes to waste according to Timothy Jones, an anthropologist at the University of Arizona who spent ten years measuring food loss.
Freegans are people who tap into that constant supply of wasted food when it’s still fresh and edible. They rescue the food in order to redistribute it, feed themselves, or even turn it into compost if it’s not safe to eat.
And for your viewing pleasure, I’m serving up TWO videos today. One is a CNN report on freegans, and another is an on-the-scene look at a massive haul some folks had at a single Trader Joe’s dumpster.