What Is Dumpster Diving?

Have you ever seen people rummaging through trash bins looking for food?

In other countries, this is known as dumpster diving, and it’s fairly common. They typically search through discarded items from supermarkets, restaurants, and similar businesses.

Some of the food they find may already be expired, damaged, or spoiled. But a lot is also thrown away simply because some food businesses require older stock to be discarded when new stock arrives. Among these items, there can still be food that is perfectly safe to eat—and that’s what dumpster divers are looking for.

For some people, dumpster diving has even become a lifestyle. Their reasons vary: some do it to save money, while others use it as a statement to protest how food surplus that is still edible is handled.