Did you know factory dumpster diving is totally possible?
Factories throw away tons of good shit that doesn’t look just right or wasn’t refrigerated for 5 minutes. So, like, look at what items (food & non-food) are being produced close to you and ask yourself ‘do I want a fuck load of just this one product?’ and if the answer is ‘yes’, go check if they have bins out. Fill up your freezer or feed a whole neighbourhood. Share around those non-foods.
Examples of stuff I or people I know have dumpster-dived in huge quantities: french fries, tofu, cheese, vibrators (i guess that’s a literal fuck load), make up, sneakers (it was a lot of work matching the left&rights but it worked out), coats, portable speakers, and more.
If you do this be careful of where the dumpster is ofc. At the factory I work at all of them are on property behind gates, and the security cameras can see them.
True. In all cases it is good to do a daylight scout and check out where bins, gates, security cameras and escape routes are. & Don’t forget the neighbours. Factories that make expensive goods will have night guards and you are more likely to be mistaken for a burglar if you’re outside a factory like that at night, so if you’re going dumpster diving for luxury goods, maybe better to do it during the day and act like you work in the industrial neighborhood until you’re right next to the bin. Eating a sandwich or smoking is a good way to pass as a ‘worker on a break’ if you can look the part.
As with other dumpster diving: think about how you’re going to handle getting caught before it happens. Depending on your privilege, your confidence and your luck, you may be able to talk yourself out of a lot of situations, but it’s best to be prepared.
Check before taking too if it wasn’t already mentioned. Alot of the stuff can be, indeed, garbage, and will make you sick. Check all expiration dates, don’t take any food that isn’t frozen unless it’s like a box of cereal and isn’t damaged, don’t take anything that’s been opened, and make sure it’s not broken. Use your brain 🧠
In my experience, the way to go is to take everything you can carry (unless it looks obviously rotten) and get out of there. You can sort it out at home. If you and the people you’re cooking for have normal autoimmune systems, you can eat a lot of food quite a long time past its expiration date. There are already a lot of guides on this but i’ll repeat some of the basics here:
Don’t take any meat or fish from a warm place, especially if the bins were in the sun. Don’t eat meat or fish that looks funny or is more than 2 days past it’s expiration date. Cook your meat/fish very well. Make sure it’s all well-done.
Throw away packages that look bloated, that indicates gas inside from spoiled food.
Throw away moldy soft foods (peaches, tomatoes), cut away mold from hard foods (cauliflowers, potatoes) with a wide margin around it.
Put eggs in water. If they float, throw them away. If they sink, you can still eat them. Cook them well, no soft boiled eggs.
Basically always cook everything well.
Throw away things that smell, look or taste spoiled. Even if you’re already cooked a nice meal, if you put it in your mouth and it tastes ‘off’, stop.
Keep an eye out for those long-lasting things for your storage shelf. Baking mixes. Nuts. Spices. Honey. Canned foods. Cereals. Dried beans. Rice. If you see those things, take as much of them as you can carry.
Wash everything well, you don’t know what it’s been in contact with. If a box was broken/opened, inspect it well and wash it well.
If you want to refreeze things that have been frozen before, prepare them first. Cooking kills a lot of bacteria and makes refreezing safer.
