Freegans...

[zan]

Are there any freegans in here? If so, what have your experiences been with it? I'd be up for giving it a go but thought I'd see if anyone else has tried it and where?

[tufftie]

What are freegans?

[nightshade]

Freegans are people that want to utilise free resources,recycling,bartering,
hedgerow eating etc.
I feel that some of it is good but i do not agree with hordes of people trying to live off the countryside when wildlife is already under a lot of stress

[zan]

Sorry, should have explained I guess!

The term is being used now as applying to people who get their food from supermarket bins essentially once the stock has passed its sell-by date or fresh produce has been out for too long. Generally there's nothing wrong with the food (if you take it and freeze it for example), but because its technically expired the supermarkets can't give it away so it all goes in the bin.

From what I've heard, freegans will go and raid the supermarket bins after closing an take what they can get. Many supermarkets are encouraging this now apparently by using 'clean bins' for only food waste and leave them unlocked, although this isn't always the case.

THis is my understanding of it at the moment... what are other people's views?

Zan

[The Black Rabbit]

I thought it was a joke when I heard about it in the summer.
Along the lines of ... urm.... er....

Beegans. People who just eat honey.
Weegans. People who drink their own urine. (Healthy apparently?!)

Etc.. etc...

A freegan is a tramp. Thats what I thought.

Doug

I predict Andy will reply in less than 10 minutes...

[coasty]

Originally Posted by The Black Rabbit

I thought it was a joke when I heard about it in the summer.
Along the lines of ... urm.... er....

Beegans. People who just eat honey.
Weegans. People who drink their own urine. (Healthy apparently?!)

Etc.. etc...

A freegan is a tramp. Thats what I thought.

Doug

Are we allowed to say " Tramp" anymore to describe those who enjoy an alternative lifestyle. ? I wonder if these are the same as that strange inner city building site phenomenum of the midnight skip rats? . When a skip is left full of rubble , Old timber,dry rot infested carpets. On the stroke of midnight the skip rats descend and remove the contents of your skip and replace it with old fridges bicycles matresses and the like. No one I know has seen a midnight skip rat but there droppings are there in the morning trails of dust and rubbish leading of down the neighbourhood roads.

Seriousley waste food is wrong get it whilst you can,..,,,


Andy

Originally Posted by The Black Rabbit

I predict Andy will reply in less than 10 minutes...

Wouldnt want to dissapoint you Doug...

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by coasty

Wouldnt want to dissapoint you Doug...

well you did.... he was originally hoping for a 5 minute reply - before he edited his post that is

[The Black Rabbit]

Originally Posted by Gill Catton

well you did.... he was originally hoping for a 5 minute reply - before he edited his post that is

That was meant to be a secret Gill!!!
Doug

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by zan

Sorry, should have explained I guess!

The term is being used now as applying to people who get their food from supermarket bins essentially once the stock has passed its sell-by date or fresh produce has been out for too long. Generally there's nothing wrong with the food (if you take it and freeze it for example), but because its technically expired the supermarkets can't give it away so it all goes in the bin.

From what I've heard, freegans will go and raid the supermarket bins after closing an take what they can get. Many supermarkets are encouraging this now apparently by using 'clean bins' for only food waste and leave them unlocked, although this isn't always the case.

THis is my understanding of it at the moment... what are other people's views?

Zan

Ive not tried supermarket skips myself - though i know a bloke who got a 36" plasma screen tv out of a skip round the back of currys - all that was wrong with it was a slight crack in the plastic casing , it works fine.

however I do frequently aquire wood, and other oddments out of skips , its suprising what you can find - my mate johno once picked up a 1m by 3m by 3" thick piece of solid mahogany out of a skip where they were refitting a local bank - that made 3 coffe tables and four bowls

[The Black Rabbit]

Originally Posted by eeyore

Ive not tried supermarket skips myself - though i know a bloke who got a 36" plasma screen tv out of a skip round the back of currys - all that was wrong with it was a slight crack in the plastic casing , it works fine.

however I do frequently aquire wood, and other oddments out of skips , its suprising what you can find - my mate johno once picked up a 1m by 3m by 3" thick piece of solid mahogany out of a skip where they were refitting a local bank - that made 3 coffe tables and four bowls

Oy! Andy!
We've got one of dose darned Skip Rats 'ere!
Quick...!

Doug

[eeyore]

oi - I'll have you know i'm a skip donkey

[Mr Mag00]

is not illegal to take from skips?? as the contents do not belong to you?

[coasty]

Originally Posted by Mr Mag00

is not illegal to take from skips?? as the contents do not belong to you?

Yes I beleive it is. Up to recent times it was ignored but builders now are getting extra bills from the skip company when fridges and the like are dumped due to the new higher landfill tier taxes,,,So they are obviousley much more aggresive with people who both remove from and add to their skips.

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by Mr Mag00

is not illegal to take from skips?? as the contents do not belong to you?

In a word yes - but most skip owners dont care because they are going to have to pay to dispose of the contents at landfill and thus if you take stuff away you are doing them a favour.

In the case of stuff removed from private house skips or building sites I would usually ask first - but it is pointless doing this with food (not that I do food anyway) because shops that have binned it would have a liability issue if they gave you permision to take it - but i would be very supprised if anyone got into trouble for feeganing.

the key issue being not to make a mess because you can be prosecuted for criminal damage/agravated trespass if you throw stuff out of skips that the owner then has to pay to clear up.

edit: and yes i agree with coasty as regards adding stuff to builders skips - i never do that, i only ever reduce the load.

[zan]

the things you learn eh?

this is an interesting discussion - thanks for the info

Zan

[NickCantle]

I'm partial to the odd bit of skip diving myself. Found all sorts of interesting things to play with

[wyevilla]

Another source of rich pickings is the Council Tip ( no, not for food!!). i come home with plugs, wood, and i even swapped an old bed for a pile of logs with a guy who arrived at the tip at the same time as me.

Incidentally, the tip is a great source of logs if you want to establish a log-pile in your garden when you haven't enough large trees of your own.

[peppermint]

i have had things out of skips too like an old table, wood and shelves. If its going to be taken to landfill then i would rather take what i can use rather than it go to be dumped on a big rubbish heap.
I haven't done this with food though.
I also have joined my local freecycle group where people put things up online that they dont need for anyone who does need it to go collect it from them for free. It saves things going to landfill which are perfectly useable items to others
The Freecycle Network

[wyevilla]

Thanks for reminding me. Freecycle is brilliant for getting rid of outgrown children's clothes and toys.

Heartily recommended.

[neilsimmonds]

where r u im in poole

[Bub-les]

Over here we have local gov. run amenity sites. The idea being you can take your "rubbish" to get rid of it. What has in fact happened is that they've turned into recycling areas where people just help themselves to what they want any unwanted items are either incinerated or disposed of (land-fill). Its a constantly changing situation and you never know what will appear from books through to furniture, TVs, computers etc. Its quite amazing just what people throw out! Its skip diving on a grand scale!

[snowdrop]

I once saw a documentary on tv about people who went round at night taking such food from skips and giving it to the homeless. It seems M&S skips were thought of as the creme de la creme because of the food quality.
It was upon hearing this that I started to shop there.

[Geoff F]

My current computer came from a skip. The only thing wrong with it was a faulty keyboard and it was so overloaded with porn that it was starting to become wheezy. A friend had an old grandfather clock dumped in his skip. He had a relation who repaired clocks so he took it along to him for a checkover; and sold it for £900.

Dumped food could be a different matter. What would happen if someone died as a result of eating contaminated food. If the retailer knows that people are taking and eating out of date stock could they be held liable?

[Ukwildlifeo]

Originally Posted by eeyore

In a word yes - but most skip owners dont care because they are going to have to pay to dispose of the contents at landfill and thus if you take stuff away you are doing them a favour.

Not strictly true. Skip companies gat a fair amount of their profits from selling the scrap metal part of the rubbish. Unfortunately for them the local gypseys (not being prejuduced, their lorry is well known to come from the local camp) tresspass help themsleves even when challenged by neighbours (they also helped themselves to the metal sinks from the education centre but thats another story)

back to the thread subject ive never tried it, but have worried when the blackberry bushes being stripped clean about what teh birds will eat over winter

[zan]

that's pretty interesting, thanks for all the replies.

As for being held liable, I don't think the supermarkets are responsible for what people do with their rubbish once it's out the shop. once food is past its sell by date, it can't be sold or given away, so it has to be thrown out. Once it's in the bin, I think they're free of any responsibility. I know of some shops that have taken to locking their bins, but that's mostly because of the mess taht gets left behind rather than a liability thing I think.

zan