Students in Bergen have started Dumpster Diving as a way to prevent food waste and save money. Bergen Student-TV followed them this week to find out more.
These students mainly come from outside Norway, but there are some exceptions. Norwegians are also among those who typically forage for food in the bins behind supermarkets.
Dumpster diving for many is seen as a way to save on your food bills each week and to pick up some food you cannot afford.
Like free shopping
The student dumpster diver Źdenek Źiżka says,
– It’s just like going to the store, you take the food off the shelves, put it into a shopping cart and go home. The only difference here is you don’t pay for it.
Źdenek is a very experienced dumpster-diver who has been doing it full time since he arrived in Norway back in August with 90% of his food coming from dumpsters.
Saving the food
He also believes he saves the food from being wasted by the supermarkets and society.
Maria Finke, another dumpster diver, described the problem of food wastage lay with Norwegians being used to a higher quality of food.
The Norwegian government has also prevented many supermarkets from selling food that is past the sell by date which is still within the use by date.
Huge amounts thrown away
Retailers throw about 808 tons of food away each year in Norway. For our rookie dumpster diver Harriet Catt it was a fresh experience. Before going for her first time Harriet imagined opening up massive bins moldy food everywhere, off carrots.
After going and poking around a few bins Harriet felt surprised by how clean everything is and urged others to stop food waste by not being so snobby.
The amount of food we found Źdenek Źiżka described as being able to feed a hundered people in Bergen. The stuff he finds costs usually around 1000 Norwegian Krone. On food waste Źdenek said it was not just the supermarkets fault, but consumers demands to the retailer.
Dumpster Diving may be good for food waste but it is seen as illegal by supermarkets, as they own the dumpsters.
