Submitted:
Sunday 25 January, 2009.
A Guide to Bin-raiding ('Skipping') in the UK
Why skip?
One aspect of being a freegan is to highlight the quantity of waste from retailers in a bid to pressure those involved in the consumer chain to look for more ethical ways in which to reduce their waste. For example, in the UK alone roughly 20 million tonnes of supermarket waste is discarded into landfill each year. Conservative estimates are that at least ¼ of this is recyclable. While this is going on, millions of people, especially in developing countries, remain underfed and under-clothed, with their basic needs not being met each day.
'Skipping' (i.e. foraging for discarded items in such things as skips or bins) reduces the harmful impact on the environment caused by unnecessarily dumping usable goods. Regularly making use of what other people discard should naturally lead to a reduction in the amount of new items we need to buy, while providing us with more opportunity to distribute our existing wealth to those in need. All of this should take further pressure off the finite amount of resources the earth has.
This article is an attempt to outline some of the practical steps involved in sourcing usable goods discarded by retail outlets, such as supermarkets. Many of these steps can apply to other forms of urban foraging too.
However, a word of caution... if we are not serious about reducing how much we purchase as a result of finding free stuff, then we are not really acting as freegans... we are more like scavengers, just looking for a free ride.
Sourcing good bins
It is impossible to give a comprehensive list of all the bins in the UK with good foraging potential. Things change the whole time, with stores constantly opening up and closing down, and with the policies of stores at local/national levels changing too, regarding such things as security measures relating to bin accessibility. As a result of this, experimentation (trial and error) and resourcefulness are two essential aspects of what it means to be a good forager. The best way to find out whether there are any usable goods in bins/skips is usually just to rustle up the courage to go take a look!
It is likely that the trend toward increased security (and, therefore, inaccessibility of bins) may lead to it becoming harder and harder to source free stuff by skipping. Freegans will need to be increasingly resourceful in finding ways to make use of waste, while keeping in mind issues of sustainability and ethics.
Having said this, there are certain foraging tips one can advise, if people bear in mind that what is possible today may not be possible tomorrow.
Another note... these tips are just what some of us have found to date. Other freegans may have other findings/suggestions, which is great. The more dialogue and sharing of ideas there is, the better. Please feel free to write to ukfreegans@gmail.com if you have anything you would like to contribute to this topic, or, indeed, any other topics.
Back to sourcing good bins... in the UK it is usually very difficult to access the larger supermarkets due to higher security levels and more likelihood compactors are used by the stores. Compactors are long, oblong boxes which mechanically compact the waste. Although it is often possible to see, and sometimes possible to reach, food discarded inside compactors, it is advisable not to endanger oneself by trying to retrieve items from these.
The larger stores of most, if not all, retailers employ serious security measures. The smaller to medium-sized stores are, therefore, usually the best bet to check out, at least as a starting point. Individual stores may yield better than others of the same name, depending on a variety of factors including the locality, policy of the store, size, efficiency etc.
Even smaller branches of the bigger chain stores can be successful, like petrol station outlets of Sainsbury's, or local Tesco's. Also, even though Lidl have their bins inside and Aldi usually lock their bins in cages, there are exceptions and it often pays to scout out your local shops to see what is available before ruling them out. One Lidl we found tried to secretly stash their waste food on a pallet inside of what looked just like discarded cardboard wrapped in cling film. In addition to this, sometimes the bins in cages are not locked, they just look like they are locked.
When to go foraging?
A lot of freegans prefer to check out bins/skips after the stores have closed. This is usually the safest time to go foraging, mainly because store managers and workers are not there to tell people off. Also, store customers are usually not around to make complaints, which avoids embarrassment to the store.
Most store workers do not seem that bothered about people raiding their bins and detest seeing the quantities of waste produced by the stores they work at. However, they are usually obliged to notify their store managers if they witness someone bin-raiding. So, the benefit of going skipping later in the evening is that, usually, it is easier to remain unnoticed. People may, however, feel safer going with at least one other person after dark. The downside of evening foraging is that certain stores may only lock their bins outside of store opening hours.
With stores that one regularly checks for usable waste, it is possible, over time, to develop a fairly accurate idea of when waste is discarded into the bin(s) and also when the contents of the bins are emptied and taken to landfill. This knowledge can be helpful in deciding when to
go bin-raiding.
In another article posted on the site ('Steps to Becoming a Freegan'), an important freegan concept ("best use of resources") is raised. This idea highlights the fact that such things as time and energy are also valuable resources which need to be factored into any sustainable
decision-making. In light of this, many freegans prefer to go skipping en route to places, wherever possible.
Shattering misconceptions
Many people experience misconceptions about recycling food and other resources from bins. Usually these occur before witnessing first-hand the abundance and quality of much of what is thrown out. As previously mentioned, usually the first hurdle to overcome is our fear - whether it is fear of what people think about the practice of bin-raiding, fear of what people will think if we get caught, or due to our individual concerns over what we may find.
From experience, it is likely that pretty much everything you find inside the stores themselves will be found discarded at the back of the store at some point during one's foraging adventures! There are many different reasons why such things as food are thrown out, many of which seem completely irrational. (For people who are interested, a more complete list of these reasons can be found in the F.A.Q section of this site.)
Regarding cleanliness of bins... although you will find dirty bins, if you expect this then you may be pleasantly surprised at how clean the bin and its contents can be. Different stores have varying standards in how clean they keep their bins; and different locations play a part in how clean the bins are too.
'Best-before' and 'use-by' dates
One of the main reasons supermarkets throw away usable goods is to do with products' best-before and use-by dates. Stores regularly throw out goods close to their best-before date but often before their use-by dates have been reached. It is common practice to find large amounts of products thrown out which are both within their best-before and use-by dates too.
It should be noted that the best-before or use-by dates usually do NOT reflect the natural life-cycle of the products. Retailers heavily err on the side of precaution due to such things as fearing insurance claims will be made against them if, for example, people get sick as a result of eating food purchased from the store. Products often last for days, if not weeks, and sometimes even months and years, past their best-before/use-by dates. A more reliable way of determining whether something is not usable, is by using one's common sense and sensory faculties. If the seal is broken, allowing bacteria to enter, or if the item looks or smells bad, then it is probably not worth attempting the next test... tasting it!
Products are often thrown out in their original packaging. A good way to determine whether products, such as meat, or ready-meals, are no longer edible, is to see whether the packaging is puffed up (which indicates a build-up of bacteria).
There is a common saying amongst freegans: 'If in doubt, chuck it out'. It is safer to err on the side of caution than to take reckless risks as long as one does not become paranoid. Over time, one develops a good feel for what is worth liberating from bins, and what is sensible to leave behind.
Hygiene measures
Stores vary considerably with regards to the extent to which they make the discarded items thrown out accessible and recyclable. Certain stores, e.g. M&S, regularly pour blue dye onto all food/packaging destined to be discarded. This acts more as a visual deterrent to stop people from taking food out of the bin, rather than destroying the actual food itself.
Other stores sometimes slash the packaging, especially of items like meat products, in an effort to deter people from taking them. Once food items, like meat, are exposed to the elements and/or bacteria living in the bin, it poses a hygiene risk. Deterrents such as these do, therefore, work to some extent, but they expose the pointless and criminal nature of waste, when stores/staff choose to do this.
It is advisable to take certain precautions when skipping. Some people like to take gloves, as it is possible to find broken glass and messy food from time to time that has spilled onto packaging and other products. Part of the fun of the whole thing can be to jump into bins/skips, and occasionally to get quite messy, but this obviously depends on the individual! Care is important, whatever we do.
As previously mentioned, it is important to use one's common sense regarding what to take from bins. It is also important to use one's common sense with regards to cleaning and storing of items (especially food) that one finds. Many freegans, like to give any gleaned food/packaging a thin wipe of bleach water to kill off any bacteria or germs.
It should be noted that most freegans report very few incidences of getting sick with food poisoning etc. This is usually due to the quality of the food that is regularly available, in addition to people being educated about the wisdom of taking certain precautions with regard to things like hygiene.
“Bin Etiquette”
Part of the freegan witness is to leave the bins and surrounding area in as good as, or preferably better, a condition in which you find them. This is a help to the local community, in addition to maintaining as good relations with the individual stores as possible and, therefore, the likelihood of the bins being made left accessible.
I heard that a large factor leading to the store, LIDL, deciding (practically overnight) to stop leaving their bins in an accessible location outside the stores, was, primarily, due to people leaving a mess around their bins.
Just because someone forages for free food does not make them a freegan. Freegans, therefore, need to lead the way in setting a good example that is considerate of both the stores and others who use the bins for their own provisioning.
“Waste Not, Want Not”
If we are aware that other people regularly use certain bins that we forage from, it is good to be considerate and to refrain from taking more than we need, so there is enough to go round. Just because we retrieve waste, does not mean that it is acceptable to waste that waste.
It is a good practice to share excess food with other people in the local community, whether they are freegans, or low-income families, or groups/charitable organisations, such as FNB (Food Not Bombs) who often accept food/items gleaned from skips. This is a positive way of turning waste into real wealth.
Security, ethics and legalities
The extent to which stores protect and hide their waste varies considerably. Most of the larger stores of the main supermarket chains have inaccessible bins surrounded by high walls, or fences that are locked. The compound at the back of the supermarkets are usually monitored by security men, and/or CCTV. Razor wire is also a regular feature, making bins less accessible.
Although others in the movement may have a different opinion, I would personally NOT advocate breaking any locks, or causing any other kind of damage in an effort to retrieve food etc. This is a criminal offense and supermarkets are within their rights to prosecute people who do this.
It is also possible to be prosecuted for trespassing on the property of the stores. This issue is, however, a lot greyer. I have not heard of anyone being prosecuted for rescuing food from supermarket bins due to having trespassed. (Please notify us if this is not the case and what the details of the incident was, as this information could be both interesting and helpful in future).
The fact is, it is a lot less likely that supermarkets will choose to throw the book at people for skipping if they are considerate about not leaving a mess, in addition to refraining from causing any damage to the bins or near-by property.
Conclusion
Hopefully these tips will serve as a useful guide to anyone involved in the practice of urban foraging, or considering starting. The main thing is to have fun, be resourceful and responsible, while using one's common sense as much as possible.
If you stumble on any unusual finds, or feel inspired to share about any large hauls etc., feel free to post on the 'Your Say' or 'Forum' functions on the ukfreegan site. Also, if you have any queries or additional comments relating to this article, please feel free to email ukfreegans@gmail.com
“Bin Appetit!”