Skipping past the waste

From vegetarianism to veganism, more and more people are making dietary choices to help reduce their impact on the environment. Leeds Student investigates freeganism, a lifestyle based around a diet of salvaged food.

By Gen "Suisse" OJ

Freegan.org.uk defines a freegan as “someone who tries to live simply, reducing their consumption and the pressure they place on the environment.”

    In contrast to vegetarianism and veganism, freeganism is more than just a dietary choice. Instead it is a lifestyle choice with a political stance against consumerism. Freegans are opposed to working for money in order to be able to purchase goods and instead sustain themselves on food and goods that are wasted by supermarkets and other retailers.  
    The most common method of attaining goods is commonly known as “skipping.” This involves retrieving wasted goods from bins and skips. While the idea of getting your dinner from a bin may repel many, “skippers” are very cautious and aware of the health risks and take a sensible approach to their selections.
    Supermarkets discard goods for numerous reasons, a lot of which mean that foods are still safe for consumption. This can include products that have not been sold before reaching their sell by date yet are still within their use by date, products that have damaged packaging or are damaged themselves, seasonal products that are no longer of interest to shoppers, and even products that have competitions advertised on their packaging that are no longer running.
    For each of these there is little impact on the food itself, a factor which is the key focus of many freegans. Of all of the freegans contacted, the high level of wastage from supermarkets was the key issue and motivation behind their lifestyle. It was explained by one anonymous source that supermarkets are responsible for putting too much pressure on the environment to supply goods, le

ading to farming becoming too intensive and a less a sustainable source.         Whilst many supermarkets employ procedures to reduce their impact on the environment, such as one high-end store who gives all profits from plastic bag sales to an environmental charity, most fail to acknowledge or address their wastage. At least not on a public level.
    Most of the freegans LS spoke to were vegans, however for some this was only unless they were “skipping.” One freegan who wanted to remain anonymous explained to me that they were vegan but did not have anything against those who chose to eat meat and dairy products. However, when “skipping,” they would not like to see dairy products go to waste as much as any other product.
    Freeganism among students is on the rise, perhaps due to necessity rather than morality. Student life is synonymous with financial struggle and freeganism seems to have provided a solution for some. It was assumed that freegans with more behind their choices than “to save money” would disapprove of such motives, however it was made clear that there is no rule book for freeganism. By choosing to skip instead of shop, individuals are reducing their impact on the environment, whether consciously or not, which can only be a good thing.
    However, it is not just students who are struggling financially. I heard of one man who skipped in order to feed himself and his children and made £100s in savings by doing so. Nick, a long term freegan, told Leeds Student: “I’m glad I became a freegan. I eat better now than I could afford to”.
    Aside from the obvious student benefit of saving some pennies, freeganism offers a range of advantages on a bigger scale, namely for the environment. Although it may seem that a packet of broken biscuits being saved from a bin would have little effect on the environment, the Baker’s Federation have shown that it takes four times as much energy in fossil fuel to produce a kilogram of biscuits than the energy contained in the food itself. When foods like these are thrown away it requires additional fuel energy to transport it away as rubbish. This means wasted money, wasted energy and wasted environmental resources.
    Yesterday I had the opportunity to get some first hand experience skipping for my supper with ‘Ready, steady skip!’ - an organised group skip in which the findings will be put together to make a meal for everyone to share. The meal takes place at 7.30 this evening and is an open event at the Common Place, Wharf Street. Considering the amount of food collected from my group alone I am sure those who are new to skipping will be surprised at just how much food is wasted by both large supermarkets and smaller shops.
    Skipping is not completely problem free and skippers have been known to get warnings from police. However, it is not taking the food that is the issue, rather it is an issue trespassing  when accessing the bins. Some stores are more welcoming that others and leave their gates open with the knowledge that it is a skipping spot. Others however may exercise their right to ask you to leave their premises. Luckily, on my maiden voyage we were left to rummage undisturbed.
    Approaching a spot for the first time was both exciting and nerve-wracking. I watched as some of the boys jumped in, passing bags out to the others gathered around, all the while nervous that someone would walk by and catch us. What we found was far beyond my expectations of a few sandwiches and some broken eggs. We gathered at least 6 loaves of bread, some pizzas and fresh veg. It was far cleaner than i had imagined with little dirt or grime on any of the food itself. I stuck with the group visiting about 4 spots before parting ways when they headed off into town.

    Before I left, one of the more experienced freegans gathered the group around for a talk about being sensible and not being greedy. He made an important point that we are all lucky in that we have a choice on how we spend our money and that for some skipping is their only source of food. When speaking to me he felt that it was important to make thos einterested in freeganism aware of this and that it is not simply about taking as much as you can get.

    This particular skip was for the benefit of everyone involved, and so any food that was collected was to be shared at the vegan meal. Any non-vegan products were free to be taken home. Having been more of an observer, I hadn’t found any goodies to take home, but some of the others were happy to share with me and I went home with a cottage pie dinner for two.

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