Dumpster diving has become a popular trend in recent years for folks looking for free finds that would otherwise make their way to landfills. One user is taking to TikTok to show how problematic the issue of food waste is at a discount store in their town.
User GlamourDDive (@glamourddive) shared a video of their finds in one Five Below dumpster. She pushed through mountains of bags filled with food.
"This is insane," she comments as she digs and unearths a seemingly endless supply of chips, bars, and candy.
@glamourddive Wait until you see how much they threw away.. 🤯 #dumpster #dumpsterdiving #insane #viral #glamourddive ♬ Fight - BeatBrothers
It was even more unnerving to see that many of the food products in the dumpster did not reach their expiration date and were otherwise new.
"I am shocked," she shares. There were several boxes of individually wrapped candies that were also discarded without even being opened.
Five Below isn't the only chain discarding perfectly good food. Other dollar stores can be a treasure trove for divers, as well as grocery stores like Publix. The food sits in the dumpsters before it can be moved to a landfill and release planet-warming methane gas. In addition, there is a ton of plastic that goes into making food products that don't end up in the hands of hungry people.
Dumpster diving is a way to reclaim products that could be otherwise thrown away, but it needs to be done with some care. Food that is thrown away, especially products that are not shelf-stable like meat and frozen items, can make people sick if it sits out for too long. The best advice is to use common sense and take items that are in otherwise good condition and have minimal food safety risk.
Users in the comments section were shocked by the diver's discovery. "That's so disheartening," one user wrote.
Some users also recommended that the companies donate their leftover food. "Stores should donate food like a month before it expires so it won't be wasted," one user recommended.
"All the kids in the neighborhood would've gotten goodie baskets," another shared.
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