Grocery stores have their own trash bins to manage waste generated within their stores, so seeing a bunch of produce in a public trash can outside a supermarket might make you look twice.
What happened?
One grocery shopper noticed several bags of what appeared to be lettuce and other vegetables piled up in a waste bin across the street from a market and shared the incident with the r/mildlyinfuriating subreddit.
In the photo they shared, the trash can is clearly labeled with the contents meant to be thrown out: "Litter and bagged dog waste." So, the question naturally arises as to why the store would place their produce there, and why they didn't use their own dumpster.
"This one you complain to Environmental Health and Refuse at the council. It is certainly illegal for them to be doing this in a public bin," one user suggested.
"It's the shop's responsibility to dispose of THEIR waste, if the FREE collection service by the council can't keep up, it is the SHOPS' responsibility to make sure it is collected somehow," someone else said, in response to a user saying the council needed to do a better job.
Others wondered if the culprit could be a user of Olio, a United Kingdom-based sharing app designed to connect neighbors and reduce household and food waste. While users are supposed to give away items they don't want, someone may have decided to toss the produce instead.
Why is food waste concerning?
Whether the grocer or the shopper was at fault, food waste is a major problem either way, as it contributes to environmental damage and drives up grocery costs for consumers. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, 30-40% of the country's food supply is wasted, which means billions of pounds of nutritious food that could've fed families in need are instead sent to landfills.
Feeding America estimated that a staggering 145 billion meals' worth of food ends up in garbage dumps each year, which contributes to the release of heat-trapping gases such as methane as it decomposes. Meanwhile, 47 million people in the U.S. face food insecurity, including 14 million children.
When we go grocery shopping, we only see the end product on shelves, but many resources go into growing the food, including land, water, labor, fertilizers, and energy. Thinking about the complex and intensive process of getting food from farms to grocery stores and our tables, it's disheartening that any of it should go to waste.
Are companies doing anything about this?
Several major grocery chains, including Tesco and Sainsbury's, have launched initiatives to reduce food waste and help the planet. Some Tesco locations announced that they will start offering baked goods at half price after 7 p.m., with any unsold food going to non-profit organizations and staff. Meanwhile, Sainsbury's partnered with a waste processing company to turn its food waste into clean fuels to power its fleet of heavy goods trucks.
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Bought more than I could eat 🛒 It's unknown which grocery store may have been involved in the produce situation, but hopefully, it's taking similar steps to donate or share unsold food and prevent it from going to landfills.
What else is being done about food waste?
Several innovative apps and mail-order delivery services have also joined the fight against food waste. Too Good To Go, Misfits Market, and Flashfood are among the most popular options for customers seeking to enjoy discounted food from restaurants and grocery stores, while also supporting a good cause.
Other ways you can help include making a list before you shop — which not only saves time but also cuts down on impulse purchases — and composting leftovers such as fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, eggshells, bread, and grains.
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