They're not homeless or unemployed, but they scavenge in bins for discarded food.0:26
Freegans, shocked at the extent of consumer waste, are changing the way they eat.0:33
Liz Scarfe joins them for dinner.0:39
Under the COVID of night, I lift the lid of the dustbin and shine in my torch.0:42
It's below zero, and my hands are shaking as I rummage inside.0:48
I'm on the hunt for food.0:52
But I'm not homeless, and I could certainly afford to go to the shops if I wanted to.0:54
So, why am I doing this?0:59
Quite simply, I'm living as a freegan.1:02
Freeganism, a combination of the words free and vegan, is a movement whose devotees take responsibility for the impact of their consumer choices and find alternative ways of meeting their everyday needs.1:05
Around 17 million tonnes of food are buried in British landfill sites every year, 4 million of which are edible.1:19
Searching in bins for food sounds disgusting, not to mention embarrassing.1:27
There's also the possibility of food poisoning.1:32
So, just how easy is it to live on discarded food?1:34
I met up with two London freegans, Ash Forkingham, 21, and Ross Parry, 46, for a crash course.1:39
It was 5 PM and dark enough for no one to see us.1:47
Ash and Ross went to a supermarket wheelie bin in South London, lifted the lid, and started sorting through the contents.1:51
Clear plastic bags contained frozen ready meals.2:00
Underneath were 10 tubs of luxury ice cream.2:03
Ash and Ross live entirely from urban foraging.2:07
They visit markets after closing time and the bins of supermarkets and high street stores.2:11
A trip to India inspired Ross to adopt the freegan lifestyle.2:17
In India, they don't waste anything.2:21
In the West, everything goes to landfill sites.2:24
Back in their van, I tucked into some chocolate mocha slices while Ross and Ash told me about the time a group of freegans found a bin full of 200 frozen chickens and another with a flat-screen TV.2:28
Armed with Ross and Ash's freegan tips, my challenge was to live as a freegan for 3 days in my hometown of Brighton.2:42
Too embarrassed to go on my own, I roped in my friend Dave.2:51
As Dave and I set off on the first day, it was freezing cold.2:55
Eventually, we found a supermarket rubbish bin that hadn't been locked away, and bingo, there was a plastic bag full of vegetables, so we While Dave held the lid open, I climbed up, balanced on the side, and reached in.2:59
A couple of passers-by threw us pitying looks, but the sealed bag was full of potatoes, apples, and carrots, and there was nothing wrong with them.3:15
As we got our free food, we discussed possible menus and decided on soup.3:25
Dessert was baked Fregan apples with cinnamon and almonds.3:31
On the second morning, I didn't feel ill—a good start—so we tucked into our freegan breakfast of avocados and bread.3:37
We decided to visit a different supermarket bin, and again found lots of vegetables and fruit.3:45
On the menu that night was a spicy noodle soup with green peppers, carrots from the previous day, and some steamed cabbage on the side.3:51
On the final day, I got my first freegan lamp, and again, we found enough food to dine like kings: sausages, greens, and roasted onions.4:01
Although 3 days is a short time to live as a freegan, I've already got a much better sense of how much food is unnecessarily condemned to landfill.4:11
I'm tempted to continue with my freegan lifestyle.4:21
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