Waste not, want not... | | Rubbish - a rich source of goodies for freegans |
From collecting junk on the street to eating food from bins
. we meet some of the people capitalising on the things everyday folk leave behind.
Inside Out meets Jerry who can't let anything go to waste. Jerry's garage, home and garden are testimony to his passion for recycling - he's got stuff everywhere. Jerry says that the best thing he's ever found is a heating system - it was dumped in a skip and he just had to rescue it. Amongst Jerry's other rescued items are a hairdryer, tea's made, computer table, hoover, cuddly toy, and cocktail shaker. Jerry believes that he's making the most efficient use of products: "We're a very wasteful country
we should be ashamed about what we throw out. I've travelled a lot in third world countries and they're amazing the things that they make use of."
He's a self-styled street farmer, taking unwanted stuff from skips. FreegansOver 17 million tons of food is buried in landfills across the country every year
and a staggering 4 million of it is considered edible. James is what is known as a freegan, one of a growing number of people prepared to scour rubbish bins and recycle food from the rubbish. He'll happily tuck into a meal that's come from a litter bin, dumpster or refuge sack. We join James as he tucks into his dinner, all rescued from the garbage: "I don't think it's disgusting. Look, it's still in it's packaging
and this fruit pot is perfectly in tact
nothing leaked on it. It's as good as just off the store shelf."
A low income and the need for a varied diet got James in to it.  | | Recycling - booming in popularity with Freecycle |
But he also hates to see stuff wasted as he explains, "I guess there's a desire to keep waste to a minimum. In my own way, I'm doing my bit." A lot of the food which James eats is still in its plastic packaging, but he avoids anything that smells like it's been hanging around for a few days. But not everybody is a fan of freegans - some local stores don't approve. To them, freegans make a mess, put themselves at risk of food poisoning and damage store property. However skip divers and freegans might well be doing their bit for the environment, but what theyre doing is also illegal.
Removing anything from bins without getting the permission of its owner is against the law. Freecycle
However, you don't need to be real greenie to get into Freecycle, an online recycling centre.  | | Rubbish - everything including the kitchen sink... and bath |
Freecyle started in the US just three years ago and already has two million members worldwide. More people are adopting a green way life, and the interest in sustainable living has fuelled the boom in Freecycle's activities. Freecycle says that "one person's trash can be another's treasure". On local radio...All week - tune in to BBC Southern Counties Radio to find out just what you can do with food that's past its sell-by date. BBC Southern Counties - check our programmes. As well as skip diving with fregans, reporter Steve Dale has been out finding out how charities distribute the free food they get from big businesses. He has also been looking at just what food we waste at home each week. Links relating to this story:The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites | 
Inside Out - South East: Monday October 16, 2006
