Alarming number of Australians opt for dumpster diving in order to cope with the rising costs of living
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The high cost of living in Sydney has driven some residents to desperate measures, including dumpster diving for recyclable plastics to exchange for cash.
In one video shared online, a woman can be seen rummaging through a domestic recycling bin in Sydney’s northern beaches to collect all of the plastic bottles for recycling.
Credit: TikTok/@binlivingwithbigb
It was said that the retrieved plastic bottles are being exchanged for cash at the Return and Earn centre — a project by the NSW government where people who return recyclables are given incentives.
A study revealed that approximately 157.8 million containers were collected through the initiative in April 2022 alone.
With the scheme paying Australians 10 cent per piece of plastic container returned, it is not surprising that people are opting to dumpster dive to collect bottles and plastic containers.
However, it turned out that dumpster divers were not only after the recyclables found in bins…
It was reported that many Australians venture into "bin foraging" to reclaim food that would otherwise go straight to the tip.
The skyrocketing food costs and high levels of food waste have prompted many to explore their options to source out food to feed themselves or their families.
OzHarvest, a food rescue organisation, fostered a partnership with businesses to retrieve food destined for the bin and direct it to those in need.
OzHarvest founder and chief executive Ronni Kahn said that she experienced dumpster diving herself and was surprised with the amount of edible food being dumped.
Ms Kahn said: “Dumpster diving is a sad reflection that good food is still needlessly going to waste."
Many people were forced to dumpster dive in order to cope with rising living costs. Credit: news.com.au.
Additionally, dumpster divers have created Facebook groups dedicated to locating the best bins for foraging, with one community even going as far as creating an app for the activity.
An Environment Protection Agency spokesman said that cases of "bin fossicking" should be reported to the local council.
“Tipping bins out onto public land is littering and that’s illegal. Incidents of strewn litter should be reported to your local council,” the spokesman quipped.
“Although scavenging of kerbside bins does occur in some areas, it is not widespread.”
While dumpster diving seems undesirable for some, for many the activity is a solution to the environmental waste issue and provides a viable alternative to food insecurity.
A report released by Foodbank Hunger Report last year stated that one in six adults was not getting enough food in the 12 months up to July 2021.
It was said that 1.2 million of the 5 million people who went hungry during that period were children.
The group's statement read: “The report shows people of every age, living alone, in families and in groups are susceptible.”
According to The Food and Agribusiness Growth Centre, Australia dumps 7.6 million tonnes of food each year – of which 70 per cent is edible. That’s a staggering amount of food that could be going to feed people who are doing it tough.
And with the cost of living soaring, charity workers shared stories about how struggling mothers had to make the hard decision between baby formula and food or others having to decide between food or medication.
Some people reclaim food from bins. Credit: news.com.au.
An OzHarvest spokesperson said that factors such as the pandemic and inflation have driven up the demand for food relief to reach its peak.
Ms Kahn said: “We have seen demand continue to go up in the last month.”
“One charity in Coffs Harbour said in the last month they have gone from helping an average of 60 people a day to 90 – pointing to unaffordability of fuel, food, and specifically housing and rent.”
The pandemic has hit many people hard, both emotionally and financially. And with job losses and businesses shutting down, the number of people in need of food assistance has increased dramatically.
In just the last month, the number of people coming to the OzHarvest market in Waterloo for food relief has increased by 62%. That's an extra 300 people, a jump from 1400 to 1700, who are now relying on this service to get by.
“OzHarvest and other organisations in the food relief sector are here to support the most vulnerable in our community,” Ms Kahn quipped.
“In increased times of need, our services are always in high demand and we need to respond quickly and at scale to ensure food gets to those who need it most.”
“Ongoing interruptions to supply and economic uncertainty has made it harder for people to meet their core needs.”
“There is an urgent need to address this issue at a national level as it is only getting worse.”
It's a sad reality that some people have to go through depths in order to survive. With the new government being formed, we're hoping that more and more people will get their voices heard and new programs to address these concerns will be started.
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