At businesses across the country, incredible amounts of edible food go to landfills every day. Some of it is rescued from dumpsters by adventurous individuals, though. One popular TikToker found an absolute treasure trove on a recent trip.
What happened?
The video came from dumpsterdivingmama (@dumpsterdivingmama). Her dumpster diving TikTok account has three million followers and is chock full of videos showing just how much her local businesses are throwing out.
@dumpsterdivingmama SNACKSSSSSSS!!!! #TRASHPANDA #DUMPSTERDIVER #DUMPSTERDIVINGMAMA #DUMPSTERDIVING ♬ original sound - dumpsterdivingmama
This time, the trash was full of snacks — or, as the OP put it, "SNACKSSSSSSS!!!!"
The video shows a full-sized dumpster completely full of unopened snack packages, including Doritos, Lays, Cheetos, and Ruffles. There are also a few boxes of Simply snacks.
"Oh, are they, like, healthier ones?" the OP asks. "Oh, dude, I love those white cheddar things."
The OP and her companion are overwhelmed by the volume of chips. "Literally goes all the way down, man," she says, digging deeper into the dumpster. "Dude, we just need to get in because it goes all the way back."
"This is my dream find," said one commenter. "Good score!"
Why does this type of waste matter?
Stocking products costs businesses money. If they stock more than they can sell, they have to raise the prices of their items to cover the expense.
Meanwhile, throwing out food wastes all the materials, water, and energy that went into making the snacks and packaging, and it means that all the air pollution caused by shipping them was for nothing.
Why would the business throw this food away?
Frito-Lay, the manufacturer of all the products, did not respond to The Cool Down's email request for comment on this level of waste.
In the video, the OP checks the sell-by date on one of the packages of chips. "March 12," she notes. "Today."
It's normal for stores to have policies requiring them to throw products away on the sell-by date. If they did sell expired food and someone got sick, they would be held liable.
However, it's important to understand that the sell-by date isn't the date that food becomes unsafe to eat. It's only the date when the manufacturer can no longer guarantee the quality of the food. In the case of chips and similar snacks, the food could still be safe to eat for months after that date.
The company also has alternatives to just throwing aging food out. It could post it for a discount on an app like Too Good To Go or donate it before it reaches its sell-by date.
What can you do about food waste?
The OP is sure to note in the video that dumpster diving is legal in her state — and, in fact, in every state. The problem is trespassing laws which may limit access.
If you'd rather not search for treasure in the trash, you can look for local businesses that are cutting back on waste, like the Detroit pizzeria PizzaPlex, which has tailored its menu to eliminate as much trash and excess as possible. You can also rescue food and save money by using apps like Flashfood and Too Good To Go.
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