"So You Love Eating Other People's Rubbish?"

I love food. And I hate to waste. But to eat other people's rubbish because of that (to save) is way too unthinkable to me. How can you dig under people's rubbish dump and slide your hands over dirty, slimy wasted food, for the sake of saving? How can one eats his food which has been mixed with dirty, bacteria infected waste and enjoy it? I discovered that there are people who do this with pride and call themselves Freeganism!

Well, eventhough they claim that they practise caution and bide by the hygienic rules, I still feel it's way too absurd to do it. But anyway, this world is too short to be depressed. As long as they don't get poisoned or attacked by a fatal virus or bacteria, then it's up to them what they want to put inside their stomach. But for me, I live with the mottto "you are what you eat". What we eat will be part of us, become our flesh and blood, therefore, what we eat must be clean and healthy. Anyway, the choice is yours! But please don't eat rotten food...pleaseeeee! Read some excerpts below to understand what I am talking about!

"I Love Eating Other people's Rubbish" by Ella Parmley (mag.co.uk)

Under cover of darkness, Star Khechara quietly pulls herself up onto a rubbish skip and looks around before diving in.

A few minutes later she emerges triumphant, clutching a selection of fruit, vegetables and chocolate which will provide her with her evening meal.

But Star, 32, is not homeless or destitute. In fact, she is a nutritionist and model – and one of hundreds of people around the country embracing ‘freeganism' as an alternative way of living.

Devotees believe in trying to save the environment by surviving on discarded food.Supermarkets generate 1.6 million tons of food waste a year, throwing away five per cent of their food every day which ends up buried in Britain's landfill sites.

Such is the growing popularity of freeganism that there's an online magazine dedicated to it, and even an online freegan cooking show providing tips and recipes.

"Most people would turn their noses up at the thought of looking through supermarket skips, but you'd be amazed at the amount of good food that's thrown away every day," explains Star.

"By using it to feed myself, I'm helping to cut down on terrible food waste."

Star became a vegetarian at 18, after reading about battery farming.

At the same time she moved out of the home she shared in Plymouth with her mother, into a flat with two fellow A-level students.

With all of them struggling for money, one of Star's flatmates suggested they give freeganism a try after hearing about its popularity in America.

A few days later, the three housemates embarked on their first freegan expedition to a local supermarket skip.

"It was very exciting," says Star. "The bins smelt, but not as bad as I thought they would. We found bags of potatoes, and lettuces and apples still in their packaging. Most of the sell-by dates were that day.

"We also found lots of chocolate bars still in their wrappers which were out of date that day, so we took them home and made chocolate crispy buns."

For Star, the experience was a real eye-opener. Disgusted at how much good food was being wasted on a daily basis, she decided to become a full-time freegan.

Now, she buys basics such as soya milk and tinned food, but sifts through skips three nights a week searching for perishables including sandwiches, cakes, bread, fruit and vegetables.

She calculates this saves her at least £30 a week on grocery shopping.

"The argument is simple," she says. "Every day, perfectly good food is thrown away because its sell-by date is up, or the packaging is damaged. By being a freegan, I'm doing my bit for the environment and saving myself money at the same time."

Technically, they run the risk of being charged with stealing or trespassing every time they forage in skips – but to date, no supermarkets have taken action against them.

Star believes she should be rewarded rather than punished for doing her bit to cut down on food waste.

"I know what I'm doing is against the law, but it shouldn't be," she says. "The food has been thrown away by supermarkets and shops. It's only going to be thrown onto refuse sites, so why shouldn't we use it?"

Freeganism: The Rules
•If packaging is ripped, leave the item behind.
•Wash packaging in a little mild bleach water.
•If packages are puffed up, there may be a build up of bacteria, so steer clear.
•Treat fish, meat, cooked rice and dairy products with caution. Check sell-by dates and packaging carefully.
•Don't pass ‘No trespassing' signs.