Sydney dumpster diver exposes ‘sad reality’ as tonnes of food goes to landfill

Piles of pantry staples, fruit and vegetables sit outside a Sydney home, where residents can take their fill for free. Pictures of the massive haul expose a grim truth.

A Sydney dumpster diver has revealed the huge extent of food wastage in the city, after collecting thousands of dollars of unwanted groceries.

Matthew* has been dumpster diving for years, but says he rarely collects food for himself.

Instead, the good Samaritan leaves boxes full of groceries found in nearby supermarket bins out the front of his Enfield home, in Sydney’s inner west.

His only request – neighbours only “take what they need”.

A Sydney dumpster diver has revealed the huge extent of food wastage in the city, after collecting thousands of dollars of unwanted groceries. Picture: Supplied,

Matthew told NewsWire he is continually amazed at just how much food goes to waste from some of the country’s biggest supermarkets.

“Damaged stock is the most annoying thing I see in supermarket bins, especially when there is nothing wrong with the actual product,” he said.

“Say for example a supermarket receives a case of Coke or jam or pasta sauce but only two cans or three jars have broken. They throw the whole case away, it doesn’t matter if the rest of the stock is fine.

“Eggs is another one … they are throwing out cartons of eggs about a month before the best before date, yes some are cracked but I have seen plenty of good ones.”

Produce such as fruits and vegetables are also being thrown out at a startling rate, Matthew said.

“You know those mesh bags of oranges … they would throw the whole bag out even if only one is bad … but the rest are fine,” he said.

However, on his search for groceries amid the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, Matthew says he was startled to discover that more and more supermarkets have begun locking up their bins.

“Pretty much everywhere are locking their bins … two of my local spots are not locked,” he said, adding the amount of usable stuff being thrown out is “mad”.

A Sydney dumpster diver has revealed the huge extent of food wastage in the city, after collecting thousands of dollars of unwanted groceries. Picture: Supplied,

Matthew says he is amazed at just how much good produce goes to waste every day. Picture: Supplied,

But while Matthew says he is glad to help those in need in his community, Australian Charity OzHarvest says the act is a “sad reflection” of how much good food is still needlessly going to waste.

“We currently rescue 300 tonnes of food a week from over 2,500 businesses across the country,” a spokesman told NewsWire.

The charity added they are “committed to working directly with as many food businesses as possible to make sure that edible food is donated and delivered directly and safely to people in need”.

The risks

While tonnes of food every week is being wasted across the country, supermarket giants are warning the practice of dumpster diving itself comes with “significant risks”.

“While food found in dumpster bins might look edible, it’s not fit for human consumption,” a Coles spokesman told NewsWire.

“There is significant health risks associated with consuming food from dumpster bins, as anything that is not donated to food rescue organisations like SecondBite has been put there as it’s deemed unsuitable for sale or donation due to being past its use by date or spoiled.”

The supermarket giant added that from a “physical safety perspective”, they “strongly discourage” the act, given the height of bins located outside of supermarkets, and the fact they are “often located in or around loading bays with trucks and large vehicles moving in and out of these bays”.

Woolworths also echoed this sentiment, telling NewsWire the act is inherently unsafe.

Both supermarkets, however, are in collaboration with charities to help ensure much needed food gets to people who may be struggling.

Coles partner with SecondBite and Foodbank, and in 2024 donated more than 20,000 tonnes of food — the equivalent of over 39 million meals — to support food relief efforts all across Australia.

Meanwhile, Woolworths partner with both OzHarvest and Foodbank and in 2024, the Woolworth’s group diverted 80 per cent of it’s food waste from landfill, and donated the equivalent of more than 36 million meals to our hunger relief partners.

Legalities

But not only are desperate Australians subjecting themselves to health risks while dumpster diving, they may also land themselves in trouble for the act.

NSW Police said a person “may be committing an offence” such as trespass or stealing, if they were accessing private property or a secure bin.

Woolworths Group have policies in place which requires any external bins managed by a store to be locked.

Matthew himself says he has been threatened in the past by security, once being warned he’d receive a $1000 fine from the council, and was made to put everything back.

Wayside Chapel Pastor and CEO, Jon Owen said the dumpster diving trend highlights the “resilience of people” in “impossible situations.

A ‘symptom of housing costs’

But despite potential health and legal risks, thousands of desperate Australians feel they have been left with no other option.

Wayside Chapel Pastor and CEO, Jon Owen said the trend highlights the “resilience of people” in “impossible situations”.

“This isn’t about choice – it’s about people being forced into survival mode because our systems are failing them. These are our neighbours, often with jobs, who simply can’t afford both rent and food,” he told NewsWire.

“While people are forced to search through bins, we’re throwing away tons of perfectly good food daily. The scandal isn’t that people are dumpster diving – it’s that we allow this level of waste alongside this level of need.”

Dumpster diving is a” symptom of housing costs pushing people beyond survival mode”, Mr Owen explained.

“We need better food rescue programs, rent caps, and increased social housing. People shouldn’t have to risk their safety and dignity searching through rubbish for food.”

“Our community meals serve an average of around 1000 people weekly – no questions asked, with dignity. But we know many more are going hungry rather than seeking help due to shame.”

* Name changed for privacy

Originally published as Sydney dumpster diver exposes ‘sad reality’ as tonnes of food goes to landfill