Picture sums up cost of living crisis

Sydney residents grappling with the soaring cost of living have been forced to dumpster dive for recyclable plastics to exchange for cash and search bins for half-decent food.

In one video shared online, a woman rifles through a domestic recycling bin in Sydney’s northern beaches to collect all of the plastic bottles for recycling.

The recyclables are likely destined for a NSW government Return and Earn centre, where the waste can be exchanged for cash.

According to data, approximately 157.8 million containers were collected through the recycling scheme in April 2022. At 10 cents a piece, it’s no surprise people are collecting bottles by the bagful to reap the financial reward.

But bins can offer up other rewards as well.

In the climate of skyrocketing costs and high levels of food waste, many Australians have taken to dumpster diving to reclaim food that would otherwise go straight to the tip.

Food rescue organisation OzHarvest works in partnership with businesses to rescue food destined for the bin and direct it to those in need.

Founder and chief executive Ronni Kahn has experienced dumpster diving first-hand and was shocked to see how much edible food was being tossed away.

“Dumpster diving is a sad reflection that good food is still needlessly going to waste,” she said.

Facebook groups for dumpster divers have thousands of members, and one community even created an app to direct keen divers to the best bins for foraging.

An Environment Protection Agency spokesman urged concerned residents to report “bin fossicking” to their 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 said.

“Although scavenging of kerbside bins does occur in some areas, it is not widespread.”

For many, dumpster diving is a solution to the environmental issue of waste and provides a viable alternative to food insecurity.

According to last year’s Foodbank Hunger Report, one in six adults was not getting enough food in the 12 months up to July 2021.

Of the five million people who went hungry during that period, the report showed more than 1.2 million were children.

“The report shows people of every age, living alone, in families and in groups are susceptible,” a Foodbank statement read.

With the cost of living soaring, charity workers said they were hearing lots of stories about mothers having to make the hard choice between baby formula and food or others having to decide between food or medication.

Experts say it’s an avoidable situation. According to The Food and Agribusiness Growth Centre, Australia wastes 7.6 million tonnes of food each year – of which 70 per cent is edible.

An OzHarvest spokesman said demand for food relief had reached its highest during the perfect storm of the pandemic, inflation, and rising costs.

“We have seen demand continue to go up in the last month,” Ms Kahn said.

“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 number of people looking for food relief has increased by more than 62 per cent on pre-Covid levels.

An extra 300 people have flocked to the OzHarvest market in Waterloo over the last month, increasing the number of people in need from 1400 to 1700 in a few short weeks.

“OzHarvest and other organisations in the food relief sector are here to support the most vulnerable in our community,” Ms Kahn said.

“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.”

Ms said the number of Australians seeking food assistance emphasised the need for sustainable government funding for the food relief sector.

“Ongoing interruptions to supply and economic uncertainty has made it harder for people to meet their core needs,” Ms Kahn said.

“There is an urgent need to address this issue at a national level as it is only getting worse.”