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Cambridge Food Stores Hiding Their Bins.

Hungry Freegan | 10.07.2013 23:40 | Social Struggles | Cambridge | World

It has come to light that in the last few weeks many local food shops have started to actively hide their food waste bins, meaning that many of the poorer residents of Cambridge now no longer have a supplemental food source at a time when they need it the most.

This comes at a time when under a cuts obsessed Tory government, which has managed to increase unemployment and force poorer people into using (DWP supported) Food Banks and Soup Kitchens, we have a bizarre situation where despite the fact that so many are struggling to put food on their tables there are now grocery stores actively hiding their food waste bins, which previously could have been relied upon by those with a little initiative to top up their own meagre low income rations.

This country sends to Landfill at least four million tons of food every year, with the main culprits of this crime against the planet being retail outlets who are happy to fill to the top their bins with perfectly edible food rather than discount it or give it to charities.

It is also worth noting that our tax system encourages this obscene wastage by allowing businesses to offset their binned food as a tax loss.

Now in Cambridge they pile further insult upon an already struggling community by actively concealing these very same bins.


Here is a list of those local shops that are now known to be actively concealing their food bins:


The Cooperative, Mill Road

The Cooperative, Hills Road (also a padlocked gate, barbed wire fencing)

The Co-Operative, Histon Road

The Cooperative, Milton Road (also a locked steel side gate)

The Cooperative, Chesterton Road (concealed bins since opening new store)

Mill Road Tescos

Hills Road Tescos

Waitrose, Burliegh Street
(also an approximately seven foot high motorised sliding gate with spikes on top plus CCTV)

Budgens, Arbury Court (Steel enclosure plus Cable Lock)


If you know of any other stores in Cambridge that are now concealing their food bins please add these names and locations to this article as a comment, as it is time to hold them to account for what they doing to their community.

Hungry Freegan

Comments

Hide the following 3 comments

Makes me angry

11.07.2013 00:31

As someone who's worked in a food shop before the amount of wastage makes me really angry. On a typical evening we'd have to bin around a dozen loaves of bread, countless amounts of fresh fruit and veg, plus things like yoghurt's and eggs. All of it perfectly edible but due to the insane rules in place we were required to chuck all of the produce into a bin that was locked to prevent the local homeless individuals from accessing it. All of it was perfectly edible and could have been given away for free to those who needed it but management didn't believe in helping those down on their luck because and I quote "it might attract undesirables to the area". The whole situation pissed me off greatly and I always deliberately left the bins unlocked when I worked there so hopefully some people got access to them.

Try speaking to some of the workers about it when the managers aren't around them, if they are anything like I was they probably also see the situation as insane and will be willing to help you.

Former shop worker


Get the price reduced food

12.07.2013 02:35

Go to any Tesco after 6pm get a loaf of bread reduced to £1, then after 7pm 35p after 9pm 20p. Same for the ready made sandwiches after 7pm over 70% off. Fuck the skips get it from the shelfs.

mr phil


Added bonus

12.07.2013 02:42

Don't forget pick up the receipts on the floor on the way out then get the points on a tesco club card. Last year I managed over £200 free in points. Also for the record I don't and never have worked for 'lady' Porter , nee Cohen.....

mr phil