The man who finds treasure, and the secret of happiness, in the trash
He forages in rubbish to put half-eaten food and still-usable items to good use. In the process, Daniel Tay has found a happier way to live - and is inspiring others to do likewise.
SINGAPORE: He spots an open cake amid the used cans, old clothes and other rubbish. “There are three rules when it comes to eating food from a dump,” explains Mr Daniel Tay, 38, as he puts them into action.
First, he examines the cake for mould, then sniffs it and finally licks it. This time, however, he does not take a nibble as he usually does when testing whether such scraps are safe to eat.
Something else catches his eye. “Ben and Jerry’s!” he exclaims, before fishing out a pint of half-eaten ice cream. “It’s still cold. It has ice crystals on it."
He adds triumphantly: “Some people from our community said that I’d never be able to find ice cream!”
He is referring to the dumpster-diving community who forage for food and other items. That night, cake and ice cream are not all that he finds: He also rescues untouched mango pudding in cups.
On another occasion, while out scavenging with a group of 16, he digs through bags of trash to get to half-eaten chicken wings. “They’re in a box, they should be fine,” Mr Tay says nonchalantly about eating the drumsticks.
The thought is enough to make most stomachs churn, but he insists that such a reaction is psychological.
Not too long ago, he found a box of Essence of Chicken that expired in 2005. After applying the three rules of dumpster-diving, he gulped down a “perfectly fine” bottle. “Expiry dates are for retailers … not for consumers,” he says.
Mr Tay is a freegan, from the words “free” and “vegan”, which the dictionary defines as a person who rejects consumerism and seeks to help the environment by reducing waste, especially by retrieving and using discarded food and other goods.
Or as he puts it: “Freegans are people who spend very little money, and they want to try to rescue and reuse the stuff that people throw away.”
Read more at http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news...n-singapore-treasure-trash-food-waste-9351668
He forages in rubbish to put half-eaten food and still-usable items to good use. In the process, Daniel Tay has found a happier way to live - and is inspiring others to do likewise.
SINGAPORE: He spots an open cake amid the used cans, old clothes and other rubbish. “There are three rules when it comes to eating food from a dump,” explains Mr Daniel Tay, 38, as he puts them into action.
First, he examines the cake for mould, then sniffs it and finally licks it. This time, however, he does not take a nibble as he usually does when testing whether such scraps are safe to eat.
Something else catches his eye. “Ben and Jerry’s!” he exclaims, before fishing out a pint of half-eaten ice cream. “It’s still cold. It has ice crystals on it."
He adds triumphantly: “Some people from our community said that I’d never be able to find ice cream!”
He is referring to the dumpster-diving community who forage for food and other items. That night, cake and ice cream are not all that he finds: He also rescues untouched mango pudding in cups.
On another occasion, while out scavenging with a group of 16, he digs through bags of trash to get to half-eaten chicken wings. “They’re in a box, they should be fine,” Mr Tay says nonchalantly about eating the drumsticks.
The thought is enough to make most stomachs churn, but he insists that such a reaction is psychological.
Not too long ago, he found a box of Essence of Chicken that expired in 2005. After applying the three rules of dumpster-diving, he gulped down a “perfectly fine” bottle. “Expiry dates are for retailers … not for consumers,” he says.
Mr Tay is a freegan, from the words “free” and “vegan”, which the dictionary defines as a person who rejects consumerism and seeks to help the environment by reducing waste, especially by retrieving and using discarded food and other goods.
Or as he puts it: “Freegans are people who spend very little money, and they want to try to rescue and reuse the stuff that people throw away.”
Read more at http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news...n-singapore-treasure-trash-food-waste-9351668
