Filmmaker dives headfirst into problem of food waste

Cinema Politica will host a screening of Dive! Living Off of America’s Waste at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 15, in room 108, Odette Building. Admission is by donation.

The film follows director Jeremy Seifert and his friends as they dumpster dive behind several grocery stores in the Los Angeles area to demonstrate the massive amount of food wasted each year in America.

After showing that much of the food found in dumpsters is perfectly edible, Seifert confronts the managers of the stores to question why they don't donate more of it to local food banks, especially in light of legislation which protects them from liability for such donations.

The legality and ethics of dumpster diving are discussed when the stores begin locking up their dumpsters. Finally, Seifert considers the waste created by individual consumers when they throw out food that is only partly bad or just past its expiration date.

Watch the film’s trailer here:

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