Greens criticize threat of punishment against “garbage divers”
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In the city of Salzburg, municipal councilor Bernhard Carl (Green Citizens’ List) criticizes the fact that “garbage divers” are threatened with fines in times of rising prices. Garbage divers are people who fish edible food from supermarket garbage cans. Legally, this is problematic.
Strictly speaking, anyone who fishes edible food out of the bin in front of the supermarket is committing theft. There have not yet been any convictions, but there have always been discussions.
If you look at the number of members of groups in social networks, there are almost 1,000 people in the city of Salzburg who are at least occasionally active as “garbage divers”. After the shops close, they often fish food that is still edible out of freely accessible rubbish bins. Retail in Austria alone throws away 120,000 tons of food every year. The supermarket chains react very differently to “garbage divers”.
While Spar accepts it, as long as the bins are freely accessible and nothing is damaged, the REWE Group, which owns the supermarkets Billa, Billa Plus and Penny, is critical of the dumping. The main reason for this is that a threat to the “garbage divers” has not been ruled out, explains a REWE spokesman on request.
Threat with display “incomprehensible”
Municipal councilor Bernhard Carl finds that the fact that those affected are punished with a handwritten sign with a theft report at the Billa branch in Salzburg-Aigen is greatly exaggerated, especially in times of rising prices.
“I can’t understand it because I think it’s important, especially in times like these, that people who have less money can also take advantage of such an opportunity. On the other hand, it is of course also an ecological question. Throwing away things that are still edible and then describing it as a ban on taking it, I can’t understand it,” argues Carl.
REWE does not want to comment specifically on the case. In general, however, one is always ready to talk and open to suggestions against food waste.