“I find all my food in trash bins — I haven’t bought groceries for four years” (4 photos + 1 video)
Sophie Juhl-Anderson, 30, started bin-hunting in October 2020 while living in Sydney, Australia. And she soon got the hang of it. Now she only buys household items like toilet paper, dish soap, and toothpaste, and has spent just $99 on it in 2024. Sophie uses the money she saves to travel. 
Sophie, a restaurant manager from Aarhus, Denmark, said: “I haven’t gone grocery shopping for four years. There is simply no need, because I find all my food in the bin. In 2024, I spent only $99 in the supermarket, mostly on non-food items such as toilet paper and dish soap. The money I save allows me to travel. I have spent a lot of money on trips and meeting friends around the world."
In recent years, she has visited Kenya, Argentina, Italy, Spain and the UAE. 
The woman has always had enough money for food, but she likes to save. In 2020, she and a friend decided to look into the bins of Sydney supermarkets and were immediately shocked by the truths she discovered.
“I’ve never done anything like this before, but I decided to check out a dumpster in Sydney. What I found there was absolutely crazy. It was filled with food, and many of the products weren’t even expired. For me, it was like a treasure hunt. I realized that there’s a lot of delicious food in the bins, and I don’t need to go shopping anymore.” 
In 2022, Sophie returned to Denmark and continued her “treasure hunt”.
“I don’t have a schedule when I check the bins – maybe a few times a week or every two weeks. I find so much stuff that my fridge is always full.”
Sophie has involved her family in this activity – her parents, siblings, and even grandparents. She often invites relatives over for dinner from the food she has foraged.
The Danish woman explained: “My friends and family know that all my food comes from the bin. They know that the food is good because I would never serve anything to guests that I wouldn’t eat myself.” 
“I have more freedom now. Now I work only three days a week and spend more time doing what I love. I want to raise awareness about food waste and how we treat food. It can still be delicious even if the expiration date is past or the packaging is damaged."
