Simrin Desai, recent McGill graduate and Montreal resident, slowly lifts the flat top of a grey dumpster in a back alleyway in the Plateau. As she opens the lid, peering in, there is a clear sense of excitement in the air: The garbage bags in the dumpster could be filled with bounties of fruit, loaves of bread, or bundles of practically fresh vegetables—or it could contain virtually nothing. Without hesitation, she plunges her hands into the dumpster, reaching for a bag. What would normally be considered an unsanitary activity has become a regular practice for Desai. She is a dumpster diver.

Dumpster diving, the act of sourcing one’s food from dumpsters, is practiced by an increasing number of students, social activists, and environmentalists in Montreal. Taking to alleyways behind stores at all times of day and night, many local dumpster divers manage to sustain themselves on products that are slightly past their expiration date, or deemed unsellable by storekeepers. After a few safety precautions—including washing produce with vinegar and cooking the food—one grocery store’s trash becomes a dumpster diver’s treasure.