Waste.Not.Want.Rubbish.

I have chatted rather a lot about picking up pennies (I picked up two in Tescos today in fact. One I acquired quite subtly, however the other was under a self check-out machine which a lady was using when I spotted the shiny copper fella so had to pretty much dive under her to retrieve it. She may have thought me to be a little odd, but it was SO worth it) but I'll have you know that my attraction to collecting things on the street does not end at pennies. Certainly not.

Hokay so, I was cruising down the street with a chum past some rubbish bags. Big black bin bags hanging out by a lamp post with one orange transparent recycling bag amongst them. Of course my eye was immediately drawn to the black sheep of the bunch (black sheep - orange recycling bag. Standard comparison) & I almost did a double take - there, inside the bag, was a Grazia magazine! THIS WEEK'S copy! 'What unbelievable luck!' I thought & set to work on ripping open the bag with much glee, only to be confronted with another copy of Grazia...& then another & another...The bag was blaaady well full of the things. Not only Grazia - Hello mags, Men's Health, one about tennis - you name it, it was in the black sheep. I'm not even kidding. I picked up as many as I could manage when my chum was like seeeriously just take the whole bag. So there we go. I returned home with about 30 magazines & a whole lot of appreciation for sheep that are black.

This next story may be a little harder to comprehend. It also involves bin bags, in a manner of speaking. Be prepared.

There was an occasion a while ago which led me to a back alley off a cobbled street in Durham which turned out to be the alley behind Tescos & it's self check-out machines. I was in a photoshoot for a friend's magazine which required me to climb into the big blue wheelie bins. A little strange but completely wonderful because I discovered them to be brimming with Tesco's food. 

Packets of biscuits, muffins, loaves of bread, beer cans, pastries, doughnuts, gift bags & loo roll (?!) etc etc. Pretty much all the wonders Tescos have to offer..for free. 

Apparently there's only a certain amount of food that Tescos can put on their 'reduced to clear' shelf, but the rest has to be binned. Such an awful waste & in fact really upsetting with all the mouths that could be fed with it. Surely it shouldn't just be put in the bin? But I guess with health regulations it can't be handed out if it's about to go over the sell by date. But still.

My housemates & I, the students & free loaders that we are, have no concern with sell by dates. None at all, so decided to capitalize on the waste & give it the enjoyment it deserves. 

Such sweet smelly fun.

 Only in your wildest dreams....