Noticed a produce swap box at my local co-op in Portland

I visited the People's Co-op on Alberta last weekend and they have this little shelf near the exit where anyone can leave extra garden produce or take what they need. It got me thinking about whether it's ethical to leave bruised apples or half-used bags of spinach, has anyone else run into this unspoken etiquette?

2 comments

2 Comments

gray_roberts9h ago

See this all the time at my local free pantry too. People will drop off a half-empty jar of pickles or a bag of slightly wilted kale and act like it's a generous donation. I think it comes down to how we treat sharing spaces in general. Everyone wants to feel good about giving but nobody wants to admit they're just clearing out their own fridge instead of actually helping someone else. The bruised apples with a note about sauce? That's thoughtful because you're acknowledging the imperfection and giving a solution. The half-used bag of spinach is just lazy. If I'm gonna put something in a swap box, I ask myself if I'd actually want to take it home myself. If the answer is no, then it's trash, not a donation.

emmam6717h ago

Half-used bags of spinach" is definitely the kind of thing that makes you wonder if someone just dumped their fridge cleanout. If I'm putting bruised apples in, I'll leave a little note saying they're fine for sauce. But a half-used bag of spinach that's been sitting in someone's crisper for a week? That's just teaching people to check for slime.