An anthropology graduate student in Seattle said he is studying Dumpster-diving culture to bring awareness to the amount of edible food that ends up as trash.

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University of Washington grad student David Giles, 31, an Australia native, said he has been vaulting into Dumpsters and scrounging for edibles as part of his thesis project, which he said he hopes will inspire people to donate leftover food to the hungry rather than throwing it out, The Seattle Times reported Friday.

"The first thing that hits you in the face is how good the stuff in the Dumpster is," Giles said. "It's thrown away because it's not profitable."

Giles said his Dumpster-diving research has cut his monthly grocery bill down to $100 and he knows others who sustain themselves strictly on what they find in the trash.

The graduate student said he plans to write a book about his experiences when he finishes his thesis next year.