An elderly man has been spotted eating leftovers at Chinatown's People's Park Food Centre.

The 84-year-old man, Wang (transliteration), said he's not eating leftovers because he has no money to buy food — but because he thinks it's a waste to throw them away.

'The food is still warm'

Shin Min Daily News received a tip-off from a concerned reader, who said the man not only ate leftovers off the table but also went to look for food in the tray return areas.

However, when Shin Min reporter headed down to the food centre, they found Wang carrying a cup of sugarcane drink, a cup of orange juice, a bag of bananas and a packet of fried noodles.

They followed him to an area outside the nearby Chinatown MRT station exit, where he was seen taking out cardboard and placing it on the ground before nestling down to consume the noodles.

Wang told the reporter he lives in the Pasir Ris area and only started frequenting Chinatown a few months ago.

"I come here every day because it's lively," Wang said. "I do have a family and children, so I return home in the evening"

He admitted that he has the "habit" of picking up leftovers to eat, but not because he doesn't have money to buy food — he just doesn't want to see food go to waste.

Wang said he often sees people leaving large portions of food behind, such as half-eaten fish, plates of food almost untouched.

"The food is still warm," he said. "It's such a waste. That's why I eat them."

Not the only one

Wang is apparently not the only elderly person seen frequenting the food centre for leftovers.

A 52-year-old hawker who has run a stall at the food centre for more than 10 years told the Shin Min reporter that he sees three to four elderly people eating leftovers every day.

Others working at the food centre corroborated his account, pointing out that the elderly people eating leftovers often show up during lunchtime.

Wang himself also said he had seen other people eating leftovers like him.

"We eat each our own and don't interact with each other," Wang said.

Better to ask if you can eat the leftovers before people leave: Freegan group founder

In an interview with Shin Min, Daniel Tay, one of the founders of Freegan In Singapore, said that he would not encourage others to eat strangers' leftovers.

Tay said it would be unclear how long the food had been left in the open and if animals or pests had contaminated it, so it would have a higher risk of food poisoning.

While he would not encourage eating discarded food items, Tay advised people to ask diners if they can leave the uneaten food while they are still at the table and share their rationale for not wanting food to go to waste.

"Not only does this ensure that the food is clean and edible, those who provide the food will become more aware of the food waste they are causing."

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