Over the course of two years filmmaker William Reid spent only $5.50 on food. He survived off of food from the dumpster. Now he's on a mission to better understand what is going on. Throughout the film he leverages the absurdity of his diet to gain access to key people in government and industry while he explores the underbelly of American agriculture. The central question that Trash Empire seeks to answer is: How can we provide more nutritious food to people in need while creating less waste?

The documentary film screening will be followed by a discussion on food waste with the filmmaker.

William Reid is a Library Associate in the Labs at DC Public Library. He is also a documentary filmmaker who survived on food waste for over two years while producing Trash Empire. He became interested in food justice in 2012 when Houston City Council members attempted to restrict public distribution of food to people in need. He was the first in a series of people at a Houston City Council meeting to speak in support of community food programs, including Food Not Bombs, an organization that recovers and redistributes healthy excess food. Following a move to Washington, DC in 2014, he became a core organizer of Food Not Bombs DC where he regularly recovers, cooks and distributes plant-based food to people in need.

If you would like to request an accommodation, please contact dcplaccess@dc.gov at least one week prior to the program.