In a tale as old as time - or at least as old as the invention of the restaurant doggy bag - one Lisbon-based man's commitment to fighting food waste has become a source of public embarrassment for his partner. Bill, a renewables veteran with a passion for sustainability, has a habit of swooping in on other people's plates to rescue uneaten morsels, much to the chagrin of Helen, who finds it 'embarrassing, unhygienic and rude.'

Helen recounts a recent dinner with friends at a busy Lisbon eatery, where Bill, at the last minute, reached across the table to finish the duck breast their friends had ordered - without even asking if they were done. The waitress, 'rushed off her feet,' was trying to clear the table while Bill fished around for scraps, leaving everyone waiting and Helen mortified. 'If we'd been with his mum, I'd have made less of an issue of it,' she says, 'but with friends we rarely see I found it embarrassing.'

Bill's food-saving zeal extends beyond restaurant tables. At home, he's been known to scrape leftover rice off other people's plates, remove mould from leftovers in the fridge, and once, he even fished a melon rind out of the bin to eat the tiny bits of watermelon still attached. 'I threw away a melon rind and he took it out of the bin to eat the tiny bits of watermelon on it,' Helen recalls, adding that Bill often eats far more than he wants and then complains about being full.

Bill, for his part, defends his actions with a mix of environmental and ethical reasoning. 'I hate food waste,' he says. 'A few grains of rice or a bit of salad isn't an issue, but I struggle with seeing meat wasted. I'm concerned about animal welfare and the fact that an animal has died.' He admits he sometimes comes across as self-righteous, but insists his intentions are good: 'It's about respect for the animal and not letting it go to waste.'

He also clarifies the duck incident, noting it was a tapas-style meal and he considered it shared. 'I was thinking: "We're kind of sharing that,"' he says, though he concedes he forgot to ask and can see how it was awkward. He draws the line at business dinners or with his boss, but around family and close friends, he sees no harm in asking to polish off leftovers.

Our panel of judges weighs in. Christian, 50, says if it's a one-off, Bill can be forgiven, but if he makes a habit of 'pouncing' on neighbours' food, they won't stick around for long. Tracey, 33, advises Bill to acknowledge Helen's embarrassment and adjust his behaviour in public. Alicja, 33, suggests establishing clear boundaries and questions why Bill doesn't become vegetarian if animal welfare matters so much. Sinead, 25, calls out Bill for using the environment as an excuse and suggests he should at least stop eating meat if he's going to lecture others. Kitty, 34, confesses she does the same thing herself: 'What is a bit of spit between friends? His heart is in the right place.'

The poll is open until Wednesday 2 September at 9am BST - so you, dear reader, can decide: should Bill bin his leftovers habit?