Freegans
I came across a news article the other day about people who call themselves “Freegans” and who live (I believe entirely) off of other people’s waste. The news story comes from ABC and is called One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Dinner. The article seems to have been written by Ryan Ownes and Suzanne Yeo and it was featured on December 16, 2007.
I usually like to hear something as close to firsthand as possible, so, rather than retell the news article, I’ll put some quotes up and then talk a bit.
Here is the first one:
Freegans are people who live off what others throw away, to protest what they see as an out of control, consumer-driven economy that is harmful to people, animals, and the planet. They dumpster dive for everything from food to furniture.
And another:
Madeline Nelson is hosting a dinner party for a dozen friends. She is serving four courses, including mixed green salad and stuffed peppers. The grocery bill for such an elaborate feast? Zero. That’s because this food doesn’t come from inside a store, but outside of it.
I like the spunk that these people have–but I would do some SERIOUS homework before I EVER ate food from a dumpster, except in an emergency. PLEASE don’t just go out and rummage through dumpsters looking for food. Do some research and find out what is okay, what isn’t okay, and then think very hard about it. AGAIN: I AM NOT ENDORSING NOR CONDEMNING THESE IDEAS. I AM SIMPLY PRESENTING THEM.
I like that they are reusing–what do other people think?
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4 opinions for Freegans
AlabamaBlueDot
Dec 19, 2007 at 5:22 pm
Hey, that’s how I managed in college! And I am now 51 years old so it didn’t kill me. I never ate meat from a dumpster, but produce - absolutely.
Julie F
Dec 19, 2007 at 11:03 pm
I wrote an article on Freegans a while back. They live an interesting and to me, enviable lifestyle. Most are very careful about what food they take from a dumpster. Some you don’t need to worry about. I worked at a local ALDI store and if the box was damaged, it got tossed. Perfectly good food, brand new, and tossed away.
I never took any because my job would have been on the line, but I can tell you, we threw out enough food to feed several families quite well by the end of the week. All still sealed!
Joshua Johnson
Dec 20, 2007 at 12:03 pm
So, Alabama (may I call you Alabama?), any tips on how to pick the stuff that’s okay and leave the stuff that isn’t?
Joshua Johnson
Dec 20, 2007 at 12:08 pm
I agree with a lot of things I read about Freegans. I love the idea of reusing and I think that we do tend to work for more money to buy more things.
I do have a couple of issues with some of the ideas I found on the website I gave above–I agree with following laws, so squatting is out for me (though I DO agree that people shouldn’t let places to live just sit empty) and I find the idea of “voluntary” poverty to be a bit too much.
Having said that, I think that people are free to choose their lifestyle–so more power to them.
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