Consuming Less the 'Freegan' Way

One woman left a six figure salary in order to devote her life to charity. A doctor and his wife - both self-described Christians - also gave to charity and wanted to pay off their mortgage. All the people profiled were concerned with excessive consumerism and thought the amount of food thrown out in this country on a daily basis was appalling.

It is.

Other than food, the doctor and his wife found perfectly good items in the trash while dumpster diving: furniture, sheets - still in their packaging, work-out gear, etc. What they couldn't use, they donated. Another woman found nice dishware that had been tossed due to a few missing pieces.

Journalist Lisa Ling followed Freegans in New York while they sorted through trash at a grocery store and bakery. The amount of good, clean, edible food recovered was astonishing: muffins, bagels, fish, fruit, vegetables, eggs, milk, frozen pizzas, boxed goods, cereal and canned food; none were past their expiration dates and all were sealed or wrapped in packaging.

While I've never thought to pull food out of the garbage, I have pulled other things from the trash. In 1995 I was 22-years-old with two young daughters; my husband was in the Army and spent a year overseas. To make extra money and to be able to stay home with my daughters, I delivered newspapers in our town home complex. Every Thursday, trash was collected and I was constantly in awe of the items people threw out. I pulled two couches from the trash - both were in really good condition; one was only missing pillows. I also found a new comforter set, unique pieces of furniture, an exercise bike, and a table with four chairs. I also saw a lot of children's clothes - most of which were gently used and could have been donated.

I may not be a "Freegan," but I am concerned with recycling and consuming less. Quite often I will ask myself if what I'm purchasing is a "need' or a "want." That helps save quite a bit of money. Over the years I have downsized my "things" by giving away items to friends, family or charity. I find I have a lot less clutter because of it. When I buy something, I get rid of something. To save money, my friends and I will trade books, magazines, movies and sometimes food.

I also buy a lot of used items on Amazon.com if the price is considered a better deal than what I could buy elsewhere. What's more, I use Amazon.com to sell my used DVD's, CD's and books.

What I do isn't out of the ordinary and while "Freegans" may be, I think they have a lot of great ideas and most of us could do with consuming less or doing better by recycling.