Freeganism for Beginners

Freeganism is possibly the 2^nd oldest way of life in history. Since the dawn of man there has always been somebody throwing away something that is perfectly useful; and soon after this came the first freegans to give that discarded object a new home.

So what is a freegan? Well, simply put, it is a person who survives from the waste of others rather than adding to the waste that the human race produces. It is the basic principles of recycling applied to every aspect of living. Usually this is more associated with foodstuffs, but it can apply to absolutely everything reusable.

So why do they steal our rubbish? Are they looking for a free dinner or is there something bigger motivating them? The answer is that there are many reasons for people to become freegan. Sometimes it is to save money. The main reason I became interested is the ecological aspect.

For some considerable time now, we have been producing much more food than we need. The advantage of this is that we have a bigger choice and, in the first world, we never go hungry. The downside of this is that not only do we put ecological pressure on the earth by overproducing food, we also fill up a lot of the earth's surface with landfill sites: huge areas of land where we simply dump our waste. Recycling is becoming more widespread and is even being embraced by local councils and governments alike, which is sure to make a big difference in time.

There are varying statistics on the use of our farmland, although the most shocking one for me is that we use the majority of the world's crops to feed livestock to produce meat for the first world nations. If we all ate a little less meat, we could feed the countries that starve. That seems simple enough, but it is not something the general public can accept over night.

Also, by growing crops on such a large scale, we leech nutrients out of the soil and change the natural landscape irreparably. This has a knock on effect over the whole global food chain (i.e. which predators eat which prey). This is troubling news, when we consider that the majority of crops are produced in poorer countries where there is no infrastructure to support methods such as crop rotation.

As we fill our landfill sites with hundreds of tonnes of waste food each day, we are slowly but surely running out of space. Incineration pollutes the air and simply letting things rot takes too long. We will run out of space sooner or later, so I see it as a personal responsibility, to every member of the human race to make sure that our children have a world as beautiful as the one we were born in to, if not more beautiful.

A true freegan is also a vegan, however, you can still be a freegan if you are a veggie or a meat eater (a meat eating freegan is called a "Meagan").

The most important principle of freeganism is that you avoid paying money for food at all costs. I should emphasise that you should not avoid paying for food to save money, but because by doing so you are not encouraging the overproduction of food. This is anti-consumerism and NOT profiteering. Unfortunately the most viable way to do this sounds a bit gross, and is certainly not glamorous.

Dumpster diving, or skipping as we call it here in the UK, involves looking through the bins of shops to find the food that they are throwing out. Usually the better hoards are found in the bins of larger stores, who will have several big green dumpsters around the back.

Some freegans can become increasingly militant and overzealous to the point where they are breaking the law, so there are some rules to dumpster diving which must be observed. Obviously, the more bad press and criminal activity associated with freeganism, the more action will be taken to stop us from accessing the delicious waste.

The 1^st rule is to never trespass, as this is illegal. If there are any signs stating that it is private property, any barriers that need to be breached to access the dumpsters or any locks on the dumpsters themselves then this means that you are trespassing. Find a different spot.

The 2^nd rule is to leave things as you found them. Don't make a mess and keep noise to a minimum. This is easy as you are almost always standing next to a bin. If you make a mess the store owners will take steps to stop you getting there in future as they will have to clean it all up.

The 3^rd rule is perhaps the most useful thing anyone will ever tell you in life: it is easier to gain forgiveness than permission. If you think someone will say no, don't ask, simply do it and apologise if it turns out that they do have a problem. It is cheeky, but it works. With great power comes great responsibility, so always exercise your conscience when implementing this rule.

As a freegan you will often face questions about whether or not it is stealing. As with all legal matters this can be argued either way. By USA law, among other countries, something can only be stolen if it has value. It is safe to say that if you put something in a bin, you are saying that it has no value to you. So by this logic, dumpster diving can not be theft.

These are the basic principles of bin diving, but it is a difficult thing to work in to your schedule. Since stores usually object to you taking their rubbish, even if they don't normally expect you to do so, it is best to either bin dive during the early morning or late at night. For this reason as well I would urge you never to go alone as it can be dangerous to wonder the streets and back alleys at these unsociable times.

On a similar note, avoid amassing a huge army as this can distract unwanted attention. It is beneficial to work in teams or as a community. Small groups can explore independently and then gather at the end of the hunt to divide the finds. This works well as the selection of food you will find in any bin will be random at best. Sometimes you will find 30 loaves of bread; sometimes you will find ten packets of chocolate cookies. Not many meals you can make there. The further you cast your nets, the bigger the range of things in your haul. Sharing and teamwork are key principles to having a viable freegan lifestyle.

Remember as well that we are trying to save food from being wasted. Therefore, you should never take more than you need, otherwise you will only be throwing it out again a week later.

When collecting food from bins, it is important to make sure that you are only going to consume the items that are safe to eat. Make sure you only pick things with undamaged packaging. Check the sell by dates, but look at the contents as well. Use all of your senses to check it over. Never pick seafood from skips as it tends to be quick to turn nasty. Meat can also be risky. Try to avoid anything which can't be cooked, as cooking will kill the majority of bacteria and viruses present. Dry foods and cans are particularly good. Remember: if you are unsure, don't eat it.

A lot of food from larger stores is thrown out because the product is discontinued, so not everything will be out of date. Stores throw discontinued products out to make space on the shelves for new products, so there is rarely anything actually wrong with the goods themselves.

Another thing I always do, as an added precaution, is to wash the packaging before you open it. This will remove a lot of nasty things straight away. Don't let this put you off, as plastics ensure that our food is completely sealed from the outside world. Nothing on the outside of the packaging can get inside, unless the packaging is torn, and even then we will cook it.

Stores will take countermeasures against heavy bin raiding. The more you take, the more noticeable your actions will be and it is inevitable that before long the stores will try to protect their rubbish. The easiest way for them to do this is to lock their bins. There is no real way around this without breaking the law.

Other methods include pouring bleach or dyes in to the bins. This is annoying, but if you are wearing some old clothes then this is nothing to worry about. Another thing they will do is cut open the packets. Again there is little you can do about this without risking your health. Do not eat packets that are cut open as you are much more likely to get ill.

I have actually seen charity shops that cut up clothes and tear the pages from books before they dispose of their supporters' donations.

If a store has locked their bins, it may be more because of the nuisance caused by others. It is always worth asking in store if they will let you take any waste food before it hits the skips. It is cleaner, and less smelly. Be prepared for them to say no though.

Of course, freeganism is not all about dumpster diving. It can be worked in to any part of your life. Growing your own food is a really rewarding experience anyway, and harms nobody. You will need a lot of space to grow enough to feed yourself all year round, but it is a great way to subsidise other things such as bin diving.

If you are going to grow vegetables, try to plan ahead and look for food that is in season.

Also, it does not apply to just food. Anything that can be thrown away can be reused or salvaged. I made a computer desk in less than 20 minutes, by using some old bedside tables and a headboard from a bed. It may not be designer, but I made it as big as I needed and it does the job better than most computer tables I have bought from brand new.

Be creative, be thoughtful and above all else be ethical. Think about why we do all of these things. Nothing makes it harder for freegans than selfish freeloaders who are just looking for a freebie and make a nuisance of themselves whilst doing it.