Understanding the Freegan Lifestyle: Eating from Dumpsters

Freegan is derived from the two words, free and vegan. A vegan is described as a strict vegetarian whom eats no animal or dairy products at all. The definition of a freegan is a person who consumes discarded food, especially an environmentally concerned person who wishes to protect the environment by waste reduction.

The alternative lifestyle of a freegan, known as freeganism is the practice of salvaging discarded, unspoiled food from supermarkets and restaurants that are still edible. Freegans are not poor or homeless as many may believe, they choose this way of life as a statement to out of control consumerism.

While freeganism may seem strange to many, they are not so different. They live in a house or apartment. They drive a vehicle. Many go to work every day, although some do not work for a salary as most everyone else does. They are just trying to remove themselves as far from capitalism as possible.

Many freegans get free food from the garbage of restaurants, grocery stores and other food related businesses. This practice is sometimes called "dumpster diving". By salvaging food from the trash freegans feel they are keeping edible food from going to waste. This food could be feeding people and animals that would otherwise go hungry.

Freegans not only salvage for food, they will take anything else of use that has been discarded in the trash. They furnish their homes with refuge from trash bins. The bed they sleep upon. The utensils in the kitchen. The clothes on their back. All of these items were once someones castoffs.

Even their cleaning products and items for personal hygiene were trash at one time. They will salvage anything that is still usable, if not usable by themselves then by someone else they may know.

The garbage that a freegan discovers as useful is not hoarded or stockpiled, there is no need. There will always be more tomorrow. Every day millions of people stuff their garbage bags with items that they are tired of, was the wrong color, did not fit, tasted bad or for whatever reason.These items could have just as easily been donated to a homeless shelter, Salvation Army, Goodwill or any organization who helps the needy.

A Freegan lifestyle is not entered into lightly. It takes a lot of dedication and hard work to stand up to society for your beliefs. But isn't it wonderful that we live in a country where we can embrace any lifestyle that we choose? I do.