Dumpster Diving (freeganism) - How To Eat From Dumpsters

Freeganism (freeganism, free and vegan) is a lifestyle that denies the cult of consumerism. This movement is also known as dumpster diving . His followers eat from garbage cans and rummage through garbage containers . They are not homeless, and they are not unemployed. Many of them work as teachers, engineers and mechanics, live in their own houses and apartments. The philosophy of dumpster diving despises gluttony, greed, extravagance, conformity. Freegans are consumers of the necessary minimum, which includes in their menu food products that are extremely important for life.

Sources of Freeganism

For the average person, the garbage can seems like the last place to find lunch. Maybe it is a source of food for a homeless person, but most will still agree that it is just disgusting.

It's a completely different matter in the States. Of course, there are also homeless women who don't mind rummaging in the trash . But also quite young and successful people can be seen near the garbage containers . Dumpster diving ( freeganism ) arose at the end of the 20th century as one of the types of radical vegetarianism. And although vegetarians do not eat meat, freegans left a loophole for themselves: you can eat meat if you got it for free.

Later , freeganism split off and became a separate movement, and freegans began to look in garbage containers not only for food, but also for other things: furniture, clothes and household appliances. Freegans collect all this from garbage cans not because they are poor, but because for them it is their philosophy and lifestyle.

The organization Food Not Bombs, as well as the anarchist group of street artists Diggers, which existed in the 60s in San Francisco, fundamentally did not buy food and did not use paid social services. According to Bob Torres, a professor of sociology at St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York, the freegan movement has become popular because of growing public frustration with the failures of the neologism mainstream. Torres points out that greens don't always think about how many natural resources are needed to produce the natural, sustainable products they consume.

The ideology of Freeganism

Freegans do not recognize monetary relations. If they find some non-food item in the garbage , they exchange it at the flea market. Experienced Freegans know where to get fresh produce. In addition, they are always ready to share products and things with others.

Freegans contrast themselves with consumer society. Therefore, each of them should be generous, selfless, and content with the necessary minimum. The goal of their entire movement is to minimize their financial support to corporations and stop the globalization of the world economy.

Usually, the places where freegans find their food are the containers of supermarkets, restaurants and cafes, or high-rise buildings. They do not touch the garbage cans of private houses, as well as the garbage cans near hospitals. Freegans do not climb into closed areas in search of food, do not leave garbage behind (even on the contrary, sometimes they clean there), and try to leave garbage containers in good condition so that others can also find something for themselves after them. It should be remembered that freegans care about their health and the health of their friends. They disseminate information on how to distinguish spoiled products from normal ones, which products are better not to take - in general, how to eat from the garbageand not get sick.

There are several basic sanitary rules for dumpster diving . First, get only those products that are in plastic bags or in undamaged packages. Secondly, in general, do not take perishables - dairy products, meat and fish. The last rule is to thoroughly wash all the "catch" at home. Although digging in garbage cans is not the cleanest business, it is better to treat dumpster-diving places with respect: close the lid after yourself and do not scatter products on the ground. Otherwise, the supermarket will hang locks on the containers, and breaking them will be considered a violation of the law.

There are many local sites where freegans share information about where and in what mode the tastiest dumpsters work . Sometimes there can even be a description of which trash can fans of exotic cuisine should look into, at what time garbage is thrown out in one of the most pathetic restaurants, which establishment has the richest selection of discarded products. This is a kind of culinary guide for those who walk through the dumps . In addition, there is even a site that teaches how to cook delicious dishes from food found in the garbage .

Proponents of this movement believe that dumpster diving is a reaction to wastefulness. And to a certain extent they are right, you only need to look at the garbage cans of houses after the New Year, filled with bags of completely unspoiled products that people bought in excess and did not eat during the holidays. The passion for cooking, as well as the cult of food, leads to the fact that people stop understanding the value of food and money. And freegans know how to use food wisely. However, they do not promote their ideology and do not impose it on anyone.