Eating Vegan Is Nothing Next to Eating 'Freegan'

on July 29, 2011 at 3:35 PM

dumpster dive Think going vegan is the ultimate ethical food lifestyle? Think again! If you truly, selflessly care about planet earth, you'll go Freegan. In other words: dumpster diving for your food. Hundreds of able-bodied, college-educated people are taking their ethics to the garbage and pulling out dinner. Oh yeah, if you really want to go green and give the finger to The Man, you've got to go deep.

Freeganism is an alternative lifestyle "based on limited participation in the conventional economy and minimal consumption of resources," according to Freegan.info. Do you know how much perfectly good food Americans throw out every day? Freegans do, and your waste makes their lifestyle possible.

Judging from this Freegan's journal, dumpster diving can make for some surprisingly healthy eating. He makes a fresh veggie stew that will last him 4-5 meals, pizza with fresh mozzarella, and oatmeal and fresh smoothies. And Freegans will have you know they are tidy when they dumpster dive; they're not there to make a mess of anyone's garbage.

Reading about Gio the Freegan today was perfect timing for me. Yesterday I cleaned out my freezer and refrigerator, throwing out some ancient Popsicles no one liked, 2-year-old liverwurst (from the freezer!), a small cabbage that turned out to have all these funky-looking spots, bread heels, mystery sauce, and a shriveled wasabi root. Imagine the Freegan meals!

I always feel guilty when I throw away food. Always, always, always. When you look at the total calories the world produces, we actually have enough food for everyone; it's just that a lot of food gets wasted (that and wars/corrupt leaders get in the way). So I try to buy only what I really think I'll use and I compost as much as possible. I don't feel guilty enough to go Freegan, though.

Still, I think Freegans and I are on opposite sides of the same coin. Freegans love food too much to tolerate its waste. I love food too much to waste calories eating something I don't love.

So Freegans, please stop by my apartment when you're hungry. I've got some perfectly good but slightly stale tortillas and some beet greens to share.

What do you think of dumpster diving?

Image via Luana/Flickr

About the author Adriana Velez

is a staff writer who dabbles in food, parenting, news, entertainment, molecular biology, and anything else that that pops into her head. She lives with her husband and elementary school-aged son in Brooklyn, land of urban farms and artisan everything.

Filed Under: trends, vegetarian, eco-friendly

Comments (29)

GlowWorm889

on Jul 29, 2011 at 3:44 PM

It may work for them, but I wonder how many of them have come down with a bad case of food poisoning after their "healthy meals". Yuck. I'm all for not wasting food, but not to the extent I go digging around in the garbage.

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Nonmember comment from me

on Jul 29, 2011 at 3:54 PM

I saw this on tv once. also my SIL does this. I know I was at target the other day and they were throwing away perfectly good bananas (I'm assuming they were too ripe). From what I've seen most people are going to grocery stores and stealing things like packaged lettuce. It's all still viable. The stores can't even donate it because of liability. so they sell it.

Lulu_B

on Jul 29, 2011 at 4:16 PM

My husband has definitely caught grocery store workers about to throw away some fruits and veggies and convinced them to let him take them (they're not technically allowed to do that). They were absolutely fine--maybe not as pretty and a little more ripe than those in the store, but still yummy!! And they were almost a complete waste!

UneVieChic

on Jul 29, 2011 at 4:47 PM

The thing is, if you shop at a local grocery chain instead of a bigger one, a lot of the time you can make deals with them to pick up the overripe produce to use. I've never tried it (because it's just bigger chains around here) but know others who have with great success.

JHanc968

on Jul 29, 2011 at 6:12 PM

Not for me.... I don't like to waste but....

tntmom1027

on Jul 29, 2011 at 7:53 PM

UneVieChic... I agree, there are many stores around here(montana) that sell its "old" produce for cheap to get rid of it and not waste it.

jenny08_1015

on Jul 29, 2011 at 8:26 PM

I wouldn't call myself a freegan, but I dumpster dive. Less than I used to, but still. I mostly go to college campuses at the end of the semester and find not only food, but other useful household items. Mostly things still in packages. I've never gotten sick. I haven't bought dish shop or razor blades in years. I've made some fantastic finds.

Zamaria

on Jul 30, 2011 at 12:53 AM

Well, if you catch it before it actually goes into the garbage, I'm all for it! I can't stand waste! But I won't eat anything that has been put in a bag or dumpster with garbage. Just can't do it.

cleanaturalady

on Jul 30, 2011 at 10:43 PM

More power to them if that's their thing.

Facebook comment from Jasmine Mitose

on Jul 31, 2011 at 10:18 AM

i used to dumpster dive at a bakery that would throw out all of the day's leftovers at 6pm. all of it!!! my old roommates and i would be there at 7 when everyone had left & there was so much stuff...all of it fresher than the same bread that was sold to the local grocery stores! we'd find bags of pastries too & the really funny part? they had one dumpster for food & one for trash! all of the food was bagged up too...how could you not take it? that place fed a lot of 19 year olds hahahaha