Freegans/Dumpster Diving

I first became aware of this concept when watching "Secret Lives of Women" on WE tv. They did a segment on extreme diets, and they profiled a woman who is a Freegan in NYC. Here is a story on Freegans in Boston-
http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2009/12/for_local_freeg.html?comments=all#addComm

I think we have to start to consider this kind of waste in a country where there are families who have developed such incredible need as a result of the economy....I think there has to be a way for stores to better manage the inventory that is destroyed at the end of a weekend....JMO.

I started a thread on this awhile back

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=85000&highlight=freegans

It's not for me, but I have no problem with anyone doing this. To each his own, etc.!

Apartment complexes are the best places to dumpster dive.

I've seen queen pillow top mattresses and box springs, vacuum cleaners, couches, chairs, lamps, etc. all just tossed in or near the dumpster.

I would never take a mattress, but I did snag the vacuum cleaner I saw one time. I guess if you are comfortable sleeping on a used mattress that someone set in a dumpster (perhaps cover it with some type of barrier to avoid any nastiness or find a good cleaner?) then apartment complexes are the place to go.

I wish that those people would donate their things to the salvation army instead of being lazy and throwing it away. So many charities have free pick up if you are giving things away.

When it comes to food, there ain't no way I'm taking it from the garbage.

I would second the idea of apartment searching. When one of my neighbours died her husband threw out everything that belonged to her. Perfectly good furniture and all her stuff. Said he hated her and good riddance to everything.

Freeganism in its full realm is not just about dumpster diving... it is a movement that has an underlying dark tone that not only teaches frugality through things like dumpster diving and freecycling: but also condones shoplifting and squatting... some of the most devout freegans see working as something not good, and some of the most extreme followers tend to think it is their right to live off of those with money. This info can be researched...

I was invited to dumpster dive with my ex husbands brother and girlfriend. Ummmm . . . tempting . . . THEY were awfully excited about it. At the time I was a nurse manager running a chemical dependency hospital. I just couldn't resolve the conflict :blush: