Document Actions
Freeganomics
Making meals and living on society’s trash
Story Vanessa Brunner
Photo Illustration Thomas Martinez
Video Dumpster Diving and Sustainability
Since childhood, most of us have been taught that trash is gross. But in a time when our world is sinking under tons of discarded Ziploc bags and plastic bottles, we find ourselves forced to look at trash not with disgust, but as potential.
“Freeganism” is a lifestyle that practices this new mindset to an extreme. Freegans use other people’s trash to boycott the current economic system, where “the profit motive has eclipsed ethical considerations,” according to freegan.info. Despite this extreme statement, it’s possible to be a freegan without diving head-first into a trashcan.
• Ask your local grocery store manager about the store’s policy for recently expired food such as yogurts, juice, or eggs. Also ask for produce that is slightly damaged, such as bananas, apples, pears, and others that easily bruise and are often discarded. Most stores just throw these items away and would be happy to turn them over to someone else.
• Check behind grocery stores for supplies of day-old goods. Some bakeries toss loads of day-old breads, bagels, and muffins into the trash — many of which taste slightly stale but are totally edible.
• Wander around university campus neighborhoods at the end of spring term and take advantage of the smorgasbord of goods tossed out onto the sidewalk. Microwaves, couches, desk chairs, televisions — if you can name it, it can probably be found somewhere around a university area come June.
An economic statement doesn’t have to be extreme to be effective. Easing into it, implementing basic ideals, and leaning toward the middle of the spectrum can all make an impact.
