The word freegan is a joining of the words “free” and “vegan” (Kurutz, 2007) . Freegan’s, for the most part, are people who find different ways of living in protest of the worldwide economy and also partake in trying to limit their consumption of resources, they also adopt shared goal against what they call “A society based on materialism” as well as trying to encourage people to live life with goodness and decency (Freegan.info, 2008) . While the word vegan is part of the term “Freegan” freegans are not bound to the vegan diet meaning anything they do recover they can eat (Thomas, 2010) .
By recovering the goods that are thrown away into rubbish bins and dumpsters, goods that freegans say are safe (Freegan.info, 2008) , freegans have often been called dumpster divers. Dumpster diving, or skip dipping if you dislike Americanisms, is the practice of recovering food and other items from bins or dumpsters. There are also other common practices employed by freegans. For example, co-operative living, which is where people live together in the same residence and share the expenses and duties. Other examples would be freecycling, which is when one individual passes an unneeded item onto somebody who has use for it (Freecycle.net, 2011) as well as curb shopping which can refer to anyone who has picked up an item from the roadside and put it to use (Curb Shopping, 2008) . Curb shopping is very common at the end of University and college trimesters, when many students find it cheaper or more efficient to leave things behind rather than cart them home with them. Freegans have also created markets called “Freemarkets”, during these people come together to swap or trade their items that are no longer of use to them, but may have uses for others. (Freegan.info, 2008) . This practice also happens at “freestores” and on “Freecycle”.
Freegans claim that there is a difference to what they do oppose to being a scavenger. However, a scavenger as defined by Google dictionary, is somebody who “who searches for and collects discarded items” (Google Dictionary, 2011) . While freegans employ this technique and fill this definition they however, state that due to the “throwaway culture” (Freegan.info, 2008) we live in. They are merely reducing the garbage pollution on the world.
Although freegans are sometimes called scavengers and are also often criticized for it being a rich person’s lifestyle choice (Eco Knight, 2006) , they are also criticised for removing resources, such as food, clothes and shelter that could be used to support poor or homeless people. There have also been claims that because freegans advocate shoplifting and employee theft, by saying that because they are stealing your time it is okay to take their stuff and that it is just cheaper. Freegans combat this stance by saying that it is a “direct attack on the store selling the goods, not the produce … always let your conscience be your guide” (Freegan.info, 2008) . Vegans, part of the freegan name, criticise freegans for it being a label or pretension (Word IQ, 2010) .
While some consider dumpsters to be dirty and disgusting, others use them to find what they say is a pile of treasure and other endless resources. Dumpster Diving can also provide some with meals, entertainment and for some it is a way of helping to reduce waste thus making themselves feel better about the community they are residing in (Corbett, 2010) . As Dumpster diving can be a messy and smelly procedure there are certain etiquettes that have been put in place to make the process easier and more hygiene friendly. For example, it is advised that people partaking in dumpster diving clean up after they have finished, that you don’t cross fences or no trespassing signs to reach dumpsters, you leave peoples confidential records and you only take what you can or will use (Willhite, 2011) . There is also an etiquette for curb shopping, always check the local laws to see if it legal, wear gloves and protective or old clothing and only take what you need or can use and if you are unsure as to whether something is trash or not, just knock on the door and ask politely (Huffstetler, 2008) .
Although the law about dumpster diving is vague it can be, in some places, against the law. Theft, as defined by the 1968 theft act is dishonestly obtaining property that belongs to another person (Parliament of the United Kingdom, 1968) . Freegans however, state that because the items are abandoned by their owner and no longer hold value to them, it is no longer theft (Thomas, 2010) . Abandonment is described as one person leaving possession and having no intention of putting another in its place (Pollock & Wright, 1888) . Because reclaiming items through dumpster diving or curb shopping doesn’t include money changing hands and a legal transaction doesn’t take place, questions over the ownership can arise (Thomas, 2010) . However, when there is a dumpster near “no trespassing” signs or fences you can be ticketed. For example, the police have been known to ticket for littering or disorderly conduct (Freegan.info, 2008) .
The most common area for dumpster diving is in the bins of retail stores, supermarkets and restaurants. In Britain it is estimated that in 2005 17 million tonnes of food was dumped by the larger supermarket chains this is because it is “cheaper and easier” (Inside Out - Yorkshire & Lincolnshire, 2005) to dispose of it rather than donate it. This is because food is often wasted when it is, out of shape, bruised, dented, out of date, past its sell by date or even when food is merely surplus (Martin, 2008) .
It is this, wasted, food that freegans say could help feed the poor and hungry (Freegan.info, 2008) . As of 2010 there are 925 million hungry people around the world (World Hunger Education Service, 2010) with 578 million in the Asia – Pacific region alone. It is estimated that each year, 5.4 million tonnes of food, that is still edible, is thrown away in British households (Skidelsky, 2009) . Freegans say that they are out to challenge the fact that the basics of life food, clothing and shelter are being wasted (Freegan.info, 2008) . Since 1974, the food waste produced in America has increased by 50 percent and that approximately 40 percent of all food produced in America is wasted (Humphries, 2010) .
It is because of all this waste that freegans say we live in a world where people are only out to create profit and that people are influenced by advertising telling them to replace goods that might be working fine, with new ones. Freegans forage because they say that it avoids being wasteful consumers themselves and to “politically challenge the injustice of allowing vital resources to be wasted” (Freegan.info, 2008) and to reduce the waste in landfills and incinerators.
Critical Discussion
Whenever I think of going through bins for food I immediately think of the health implications involved. As dumpsters are not the most user friendly environment I found it difficult to fathom why people would eat food that came from them. However, throughout the essay and during the research proses I discovered that there is much more to being a freegan than just eating out of bins. Squatting, considered by most to be a disrespectful way of living is advocated and even encouraged by the freegan movement (Freegan.info, 2008) , while many squatters may ruin the houses they live in most freegans will do on to revamp the house or even turn it into a community centre.
When it comes to the argument, freeing the world of freeloaders I find it hard to give a definitive answer as it is very difficult to find material that is in opposition to freeganism that isn’t just my own opinion. However, I believe that freegans are trying to free the world of waste and are protesting the global economic system because it is their belief that things like shelter, food and clothing is a human right and therefore we should not have to pay for them. However, swayed people might become by this argument of “being free” it will always, in my opinion, be an unreachable one. It is also my belief that many freegans are well educated individuals with high paying jobs that could afford these things but choose not to.
Word Count - 1387
Reference List
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