I want to be a freegan, but it may not be too easy...and not for the reasons you might think.

For those of you unfamiliar with the term, "freegans" are a growing number of people who are taking conservation and recycling efforts to the next level: they reclaim a shocking amount of perfectly good food, household goods, clothes, etc from the dumping grounds of our wasteful, throwaway society. In short, among many other things, freegans are dumpster divers. More on freeganism:



I wasn't a stranger to the concept of dumpster salvage, having "rescued" some perfectly serviceable toys, furnishings, and decor items in my day that were destined for the garbage man. But food and items tossed out by stores? I'd only heard of this recently, and just this week my husband and I got a real itch going to try our hand at something a bit more daring than thrift shops, freecycle, and craigslist. We wanted to go "freegan."

Our goals: to reduce impact on the environment, minimize our financial contribution to a consumerist society that encourages harmful production practices and throwaway mentality, and share a communal spirit by helping others join in and offering food to local charities, friends, and any who wanted it. And certainly, I won't deny any money saved on produce and other household needs is a major plus as well.

Our quest began with research, done by punching up every video, web site, and article we could find on the subject. We were a bit surprised to find our so-called environmentally conscious state of California rather underrepresented in the freegan community, but inspired by what we saw overall. Armed with a little knowledge, a flashlight, and a happy sense of conviction, we took a baby step step into a larger view of world consciousness.

Freegan Expedition 1

More of a recon than climb-and-grab, we quickly discovered just WHY this blog began with the statement, "it may not be too easy..." and possibly why California isn't the huge freegan mecca we expected. Hitting a number of local stores just after 11pm, we found our little town armored quite well against any with the audacity to reduce waste and help the hungry. Our findings:

Store 1: Trash bins enclosed and locked
Store 2: Completely enclosed, internal mechanized garbage containment system, trash deposited via chutes from inside the store.
Store 3: Same...however, a separate exterior dumpster had one boon: the world's largest roll of Saran Wrap, perfectly clean.
Store 4: Trader Joe's: Same as store 2.
Store 5: Warning notices posted everywhere that salvage and trash gathering is prohibited, violators prosecuted within an inch of their lives and yadda shmadda
Store 6: Ah, finally. Dumpsters separate from the building, piled with an obscene amount of wrapped baked goods like Van deKamp's. Just one problem: several patrol cars parked line-of-sight at a nearby gas station. It was decided that it was better not to risk being seen rooting for goodies.

We'll continue our trek, though we obviously aren't in downtown New York or another such place where items are often bagged and set out with a wink and nod. And while freegans freely "share" advice about what stores throw out what goods and when, we haven't been able to locate any in our area yet. Maybe we'll have to become Those Freakin' Freegans for OUR town!

What do YOU think of freeganism? Ever saved a lamp or chair from the garbage? Dived for dinner? Know any in Southern California? Let me hear from you!

Stay tuned for more updates as our freegan adventures continue...