How to Be a Freegan

• by Tracy C.

Introduction

• According to their collective website, freegans "are people who employ alternative strategies for living based on limited participation in the conventional economy and minimal consumption of resources."¹ Some freegans make this strategy an entire way of life, choosing to become squatters in abandoned buildings and hopping trains instead of relying on cars for transportation. Others try out freeganism for a while to see if they can effectively reduce their impact on the planet and learn new habits in the process.² Whatever your intention, the key to being freegan is to reduce waste and take advantage of the resources available to all of us if we looked past our nearest supermarket. Whether you abide by all of the advice below or not, following just one step will help minimize your personal waste and show you how to live more simply.

The Basics of Being Freegan

(Creative Commons photo by shaners becker)

• You may be wondering what it means to be a freegan. Below are some of the basic rules that freegans try to live by; you may want to modify this list according your personal circumstances and goals.¹

1. Freegans eat a vegan diet, meaning they eschew meats and animal products.
2. Freegans rely on others' waste for food, whether found in dumpsters or leftover anywhere. (Now the term "freegan" is making sense, right? Vegan + free = freegan.)
3. Freegans may also forage for wild plants if they are outside an urban area.
4. Freegans try to minimize waste by taking advantage of community networks like Craigslist and Freecycle to avoid buying anything new.
5. In turn, freegans are conscientious about recycling, reusing and re-distributing their own belongings to others who may need them.
6. Freegans may go so far as squatting, hitchhiking or choosing not to work in order to remove themselves from the cycle of capitalism.

Step 1: Dumpster Diving

(Creative Commons photo by Cassio Abreu)

• Otherwise known as "urban foraging," dumpster diving is probably the activity most often associated with freegans, sometimes giving them a bad name.³

1. Freegans scour dumpsters behind supermarkets, schools, businesses and residences for food and other useful goods still in great condition.¹
2. In 2005, those living in the U.S. produced 245 million tons of waste, so it's only natural that plenty of that can be salvaged for use.⁴

How to Dumpster Dive

1. Learn the specifics of urban foraging, including health and safety and even how to feed pets with what you find, before diving in.⁵ The following tips are offered by Freegan.info.⁵ (Keep in mind that Freegan.info is not a medical body. Follow their advice at your own risk.)
   1. Don't actually dive into a dumpster. You don't know what's inside.
   2. Bring anti-bacterial lotion and a basic first-aid kit with you when dumpster diving.
   3. Do not eat meats, eggs, dairy, cut melon or unpasteurized juice found in a dumpster.
   4. Never eat from cans that are bulging at the seam.
   5. When in doubt, throw it back.
2. Dumpsters behind stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's are the most popular. According to frequent foragers, both stores often toss out food that is still fresh.⁶
3. Seasoned freegans often will lead tours for newbies, teaching them how to dumpster dive effectively. Try finding a tour near you on community sites like Meetup.com.⁶
4. To watch video of dumpster diving and the meals that followed, check out Freegan Kitchen.⁷

Where Else to Find Food

1. Freegans have created a group called Food Not Bombs, which is a network of collectives that recover food and distribute it to the freegan community. If a supermarket is going to throw out bread that's past its shelf date, for example, it might donate it to a Food Not Bombs group, which will pass on the bread to its members.⁸
2. Find a Food Not Bombs group near you by using this database.⁹
3. Note that not all freegans are vegans—if meat is going to go to waste, some freegans will eat it instead of allowing it to sit in a landfill.⁴
4. If you work in an office where co-workers often bring in food or celebrate milestones, keep tupperware handy so you can take home leftovers.¹⁰
5. Other freegans make use of community gardens to find food or herbs to spice up existing meals.⁶

Step 2: Relying on Your Community

(Creative Commons photo by rusvaplauke)

• Freegans find more than food in the dumpster (they often find goodies to furnish apartments and wardrobes), and they also rely on their communities to find what they need.

1. If freegans can't find what they need using their "one man's trash, another's treasure" scheme, they share with each other, making use of many online communities and organizations that allow them to trade items.¹
2. New York City is a particular haven for freegans, especially due to all the universities and frequent apartment switches. Freegans on dumpster dives in the city have found desk lamps, paintings, even fully functional iPods.⁴
3. Freegans have set up a number of locally-based free markets in cities like San Francisco, New York City, Philadelphia and several others. See their list of free markets to find one near you.¹¹
4. You may want to set up a swap meet near you, even just among friends and family who will be thrilled to clear out their closets.¹⁰

Resources for Freegans

• Freegans make use of various online resources to barter and get together for swaps. These include:

• Craigslist
• Freecycle
• Meetup.com
• Eventful.com
• Free Stores
• The classified section of your local newspaper

Step 3: Opting Out

(Creative Commons photo by Nick Johnson)

• Most freegans cite their distaste for consumerism as a driving force in their lifestyle. Often, freegans are working professionals, even doctors who are simply tired of accumulating waste. To that end, freegans often go beyond salvaging for food to remove themselves from capitalist culture.¹²

Transportation

1. Freegans don't think buying a hybrid car will solve the earth's problems. They take things a step further.
2. Freegans often hitchhike, take public transportation, walk or bike instead of relying on cars.¹
3. Freegans are big cyclists. Learn more about community bike programs often organized by freegans that may lead you to a free bike and lessons on how to repair your bike.¹³
4. Freegans were also active in the biodiesel movement, as they fueled cars on alternatives like veggie oil.¹
5. Look into SpaceShare to find shared rides to events.¹⁴
6. Check out Mahalo's guide on How to Carpool for more advice about ride-sharing.

Reducing Living Costs

1. Who actually wants to pay rent? Many freegans choose to live with family or move between friends' places.
2. Other freegans have given up their current digs for more modest ones, ideally foregoing a hefty mortgage.⁶
3. Some freegans also become squatters. Squatting consists of occupying an abandoned building for a temporary period of time.¹¹

Voluntary Joblessness or Working Less Often

1. Many freegans opt to work less once they are able to find food and other necessities for free.¹
2. Freegans may choose to volunteer or take care of loved ones once they have ceased working or cut back on hours.¹
3. Freegans generally try to escape the cycle that is working to pay for things they don't need, so they can "take control of our lives, and escape the constant pressure to make ends meet."¹

Step 4: Reducing Waste

(Creative Commons photo by ItzaFineDay)

• Reducing waste not only allows you to green up your life and community, you'll be a more conscious consumer.

1. Freegans are "scrupulous about recycling," and they also compost and are certain to find a new use for any good they no longer need.¹
2. Freegans take part in community gardens and even "guerrila gardens." To learn more about developing these types of gardens, see the Freegan.info page on gardens, which lists resources for how to find a garden near you.¹⁵
3. See these Mahalo guides for thorough advice on reducing your waste:
   • How to Recycle
   • How to Compost
   • How to Compost with Worms
   • How to Carpool
   • How to Conserve Water
   • How to Have a Green Christmas
   • How to Have a Green Wedding
   • How to Go Green and Save Money
   • How to Go Green in Your Kitchen

Conclusion

• Becoming a freegan will certainly take discipline and patience, but if you learn how to make use of others' waste, you'll be saving money and saving the planet simultaneously. Make sure to check out Newsweek staff writer Raina Kelley's journey into freeganism for thirty days to see how she fared and what she learned (don't skip her last post, on Day 31!).² Why not dive in and see what you can find?

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References for How To Be a Freegan

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9} Freegan.info: Strategies for Sustainable Living Beyond Capitalism
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Newsweek: The Freegan Experiment
3. ↑ Urban Dictionary: Freegan
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2} The New York Times: Not Buying It
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} Freegan.info: Urban Foraging
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3} The Los Angeles Times: Free Lunch Foragers
7. ↑ Freegan Kitchen: Gourmet Meals from the Dumpster
8. ↑ Freegan.info: Food Not Bombs
9. ↑ Food Not Bombs: Contacts and Meal Times for All Known Food Not Bombs Groups
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1} U.S. News and World Report: 4 Easy Ways to Be a Freegan
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1} Freegan.info: Free Markets
12. ↑ Oprah: How Far Would You Go?
13. ↑ International Bicycle Fund: Community Bicycle Programs
14. ↑ Spaceshare: Less Cars. More Community
15. ↑ Freegan.info: Gardens