|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 9:23 pm
PiercedPixie2 sunsetsmile PiercedPixie2 pirhan I read about this in the paper a few months ago. This is not a lifestyle I would do willingly. Unless it's in an unopened jar, or package, I would not take it. I unfortunately fall into the taboo of "in trash = is trash". I just have this fear of other people's germs and icky things. Items, however, are a whole different ball park. I've never bin dived myself, but I do go to second hand/thrift shops often. Back in the day when I lived on the farm, we would get huge garbage bags full of baked goods to feed to the chickens, ducks and geese-ies. I would not do it either willingly, i am FAR too OCD sweatdrop I dont think i could clean or peel the food enough to where i could eat it. As for bin diving, thats my dad. He eats around the mold on the bread, so bin diving is nothing for him. He has no shame. I felt that way too, Pixie---the first time he came home with all this stuff in the truck, I was horrified! Then, when I realized that there was several hundred dollars worth of cheese, etc., all still perfectly packaged and cold, I was amazed, then almost angry at the waste. It seemed ridiculous, and it was. I knew that this was the same stuff that people paid full price for an hour before, and nothing had changed in that hour except the ownership of the food. So we shared it, stored it, ate it. And didn't feel one bit bad about it. And neither did the people we shared it with. Well if its packaged then it would be okay. But if its like fruit and veggies..i just dont know.. Its not that i look down upon it, i just dont know if i could XD Woohoo, lots of discussion on this topic XD You know, you can just look in a dumpster and see what you think. The dumpster police are not standing there saying "You looked! You have to take it now!" It's not the same thing everyday, I'm sure some people just pitch stuff in and make a mess----but everything that has come here has always been clean, even all the produce for the birds---it was, after all, just taken off the refrigerated gondolas, put in boxes, and taken to the back of the store so that new stuff could go in its place. I know I was really surprised. I couldn't dive at a restaurant. But I have heard of college kids pooling their money and offering all their pocket change to fast-food restaurants for what they have left at closing time. It would all go in the dumpster, otherwise. To me, that's kind of in the same ballpark. I'm sure we've all walked through a huge store and wondered where everything went that they didn't sell. The truth is that most of it is just wasted. Looks like it could at least be composted, if someone didn't want it . I truly do not mind extravagance. It's waste that really ticks me off.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2008 11:10 am
My husband and I were talking about this, and he said that the reason they started crushing and baling stuff was because people were getting things from the dumpsters, fixing/cleaning them, and reselling them. Of course this didn't apply to the food---in that case, anything that hadn't hit the sell-by date they just cleaned and resold.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2008 1:31 pm
sunsetsmile You know, you can just look in a dumpster and see what you think. The dumpster police are not standing there saying "You looked! You have to take it now!" I'll have to remember that next time. Great advice!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 9:59 am
OMG, I love freegans. I don't think I'd willingly forget about all the opportunities I have now to become dependent on what people throw out, though. If there is ever a point in my life where I can't support myself without being a freegan, than I'll be a freegan, and I'd like to think I'd enjoy that.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 10:46 am
Yummy Ukulele OMG, I love freegans. I don't think I'd willingly forget about all the opportunities I have now to become dependent on what people throw out, though. If there is ever a point in my life where I can't support myself without being a freegan, than I'll be a freegan, and I'd like to think I'd enjoy that. It was never a matter of need for us, more a matter of not wanting to see things wasted. We have more than enough room here to grow whatever we need, and have always shared it---back in the day when the produce, etc., came by the truckload, it just gave us more to share. We had both had a hard time at times, first out on our own, and just wanted to make it easier on people when we could. And I'm NEVER gonna turn down free power tools!!!! rofl If I'm a collector of anything (other than art supplies), it's TOOLS!!!!! 3nodding
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Sep 28, 2008 3:25 pm
lol, i thought this was going to be about vegans who eat non-vegan things if they're free and/or going to waste.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2008 4:40 pm
I like the concept and idea of freeganism, but the though of actually dumpster diving makes me squeemish. confused
There is that social conditioning that anything in the proximity of trash is somehow tainted, nevermind inside a dumpster!
On the otherhand I have taken home old food from jobs where it's hit the expiration date and is getting thrown out. I had to explain to a coworker once that just because it's the expiration date doesn't mean that whatever is inside the package magically turns to mold and dust. It's still good and edible as long as it's sealed and is eaten within a few days of opening.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 11:59 am
I ate a cookie out of the trash one time. But it was on top.
And I got in trouble. sweatdrop
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2008 7:51 pm
Not only have i eaten freegan meals, but I've got lots of freegan friends!
They're called college students, and you'll see them sitting behind tim hortons at 3AM waiting for the garbage bag with the donuts in!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2008 12:19 am
Being a trainee-health care professional, and having endured long and tedious lessons on infection control, I would never be able bring myself to eat freegan style, unless I would literally starve otherwise.
The taking of items is a different matter, but I would still only take items that I could clean to my satisfaction.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2008 7:40 am
A friend of mine is doing this out on the west coast. He squats and dumpster dives and he won't even eat animal products if they're free. He does just fine, too, because people are just so friggin wasteful. He says most of the stuff he gets is absolutely fine, fresh and everything.
I dunno about restaurants, but I'm pretty sure all the grocery stores around here guard their trash jealously. When I worked at a grocery store we threw everything in the baler and smushed it. And when I decided to liberate the stale pastries, they fired and then fined me . crying Fired for stealing trash. Sigh.
It's amazing how well you can live on other peoples' cast off stuff though. I hardly ever buy anything new except food and like, underwear. People feel they need brand new stuff every season so the thrift stores and curbs are overflowing with nice things.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 28, 2008 4:39 pm
I will always stop and grab something out of the dumpster or out of a trash pile if I see something I like. I have gotten furniture, books, plants, toys, all kinds of interesting things this way. Food, though, I have not gotten out of the dumpster. While I am not going to say I won't do it, because if I needed to and knew of a reasonably safe place to get it I probably would. However, I am a bit germaphobic and very happy to be able to afford to buy enough food to support myself. As for the waste, the grocery stores I go to tend to mark down food when it is getting close to the expiration date, and I frequently find bargains like 90% off on the day a product is expiring- and the mark-down tables always look pretty empty by the end of the night.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 28, 2008 7:22 pm
 This is some of the stuff my husband has found in the dumpster at work the past 3 weeks. The cats love to sleep in the breadbox, and the yellow table is from the 70's, all solid wood and weighs a ton. It's gonna be good. Okay---he just came in from work, and he's taking the truck tomorrow----there's a 3/4 size guitar, a saddle blanket, a wood silverware box, and entire whiskey barrel coming. Tonight he brought home a basket, a new extension cord, a wood carving, and a camping cot on the motorcycle. A guy he works with is taking home 2 big, solid wood bookcases. You just never know what's there. Don't be afraid to look!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 8:12 am
I prefer to grow my own food rather than take it out of the rubbish, but I have no problem with other people doing that. I do have a problem with people who also resort to stealing things.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 11:16 am
I never could understand why anyone would want to steal anything, either. I've had my house burglarized (twice), and been robbed at gunpoint in my own house. Good grief! If you need/want something that I have that badly, just ask me for it!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
