“DUMPSTER LANE”
Would
you Dumpster Dive for your meal?
Does the word “Freegans”
sound familiar? What about “Freeganisim?” No? Let’s move to “Dumpster Diver!”
If you haven’t heard any of these terms before, I want you to walk with me down
a road I like to call “Dumpster Lane!” Not as romantic as it sounds! What you
thought you knew about eating from a trash dumpster will blow your mind and
make you think twice about food!
Let’s talk about a
Freegan! Some may call them “Hippies” or “New Agers!” Dare I say extremist or fanatics?” Fregans
are defiantly accustomed to terms like these! So what is a Freegan? In a
nutshell, a Freegan is a person who reclaims food that has been dumped by a
store or restaurant by retrieving that food from a store’s dumpster bens. Yes!
You read right! Freegans believe that way too much food is wasted in America.
They want to do their part by NOT buying from restaurants and grocery stores!
Instead, they DUMPSTER DIVE! Now we get to the fun part! How it all works is
that a groups of Freegans usually wait until a particular grocery store or
restaurant is about to close and then march badly to the store’s dumpster
that’s usually located outside in a dark alley or the in the back. They then dive
in and begin their man hunt for food. What kind of food? Mostly fruits, vegetables
and breads! Some Freegan can find anything from unopened organic juices to a
cartoon of eggs. Fruits and vegetables as well. (And by the way, Freegans are
vegans or vegetarians). The
number one rule of a Freegan Dumpster Diver is not to take more than you need.
And they are very neat in their food diving practice. They make sure to clean
up after dive. “Leave it cleaner than you found it!” Another Freegan rule! If
you think all of this sound simple enough, then you’ve delved a little into
the dumpster diving world yourself or you’ve never been near a dumpster! The
smell alone can send you back a few feet! I personally don’t even like to touch
my garbage can! Even less, a huge dumpster! But Feegans consider what they do a
personal protest against the laws that have been established. A duty of sorts
to show American politicians those enormous amounts of perfectly good produce
is thrown out on a daily basis!
The dumpster diving process sounds very simplistic in its own
way. You meet up with your fellow Freegans at let’s say, “Trader Joe’s” (one of
the most wasteful grocers according to some Freegans). You break out the flashlights
and sticks or whatever you’ve decided to bring with you and you dive in or poke
around the dumpster. You take what you think is worthy and move on to the next
dumpster. Sounds like a plan! But we can’t forget the laws! Oh! You didn’t know
about those? In some states if the dumpsters are on store property, then you
are NOT allowed to take anything from it. It’s considered stealing! Yes! Taking
food that’s going to a waste field of garbage is illegal! Why? If you become
ill from that tomato you took from Trader Joes’ dumpster, you may decide to sue
Mr. Joe. Or if you die, from that infested tomato, your loved ones may try to
sue. It’s all so…American! But this does not stop a Freegan from dumpster
diving! No Sir! Some dive daily or weekly without getting arrested or fined.
Some establishments frown on these protestors, while others allow them to dive.
Here in my hometown of Houston, a law has been established to protect dumpster
divers. They are legally allowed to dive in dumpsters without penalty. Of
course there is that private property thing. But as I said, most places will
turn a blind eye to these Freegan citizens. Mostly because they are peaceful
and neat. Who really wants to be the guy to arrest a person that cleans up a
dumpster when they’re finished?
I wanted you to also
keep in mind that Freegans aren’t the only ones who Dumpster Dives. So who else digs around in dumpsters that don't necessarily have to? Well established professionals who make
more than enough money to buy groceries. Some are just people who want to save
money on food! They put on their hard hats with that little light on it, lace
up those work boots, put on those gloves and dive in for dinner! They may find
foods like steak or ground beef. Maybe bread that’s about to expire or has expired.
According to Dumpster Divers there are buried treasures to be found under all that
garbage. Yes! That engineer that works with you may get his dinner from a
dumpster. It’s becoming so common in America that establishments have gotten
quite use to seeing all kinds of people roaming around in their dumpsters at night!
Anyone who knows me
knows I’m about saving money! But getting food from a dumpster? Not for me! I
get that Americans are EXTREMLY wasteful! Beyond wasteful! But I just
don’t have the skin to go into dirty dumpsters where rats and roaches have been
crawling around! And I’m pretty sure they’ve been crawling on the same food that
Dumpster Divers are packing away in there sacks. One has to also keep in mind that
restaurant and grocery stores are heavily penalized and can even get shut down
if they don’t throw away certain foods. All it takes is one person to become
ill and in no time at all, that restaurant or grocery store will be out of business!"
So if you’re looking for a way to save money on food, you
could go down “Dumpster Lane!” It’s certainly not for the weak! And I truly commend
those who fight the good fight! But the question is, would you Dumpster Dive to
save money?
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