People nowadays are not bothered much with the amount of wastage created. They work, spend, trash and buy again. It is a cycle that seems unavoidable and reasonable for them to waste. But a group of people that call themselves "freegans" think they have found a way out. They scavenge instead of buy, volunteer instead of work and squat instead of rent. But there's a catch - to live off the grid, they have to eat out of the trash. So, what exactly are freegans? What is their philosophy? What do they practice? Most of all what do you think about them after getting to know more about the freegans?
The existing group have its own philosophy. The freegans are usually driven by their anti-consumerist beliefs. The freegans believe that consumerism destroys the environment and degrades society. Furthermore, they also believe that deforestation, factory farming and unfair labor practices are a natural result of a profit-centered culture. They resist electronics upgrades and changing fashions. Moreover, they repair what they already own and trade items among themselves. Many of them use their spare time to volunteer, campaign for pet issues, teach repair workshops and, of course, scavenge. They also believe that society relies too much on oil. Some freegans convert their cars to run on biodiesel. Others walk or bike when possible.
Most freegans live in cities where trash is high quality and plentiful. New York City, with its density and wealth, is practically the capital of freeganism. Because freegans tend to concentrate in urban areas, most practice urban foraging. Freegans look for furniture or bags of clothing on curbsides, electronics in office dumpsters and food behind grocery stores and restaurants. They usually establish a routine - a set of dumpsters they visit weekly or even daily. Many learn when trash goes out and when dumpsters are unattended.
Many people critise freegans. There are advantanges and disadvantages of being a freegan. The advantages of being a freegan is that, one could prevent further pollution on the ecosystem, reduce the sum of cash spent on goods, and lessen the amount of food waste. Then again, being a freegan provides a negative image to the country, creates problems for supermarkets and presents a greater risk of developing health related illnesses. When there are tourists visiting a country and when they discover the existence of freegans, they might have a negative impression towards the country. The tourists might consider them as unhygenic and aggresive beings that are involved in risky behaviors. Thus, they will have negative impressions of the country, assuming that the country is unsafe to visit. However, freegans do not post threats to any authorities. Instead, they are the green rangers on mother nature. They often give to charities and minimize the usage of any items that could possibly damage the environment. The acts of freegans actually bring awareness to the public that there are too many wasted items that can be used. Therefore, being a freegan is actually not a bad thing.
Even though the scavaging of foods in supermarkets might create problem for the supermarket, the freegans are determined in their actions. Many stores discourage freegans because they are afraid of lawsuits from divers who get sick from discarded food. Thus, this worrying matter is often a problem faced by many stores. Although sell-by dates items discarded by the stores provide a general idea of when food will go bad, they are not safety dates. Therefore, freegans are not worried about diving through the garbage to hunt for food. By practising the lifestyle of freeganism, the amount of money spent on goods is greatly reduced, because freegans recycle and reuse dumped items by mending them. Furthermore, the practice of freeganism could reduce the money spent on garbage disposal services. Isn't that beneficial for the stores and the governments?
Lastly, food in dumpsters is contaminated by bacterial. It is said that the cause of most food-borne illnesses, can happen at any point: at harvest, during shipping or -- surprise -- while sitting in a dumpster. It is a fact that bacteria multiply most rapidly in the danger zone between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. However, many freegans claim they've never got sick from properly cleaned and cooked scavenged food. All they need to do is have the knowledge to hunt the food in a proper manner. For example, by only selecting food that are wrapped.
In conclusion, even though the idea of freeganism may sound unpleasant to many, they actually bring benefits to the country. The freegans do not harm the environment or splurge on unecessary goods and foods. Therefore, being a freegan is not a bad idea after all.
