Last week I was reading Robert’s blog on Water Heater Conservation when I came across the article on dumpster diving. Little did I know, there is actually a term for this called freeganism. Wikipedia defines freganism as “an anti-consumerist lifestyle whereby people employ alternative living strategies based on “limited participation in the conventional economy and minimal consumption of resources”. There are other ways we can cut down on how much we consume by getting used things rather than new. One website called freecycle offers a place to post ads for things you want to get rid of as well as a place to look for used things within your city. Read more about freegans on Oprah’s website.
I’m all for “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” but actually dumpster diving for it is where I draw the line in the sand.
I had heard of the freecycle site before and think that is a far better alternative to dumpster diving! You can trade items and you avoid having that “wonderful” dumpster smell on your newly acquired items. Not to mention it is a more sanitary route….
Man I was dumpster diving behind K-mart one time and I found this half eaten sandwich from the cafeteria. It was a ham on sourdough but I couldn’t pass it up. Only had 2 or 3 ants on it and it still smelled alright.
Then behind Longs I found an perfectly good tester bottle of Jovan Musk for men. Perfectly good! Why do people throw this stuff away? Man! Just goes to show you never know what great little jems you’ll find as a freeganist.
Loyd, please tell me you are joking! I don’t think dumpster diving is a very good option for finding used items that could still be good, but I don’t mind looking online or even consignment shops.
Craigslist is also a version of this. I’m not sure they actually realized it when creating the site, but it’s a great place to find recycled goods at a cheap price.