Freeganism "Dumpster Diving"

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Who would have thought that people would resort to “dumpster diving” as a means of filling their bellies? It turns out freeganism, dumpster diving, is the result of years of protest against big business and is a logical way to help reduce consumer waste.

Freegans are people who “use alternative ways of living based on limited participation in the conventional economy and minimal consumption of resources” (What Is A Freegan? 2008). Freeganism is the “summation of multiple ideologies and movements, and is a total boycott of all economic systems” (What Is A Freegan? 2008). Freegan strategies include “waste reclamation, waste minimization, eco-friendly transportation, rent-free housing, going green, and working less” (What Is A Freegan? 2008).

According to the Freeganism Documentary, every year in Britain “seventeen to twenty million tons of food is wasted, and that twenty million tons represents one third of all food in Britain” (Hull 2009). “That one third of food would be enough to feed thirty million malnourished people around the world” (Hull 2009). In an experiment, Hull teams up with three British freegans named Paul, Ulrike, and Alan to better understand freeganism. The three British freegans have dedicated their lives to fighting waste by using as little money as possible and living almost entirely on wasted food (Hull 2009). They estimate that eighty percent of their food is from waste. They also do not receive any money from the British government. Paul, Ulrike, and Alan also “go out on the street and talk about freegan ideas to anyone who will listen and give them literature on the subject, and their motto is ‘living on less’ ” (Hall 2009). Within the experiment, Hall spent a week as a Freegan and he did it without spending any money on food or help from friends of family. On night one, he dressed up in all black for his first food bin raid. He found two bags of rolls, a box of grapes, a small package of veggies, two gas station sandwiches, and a...
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