Freegans display their findings out-
side a grocery store on 6th Ave.
Reporting and photography by Timothy M. Meinch
New York City--Every other Monday night, around 9:30 p.m., an eclectic group of frugal, environmentally-conscious New Yorkers gather in Manhattan and hit the streets with their cause: urban dumpster diving.
“My entire outfit, with the exception of my shoes and socks, is from a dumpster. All this was free,” said Annie Deng, wearing a like-new Ralph Lauren dress, black leggings and a blouse. “I don't have a credit card and the last time I used my checking account was for taxes last year.”
Deng, 22, is one of the organizers of New York City's largest group supporting freeganism, Freegan.info. The group promotes resourceful action and consciousness against the tendencies of consumerism and capitalism in the United States.
One of freeganism's defining practices is dumpster diving for food, which is the freegan's way of taking advantage of what they consider to be the flawed system of capitalism, while exposing its shortcomings.
“I had no idea that people throw away food in such quantities,” freegan Marsha Hinds said at a freegan get together in Harlem, remembering her first impressions after joining the Freegan.info group for trash tours.
The group's biweekly meeting consists of organizing communal feasts, preparing for a monthly free market, sharing and discussing literature and planning the next trash tour.
Immediately following, the group welcomes and informs newcomers with a Freeganism 101 session, a 30-minute question and answer meeting for anyone interested in the movement, before setting out on the trash tour. Deng said newcomers must learn proper dumpster-diving etiquette: always retie trash bags, don't rip bags, keep tidy and promote community by sharing all salvaged goods.
“Then we have a trash tour where we go around the neighborhood and shift the locations around the city and explore different stores and then look at the trash.”
During each tour, the organizer chooses one prime location, such as a Gristede's or C-Town supermarket, to make a display on the sidewalk. Then, the organizer or guest speaker gives a speech, reminding the group of their cause, before dividing up the food.
The display draws passersby, most of which are intrigued by the sight of about 20 people picking through trash on the street. Those interested in the movement receive a flier, with information about freeganism and the effects of excessive consumption and waste.
“I've been a trash picker for years,” 46-year-old Hinds said, referring to her dumpster-salvaged wardrobe, furniture and books in the '80s. “I just went on my own.”
She said Freegan.info introduced her to the phenomena of salvaging food and now she is hooked.
“I haven't had to buy eggs for six months now,” Hinds said, then paused and listed other foods she no longer buys because of the mass supply in the trash, “Milk, butter, meat, sausages, chicken and produce.”
Freegans say many stores throw away food just because the expiration date is approaching or the item is slightly damaged or bruised. Nevertheless, on every tour they find quality items that are perfectly good and make no sense to throw away.
Deng said she no longer pays for any groceries and has been salvaging food for two or three years, without ever getting sick.
“What's the difference between that same food sitting in a black bag on the curb than that food two hours ago sitting in the store. It's probably like 20 meters away and now it's in an extra layer of protection,” said Deng, an international studies student at the City College of New York.
For Deng, being freegan simply means being intentional and conscientious about consumption, waste and its dangerous affects.
“If you declare yourself a freegan, it's not like being a vegetarian or vegan and you really need to stick to it,” she said. “It's basically just using the resources you can tap into and to try to focus on your needs instead of your wants and not be misled and used by advertisers trying to make money.”
The group says there is no special creed or fixed rules a freegan must live by, but simply embrace an intentional lifestyle that makes proactive decisions for the good of humanity and the planet.
“Free food is just one aspect,” she said. “Are you conscious of how your spending is affecting the world? If you are, then totally you're a freegan, even if you don't go to dumpster for your food.”
Some of Deng's most memorable finds include a pearl necklace, silk scarves, lots of books, plants, notebooks, functioning electronics such as printers and computers, furniture and a bag of Couture clothing, including a black dress with the tags still on it.
When Deng organized and directed the last Freegan.info trash tour, Monday, June 21, she salvaged a mahi-mahi fillet..
“I think my diet has diversified so much more since I've been getting my food out of the trash. When you buy your own food, you eat what you know, so you're less likely to explore and to buy the really expensive stuff. I mean, I would have never purchased a mahi-mahi fillet if I had to spend money on it,” she said.
The social networking site, Meetup.com, currently lists 19 official dumpster-diving groups promoting the freegan lifestyle around the United States, with more than 3,400 active members. The 862-member NYC Freegan Meetup is the second largest of these groups worldwide, behind Frugal Vegas, representing 1,091 members.
For more information on freeganism in NYC, go to www.freegan.info online or visit www.meetup.com/dumpsterdiving-4 to join the group at their next meeting and trash tour
Freegans rummage through trash bags outside Jefferson Market on 6th Ave
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