Right now I'm still in school so I'm not really able to dumpster dive or anything for most of my meals. At events I generally eat or take home the platters that are about to get thrown out. At school if I buy something it's always vegan, and at home with my family I eat vegetarian but vegan when I have the option.

But a lot of times I have free time after lunch when most people are going to their classes. On a good day there are perfectly good unopened and uneaten meals for me to pounce on which my classmates leave behind (and don't come back for) like half a sandwhich, soups, bowls of pasta or some chicken/tofu/beef curry with rice from the cafeteria.

Other times though there are like half-eaten plates and stuff which make me a bit worried about picking up bacteria especially since they've been out for like an hour. I was wondering if it is safe to grab them, pop them in the microwave for like a minute or until the food is quite hot to kill some of the bacteria that might have bred on them, and then eat it.

Hey everyone. I am a PhD student at a university in the USA and am starting some research to compare the activities and ways of life of different groups who reject traditional consumption practices (like freegans!). Specifically, I am using something called pracatice theory, which considers how the actions and beliefs of these individuals structures their worlds (e.g., social interactions, personal values). I've talked to a couple of freegans who I contacted through the freegan info website, but I need to conduct more interviews to get more perspectives. Can anyone offer any advice about how I can reach freegan individuals who might be open to interviewing?

Thank you so much!

i bought this game already on steam, so take my copy.

H97S0C37720FB70085 usethat on gog.com

Everyone I know, usually they don’t know any of my many specific breaks from conformity, either tells me I’m weird or is told they are weird by others. It’s comforting to see I’m not the only one.

But it’s so strange that in my town I have only seen anyone eat something out of the trash twice. Everyone is entrenched in this idea that you just can’t. One person told me I have to stop thinking of it as food as soon as it’s in the trash, but often times people close their leftovers in boxes and/or bags and keeps them clean, and the trash is emptied regularly so it’s all fresh too.

Are we really the weird ones? Even if this isn’t “weird” I dress weird, and move weird, and think weird, and sometimes strangers are afraid of me I assume cause they don’t understand what I’m thinking or what I’m going to do, and I guess that can be intimidating since I’m a tall man…

Hello.

I am a freegan and I always was thinking that it is ethically good as food is not being waisted. Lately, I started reading about biogas and how food from shops which weren't sold are processed into biogas.

​

My question:

Is freeganism still ethicall, when taking food intended for biogas?

And that's that.

I found one in Atlanta that I love! They're a freegan co-op that rescues food from grocery stores, farmer's markets, food pantries, personal donors, restaurants, bakeries, dumpster diving, and then distributes it to people. https://www.freefoodcommune.us/

Do you have anything like this where you are? Or something else?

Is there another sub that’s more popular? I like the questions and discussions on here and would like to find a place a little more active. Thanks y’all.

Hey y'all, I'm wondering if there's any Discord dedicated to Freeganism? I'm in a Dumpster Diving one but haven't been posting as much since one of the mod's decisions rub me the wrong way. And I need an outlet for sharing all my freegan DD adventures. Thanks, enjoy!

Postconsumer food waste, commonly called leftovers, are the majority of restaurant food waste.

If we want more people to become freegans, we need to explore possibility of utilizing postconsumer food resources.

What are your imaginations? How to cleanly harvest postconsumer food waste? What pathogens and contaminants might exist? How to sanitize?

1. Use the Neighbour’s Lawn. In places around the world, people frequently share gardens space with their neighbors. If you’ve been eyeing that nice sunny lawn next door, dreaming of filling it with fig trees and big red tomatoes, what could it hurt to ask? Go on, go over there, bring some seeds and a smile, and ask!I have seen spectacular gardens come together when a group of neighbors with adjacent yards take down the fences between their lots and share the land communally. This doesn’t mean everyone can’t have their own space to do as they choose—only that the natural ecology is allowed to be more fully interconnected, without plants, insects, animals, and natural flows having to overcome fences and other human-made obstructions.
2. Rent a Plot in a Community Garden. Many cities have some sort of community garden program. Ask at the local university, Agricultural Extension Service, or gardening store, or looking up your search engine.
3. Volunteer at a Local Farm or Help Friends with Their Gardens. Most organic farms offer free produce to volunteers, and some will lease you a small plot of your own. This gives you an opportunity to learn from the farmer and access to the farm infrastructure, which includes important resources such as irrigation, seeds, surplus starts, et cetera. Some farms also hire seasonal workers, which can be a great opportunity to spend your summer learning, exercising, and eating fresh produce.If you can’t find a local farm to work with, volunteer to help your neighbors with their small garden. More options usually reveal themselves as new relationships mature, so build community through voluntary interaction and you won’t be without a garden for long.
4. Garden in Pots and Containers. Most annual vegetables are well suited for container gardening. Even a small patio can hold a few planters—get pots out of a garden center dumpster or use other recycled containers such as sinks, bathtubs, wine barrels, and plastic buckets with holes drilled in the bottom. Try strawberries, carrots, beets, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, herbs, and salad greens.
5. Use the Roof. If you lack patio or yard space but have a flat, accessible roof, consider building raised beds or planter boxes on the roof. There are fabulous rooftop gardens in big cities all over the world, with everything from small containers of herbs and salad greens to large planter boxes filled with trees and perennials.
6. De-pave Your Sidewalk or Driveway. Rent a concrete cutter or just get together some friends with crowbars and rip out the pavement around your house. It doesn’t take that much work to convert a driveway or parking area into a garden.
7. Grow Food in the Existing Landscape. We once rode bikes around town with a big bag of zucchini seeds, planting them wherever we saw a gap in the landscaping. Later we saw big plants in some of the spots and harvested some delicious zucchini! I have also planted fruit trees into existing beds in front of local businesses or at the edge of a park.
8. Start a Garden in a Vacant Lot. When the Food Not Lawns collective started our first garden, in an overgrown section of the park, the city didn’t know we were there for almost a year. We got the combination to the gate from a neighbor, cleared out all the trash and debris, and started gardening. By the time folks from the city came along to ask questions, we had a beautiful garden established, and they let us continue to use the space. They even sent park workers to drop off chip mulch once in a while!There are countless examples like this, where people took over an area, grew food, and maintained access for many years. Some of these squatted gardens eventually gained ownership of the land. Sadly, there are just as many examples of gardens that were eventually bulldozed and paved over. It is usually worth a try, and you will probably get at least a season’s reward for your audacity. This and the previous option are often called guerrilla gardening—see chapter 9 for more tips along these lines

As you look for places to grow, ask yourself some important, practical questions: Will you actually go there to garden? Will you be inspired by the surrounding space? Will the plants have an opportunity to reach maturity? Will you want to eat the produce? Grow what you love, what you eat, and what you want to look at, in a space that makes you feel healthy and empowered.

From 'Food Not Lawns'

There are some feral cats in my neighborhood that I started feeding but as an ethical freegan/meegan, that only eats animal products that don’t support the meat industry ( such as dumpstered meat) I feel uncomfortable with the idea of supporting the cruel meat industry by purchasing the cat food as I’ve been doing. As most freegan/ meegans can relate it’s NOT a cost issue but it is to due with not wanting to take part in the animal cruelty or at least keeping my support of it to a minimum. Anyway, about 10 years ago I used to dumpster dive and I would find SO much perfectly edible food. It’s unbelievably sad to find out how much gets wasted!!! Anyway, I would eat some of the meat I found that was perfectly fine. I also gave some to my dog at the time and my dog lived to a ripe old age of 16 !! ….but unfortunately trash compactors have since taken over and finding places to dumpster dive has become increasingly difficult.

Anyway, I’m just wondering if anybody has any suggestions on where I can find meat that would otherwise be thrown away that won’t support the meat industry ( similar to dumpstered meat) without actually dumpster diving? I have been frequenting “salvage food stores” that they have in my area …some of the meat is expired but I’m not fully convinced that buying meat this way is as much off the “supply and demand “ meat industry grid as dumpstered meat would be. I’m wondering if there’s a better option for me? I know cats need meat to be healthy so I am not about to make them eat vegan but like I said, I’d feel better if I also found a way to feed them that is a bit more ethical than what I’m currently doing? Maybe there’s something I haven’t thought of?

Thanks in advance 😊👍😊

Do you think that shopping for food items ( including animal products) in a “salvage/scratch and dent” food store that only sells items that regular stores can’t sell due to the items being passed the expiration date, dented or discontinued is in line with the freegan lifestyle?

Do you think shopping at these sort of stores is similar to dumpster diving in terms of the items no longer being a part of the supply and demand radar?

Thanks in advance 👍👍😊

I think it's a great idea mainly cause you get loads of free stuff and u never have to worry about $$$ problems of course u should still buy the essentials for daily life

I don't know if this is the right place to be asking this, but does anyone know of anywhere in London that would pay for empty aluminium cans or empty glass and plastic bottles? I know it's pennies but it's something I'd like to do.

I have had a look online but haven't really found anything. I know it's a long shot and I appreciate any help :) TIA

I'm really into freeganism and a general low-waste, low-impact lifestyle. Because of that, this Thanksgiving I'm planning on my Tofurky being the only thing I buy for the holiday. The rest of the meal will come from dumpster diving. Gonna go on Friday and Sunday for my final hauls before it...

Everyone else is saying what they're planning to cook, but it's still a mystery to me! But it feels like the anticipation before Christmas morning, just wondering what I'll get.

I'm hoping for butternut squash, brussels sprouts, carrots for the roast...definitely some stale bread for stuffing. But who knows! It might buck some traditions...maybe there'll be a side dish of frozen pizzas?

I'm an anarchist and I'm poor, so I hate buying things! Does anybody know of any place that has a good assortment of tips or a sort of quick-start guide?

...I've never been a fan but I gotta for my vitamins, since they're all the fruit I've gotten for this week. They're just so bitter though! Any advice for improving them? I think I heard some sprinkle them with sugar.

They're called a Voice in the desert. They're a small community of Christian's who do everything they can to live like the first disciples did.

If your interested in checking them out, just type in " A voice in the desert" on youtube.

Any way I'm out.

PEACE!!!

I just got to the city, I've worked many farm jobs and I didn't realize how much I would be buying with the city lifestyle! I'm sick of it after a few days and I really hope I don't get used to it, so are there any experienced freegans who'd like to meet up and teach me? I have nothing to offer but I'm sure you're used to that. Thanks so much!

What would you list this as for sale? It's a wireless phone accessories display that I picked up this morning from a Sprint store. I rather sell than junk it. Probably because Sprint is rebranding as T-mobile stores they gotta make room or liquidate stuff.

I'm thinking it could be like useful for DIY projects or for garages basements or even other types of businesses. https://imgur.com/gallery/9Hkk3Tm

I LOVE dumpster diving but always struggled finding the right tools to ultimately do it right and be truly freegan.. With good supplies it finally became easy. What supplies do you all use on the daily basis?