Dumpster Diving

Dumpster diving involves picking through discarded trash for usable material goods and edible food. Although many engage in this activity solely out of economic necessity, Dumpster diving, as it is used here, is a critical or frugal reaction to the wastefulness of the [Page 107]consumer society. Dumpster diving is the modern-day variant of scavenging but is often done for a variety of political, environmental, and ethical reasons. Dumpster divers, also known as “freegans,” live off the enormous amount of waste produced by the modern world. (“Freegan” combines “free” and “vegan,” although not all freegans are vegans). Some Dumpster dive to protest capitalism and the hyper-consumptive society it produces. Others scavenge because they want to lessen their impact on the environment.

Dumpster diving highlights an interesting paradox of the consumer society: the majority of items taken from the trash or garbage are not trash at all. They are functional, usable, desirable, and often unused. The functionality and newness of so much trash generates much of the protest from Dumpster divers, even though they benefit from the refuse. They point to the excessively wasteful nature of an overconsuming society that often has never used the discarded goods. Usable “waste” finds its way to landfills and harms the environment. Critics claim that Dumpster divers are hypocritical because they benefit from the very capitalist, waste-generating society they protest.

Dumpster diving challenges mainstream environmentalism. The traditional response to the mounting ecological problems society faces is to buy greener (e.g., a hybrid vehicle rather than a sport utility truck). Dumpster diving lessens the human impact on the natural world by not buying anything and by keeping discarded items from entering landfills.

Although Dumpster divers search trash for discarded goods such as furniture, books, or clothing, part of the appeal is finding unexpected items. Dumpster diving can uncover seemingly treasured family photographs or personal diaries, as well as morally dubious items such as unused bullets. Discarded food is also a sought-after and treasured find for Dumpster divers and freegans. Most of the food is slightly bruised or wilted produce, day-old bakery items, dented canned goods, or just-past-expired items. Dumpster divers pride themselves on making gourmet communal meals using everything they scavenged from the trash—including the plates and flatware. They insist there are no health risks as long as common sense is employed.

Successful Dumpster diving is all about location. Urban settings provide the greatest diversity and amount of refuse. Cities have more wealth, and wealthy people throw away more than the poor. The more affluent one is, the more likely he or she is to follow fashion and trend cycles. Thus, goods become obsolescent more quickly and are discarded.

A college dormitory is one of the most popular places to dive. Every year at the same time, hundreds or thousands of students all move out of their residences. The more affluent the university, the greater the chance Dumpster divers will score big finds. Divers can find anything from half-used bottles of liquor to fully functioning electronics. For example, at New York University (NYU), Dumpster divers participate in an annual “NYU Dorm Dive,” as they sift through the refuse of students moving out of NYU's residences. It is a cooperative group effort in which Dumpster divers share what is found. Although the Dorm Dive is a communal event, most Dumpster diving is done alone or in pairs to avoid unwanted attention from security or the police.

...