Freegans are a modern anomaly. They rail against the corporate welfare state, but could not exist without without society’s waste. They will not buy cars but will hitchhike since it does not incrementally “add” to environmental destruction. Freegans will buy only used items, and then only rarely, but will dumpster dive behind offices, schools, groceries, bakeries, schools, residences, and retailers.

The stated motives are noble:

1. Limit participation in the conventional economy.

2. Recycle, or “freecycle” and reuse all the products society discards.

3. Leave the smallest individual environmental/carbon footprint you can.

4. Do not eat meat (“free” + “vegan”) or use products (leather jackets, makeup) which are the result of animal abuse or testing.

5. Forage for food instead of buying to avoid being wasteful consumers.

6. Use human transportation – feet or bicycles.

No one doubts that we, as Americans, discard millions of tons of good food and other products each year. Landfills climb and get nicknamed “Mount Trashmore”.

When the U.S. maintained military bases in the Philippines, hundreds of Filipinos lived off the garbage dump at Subic Bay Naval Base. I remember discussing the issue with the Mayor of Olongapo at an Embassy cocktail party. That is the type of situation that will drive freegans into the streets. We sipped Scotch and wondered what to do about the dump.

What I wonder about freegans – and what I imagine if the question they get asked the most – is why would you eat out of a dumpster by choice? Dumpster diving or urban foraging seems best left to the guys living under a bridge.

I can understand people who come by my suburban house on bulk trash days to look for working and discarded TVs, DVRs, carpets, computers, appliances, furniture, cabinets, and other large items that can be used or resold or cannibalized.

At least once a year, I go to my Mother’s attic and garage to throw out tons of useless stuff. I have no interest in a garage sale or Craigslist or eBay. I will just the stuff to Goodwill or the Salvation Army for resale, or trash it. The guys who check out my trash are resellers. Freegans would use the items, give them away, or trade at a “freemeet”.

Our throwaway culture does encourage us (via advertising) to replace good, clean, safe goods with the latest model. In the economic downturn, you do see people holding onto cars longer, and really wearing out clothes before replacing. For freegans, this is only a feeble first step not likely to continue if the economy gets better.

In the past, freegans tried various boycotts to force manufacturers to be more ethically responsible – to no avail. No matter what they did, it’s impossible in a global system for someone’s ox not to be gored. The freegan answer is to live as close to an ascetic lifestyle as possible.

Freegans often run in packs (groups) for safety and practice strategies for living based on sharing resources, reducing and recycling waste, and minimizing environmental impact.

I don’t mind if individuals wish to adopt a freegan lifestyle, but I do get tired of the smugness. Freegans are like religious true-believers, maybe worse. Anything short of full commitment will cause TEOTWAWKI.

The “free” market the freegans dismiss actually brings about change by choice, not force. For example, freegans hate automobiles and burning fossil fuels. Will their actions stop it? Of course not. People in the U.S. are not switching to bicycles. Why not? Suburbs, safety, and car love.

If you live outside of NYC, you own a car. We are a Route 66 nation. If you tried to bike to work in most cities, you will be mowed down by our crappy drivers before the end of the month. Suburbs could not exist without cars. Sure, we could give up cars – if we close all the malls, McMansions, tract houses, strip shopping centers, and gas stations. But it’s not going to happen in my lifetime. Get over it.

I’m not much attached to stuff, but not for freegan reasons. I believe that physical assets like cars, houses, boats, pools, motorcycles, and land – things that must be maintained and serviced on a regular basis at great expense – should be sold. The best asset protection strategy is to have no assets. No one can take what you do not have, not even the IRS. Rent, don’t buy. Use, not ownership.

When it comes to housing, freegans get downright retro socialist or communist. Freegans believe housing is a right, not a privilege. Squatters are morally superior to property owners. One thing squatters will not do is improve the property.

Wikipedia defines the commons as:

“The commons is resources that are owned in common[1] or shared between or among communities populations. These resources are said to be “held in common” and can include everything from natural resources and common land to software.[2] The commons contains public property and private property, over which people have certain traditional rights. In some areas the process by which commonly held property is transformed into private property is termed “enclosure”.” ~ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_commons

As sweet as this sounds, we as humans are greedy and act in our own self-interest. Hence, the “tragedy of the commons”:

“The tragedy of the commons is a dilemma arising from the situation in which multiple individuals, acting independently and rationally consulting their own self-interest, will ultimately deplete a shared limited resource, even when it is clear that it is not in anyone’s long-term interest for this to happen. This dilemma was first described in an influential article titled “The Tragedy of the Commons”, written by ecologist Garrett Hardin and first published in the journal Science in 1968.[1]” ~ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy_of_the_commons

People will naturally use up public resources first, and save private resources for personal use. Socialism always fails without an outside motivation such as common family support or common religious beliefs. People are greedy. WIIFM.

I agree with freegans in one important area. We should all work less. Most individuals work long, hard hours to pay for toys they don’t need to impress people they don’t like. The sacrifice of our time, and easy credit, to earn more to pay the bills for useless stuff is at the root of our economic crisis.

While I hope that all humans can have full stomachs, roofs over their heads, and meaniful occupations, it’s not my job to provide it. I can’t. Freegans can’t. Collectivism leads to coercive governments and force, something freegans would rail against. It all comes down to individual action to “burn down the freaking mission” and do the best for your family.