Quote Originally Posted by Billionfold
How does dumpster diving help others? Do you give the food and stuff you find to other people who can't afford food? In that case, I am even more against the idea. Why not just go buy FRESH stuff to give away, instead of scrounging through a dumpster for it? I'm sure if they've no other way to get stuff, the people you're helping can go dumpster dive for the same half rotten apples or potatoes.
yes, i do give away the majority of food and dry goods I find, mostly to Food Not Bombs, thought they usually only take food that has been directly given by a company, or to freecycle or to local trading networks.

i do this because it makes me feel better knowing that in a society where we produce, consume, buy and want much more than we actually need and use, i am helping to reduce the amount of perfectly good, useful items that may end in a land fill, that someone worked hard to produce. waste not, want not. not everything that ends up in the trash is actually trash because. we are so disconnected from the actual means of prouction when it comes to the products we buy.
take a book for example, first you need an author who toils for months and years to write a novel, get it edited by an editor who makes a living from this, find a publishing company that hires people to publish books. the paper in that book comes from companies that hire people to cut down trees, take them to a plant where other people work to create paper. these people earn a living from cutting down trees and creating paper. someone is hired to ship that paper, from a company that works hard to transport and maintain it, more people making a living. then somoene takes that paper and prints it and binds it in a book, more people making a living. then that book is transported by more people to more retailers. those retailers work hard to sell you that book, make a living. then somehow that book which took thousands of men and women, thousands of dollars, thousands of man hours, ends up in the trash. paper, people, money, labor, trees, the hopes and dreams of the people working to create a seemingly disposable book are lost. reclaiming that book takes back everything that these people worked for.( now the rub is the money that is lost in the process of reclaiming the book, it was free for me. that's one of the flaws of merchantile capitalism, but thats another thread (inject controversy here).) anyway, would you rather see that book in a landfil, not serving the purpose it was so tediously created for, or would you rather see me, a dumpster diver, making use of all the man hours that went into that book???? the same goes for food. WASTE!!!! we live in a capitalistic, disposeable society. i'm tired of it and I am making my contribution, though small, to fight waste.


thanks those of you who see the logic behind this. it's not so much about being poor. i am certainly not. i come from a white, surburban middle class family that always provided me with the things I needed. I do it because it's all circular. I give away about 70% of what I dive, the rest i consume, cause thats what these things were meant for.
diving is fun, too. after most dives, my friends and I usally hit the bong or boxed wine. its a great way to bond and build humility, to experience the end of the consumer spectrum, which is so very often hidden. guys, trash isn't so scary. if you can;t get out of your comfort zone in your plush little worlds of security and apathy, I am glad I can. trash is inevitable, but we can do something to resuse and reduce it and help people and the world in the long run.
it's not for everyone, you aren't abligated to do anything about these problems I see everyday. I am a hardcore activist, if you havent noticed. someone has to do it. and I am willing and ready to fight and work towards a goal. if it grosses you out, thats your problem. until we can stop our bad habits of over consumption and depletion of resources, I will keep diving. it makes me feel good, its a lot of fun, and it is indeed helping a broad specturm of people.
if you dont agree, stay home and keep wasting. i'll be there to clean up after you slobs.