Everyone who lives in New York knows that it’s a great place to scavenge for free stuff. Finding furniture on the street is a local pastime; I have more than a few friends whose entire apartments are decorated with what they’ve found on sitting on sidewalks. From giant framed Roy Lichtenstein museum prints to stereo equipment to the ubiquitous shelving, you never know what you’ll find on the street.
My personal favorite finds have been, in order: the top half of a male mannequin (I call him Nipples), a receiver for a friend’s DJ setup, a night table, and a brand new scarf and hat with the tags still attached.
The Freegans take the idea of using the unused (a k a "garbage") to the next logical step: food. After spending an evening on one of their "trash tours" (as the group calls them), I realized how much food goes to waste in Manhattan on a given night.
I met the group -- mostly young people who were really experienced trashpickers, and a few newbies, too -- at a pre-determined meeting spot on a weekday evening, in a residential area of Manhattan's East Side that has supermarkets every few blocks. About 15 to 20 people showed up over the course of the evening, including media (a German television station, a Dutch radio program scout, and me). I felt very welcome.
Standing in front of the first supermarket, we gathered around clear plastic bags that were piled on the sidewalk. Apparently the bags we were about to examine were pretty typical of what's thrown out each night at an average supermarket. Before we started, Adam Weissman, one of the Freegan's spokespeople and a veteran trashpicker, filled us in on how to deal with the bags and what to look for.
We started untying the bags, careful not to rip them so they wouldn't make a mess on the sidewalk and could be tied back up later.
As we pulled stuff out, I noticed how most of the different types of foods were grouped in individual bags, making it less messy than a new trashpicker like me would expect. A giant bag of bagels from that morning, still fresh and soft; another of fresh loaves of French bread, raisin bread, sesame rounds, etc. A third bag contained deli extras: wrapped sandwiches, yogurt and cottage cheese (expired that day, so it was fine for another week in my fridge), a full can of selzer, and pre-made packaged sandwiches. Then there were several bags of produce: bok choy, chili peppers, asparagus, organic broccoli, lightly bruised apples, 15 artichokes, about 10-12 lightly browned bananas, packaged fruit (including berries), 10 bags of organic salad mix, and oranges.
When we had piled all the food up on some nearby cardboard boxes, the volume was striking. The group of us couldn't even carry it all, and this was just the first supermarket on the itinerary. Before we moved on down the street, Weissman reminded us that while it was nice to get free food, there were also other reasons for us being there:
This wasted food is an example of an economy where nobody is taking responsibility, and a sign of a system that's not in line with the values of basic decency. We are destroying tropical rainforests that are clearcut so we can grow things like this banana -- and then we just throw it out. These bags are headed to landfills, which are the second greatest contibutor to global warming and people who live near incinerators have higher rates of asthma ahd leukemia.We just don't have a right to use resources in this way. When we spend our money as consumers, we are supporting this waste, and we are complicit in this destruction.
After that sobering speech we moved on to a Dunkin' Donuts, where bags had just been put on the street. At least three full bags of fresh donuts were sitting there; those of us who weren't vegans (many, but not all of the regular participators in the Freegan outings eat no animal products at all) chowed down on the sweet, still-warm doughnuts. As I munched on a cruller, Weissman said, "When we engage in consumer disobedience we are trying to create alternatives. Ultimately, we can create an alternative to this capitalist system."
Disobedience never tasted so good.
The following night the group put together a fantastic vegan dinner made from the food that was found in the trash the night before (see image). It was beautiful, delicious, free and came from the garbage.
If scavanging food is not your thing, the NYC Freegans also hold bike clinics; check out the events page for information on rescuing abandoned bikes and making them rideable again.
Afraid you'll be doing something unlawful if you start picking up goods and food on the street? Nope: trashpicking from the sidewalks is totally legal. There are few dumpsters in Manhattan, so most food is bagged and left for pickup, and the law says that stuff left for garbage is allowed to be taken. Dumpster diving in other areas is subject to local laws and regulations. Check before you dive!
Images courtesy Paul Herbig.
