Dumpster Diver Dan

 The answer you get may depend on where you ask the the question, or who answers it. On You-Tube, for example, you will find a few snippets from news programs that define Dumpster Diving as recovering food from dumpsters.  This is actually only a small aspect of Dumpster Diving. I think that the news programs gravitate towards this aspect because they consider it to be of shock value and therefore newsworthy. As I have pointed out in earlier posts on this blog, I myself do sometimes recover and eat food from dumpsters. I am not, however a Freegan. Freegans are a group of people who Dumpster Dive for almost All the food they consume. I believe  this is done mostly as a protest against commercial consumerism. Dumpster Diving for food is a valid aspect of the whole picture but does not encapsulate it.

 There are also those who Dumpster Dive to find items for their own personal use, whether furniture, kitchen items, appliances, books or any number of other household accoutrements. Some of these people dive out of necessity to fill their basic needs. Some dive as part of an overall frugal lifestyle, preferring not to pay for some things that they can get for free. Some dive for the fun of it, comparing it to treasure hunting. While these are all valid aspects, they also don’t fully define Dumpster Diving.

 There are those who Dumpster Dive for the financial possibilities. Many items in wide variety of catagories that are daily discarded are still worth money to someone. Having the time to figure out what things are worth and to whom can mean the possibility of a nice part-time income to some. There are even rumors, although I don’t have personal knowledge of, people who earn a nice full-time income from Dumpster Diving.

 There are those who Dumpster Dive for the simple act of recycling those items and materials discarded by others. Some people feel that to reduce the amount of waste that goes to landfills is an activity worthy of respect and admiration. Whether an item recovered from a dumpster is recycled directly (such as scrap metal or currogated cardboard) or is simply repurposed (like turning lumber scraps into a bookshelf or plant stand) the impact of pulling that item from the landfill cycle is definite and concrete.

 What is Dumpster Diving? To me it’s a little bit of many different aspects that when combined offer to me an improvement in financial security, a feeling of  friendship toward my planet, and a responsibility realized of safeguarding the future for my children. Not to mention, it’s fun and I like it!