Who are freegans?
Freeganism is a philosophy against the consumerist lifestyle, materialism and competition, operating in a spirit of freedom, generosity, sharing and cooperation. As part of the protest against food waste, its supporters compose their meals mostly from products found in rubbish bins or recovered before being thrown away by restaurants, hypermarkets and vendors at marketplaces.
Freeganism is not an invention or a mindless decision, it is a whole lifestyle. It spread with the growing popularity of ecology. Its supporters are often young, educated people.
Meeting at the container
Ania is a young student of ecology. He doesn’t want to show his face, thinks people say he’s a weirdo just because he can’t come to terms with a consumerist lifestyle.
That’s why I agreed to show you what my life is like. I want everyone to understand the philosophy of freeganism. We just want to change the world in small steps!
Ania joined freegan only in college, thanks to friends from the group. She was fascinated by their philosophy, devotion and selflessness. However, she does not persuade anyone to follow her convictions, but at the same time she would like to be understood and accepted by society. He talks with disgust about eternal competition, stress, corporations, and the policy of managing food by, for example, sumptuous restaurants. Wasting food is what annoys her the most. Not only her, but any person who supports freeganism.
The girl takes us to a specific container, after dark, of course. As he says – earlier we would have been exposed to taunts and criticism. He puts on gloves and calmly, meticulously changes and examines the packaging inside. I was relieved to see that he at least pays attention to the use-by date. We’re back with a full bag, today we managed to find a packet of oyster mushrooms, kefir, carrots (wilted in my opinion) and a can of pineapples. At home, it will be washed, dried and stored in a refrigerator / cupboard. I asked Ania if she was not afraid for her health, she replied without thinking:
No, we know what is good for us. When the food is broken it smells bad and looks bad, I don’t eat it. But a lot of food is thrown away just because too much has been bought. Restaurants, throw away products and meals in perfect condition, at the fair you only need to ask at the end of the day, and you can get a lot of fruit and vegetables that were intended to be thrown away, and you can still use them.
Ania cannot come to terms with the functioning of the present world. I admire her for her stubbornness and determination, yet I have mixed feelings when I watch a young girl rummaging through a container. And is it really safe?
Dangers of eating from the garbage can
What you have to agree with is the growing consumerism and the mindless waste of food. Usable food should not just be thrown away. But is it worth fighting like this?
Freegans do not always look at the use-by date and minimum durability. They believe that they are able to determine for themselves whether something will hurt them or not. They are in part right, but pathogenic microbes can also thrive in food that appears to be ‘virulent’. Just exceeding the deadline marked as ‘Best before’ it is not a tragedy. It indicates the date until which the manufacturer guarantees the good quality of the product, if properly stored. Such achievements as groats, pasta or chocolate can be considered harmless if the packaging is intact and the taste and smell remain unchanged despite expiration.
If, on the other hand, the package has the following inscription: ‘must be eaten by’ you should not eat such a product after the given date. Consumption of it can also be harmful even within the time declared by the producer, if the product is not stored properly. And the ‘desired’ temperature is rarely found in the garbage can. Fortunately, freegans do not reach for meat and fish, being aware of the dangerous consequences of eating this type of stale product. It is also worth mentioning that garbage cans are a hotbed of germs. They even spread very quickly to freshly discarded products. If the product was lying without packaging or it was damaged – infection is ready.
We may wonder if we understand this philosophy, if it is safe, meaningful and appropriate. These people, however, strongly believe that it is possible to change humanity through an individual. Apart from the entire envelope, the purpose of their actions is laudable.
And what do you think about freegans?