Into the Bin

by Elizabeth Keenan

Living in New York, it is hard not to notice the people shoulder deep in dumpsters or sifting through trash cans. While many turn a blind eye, finding food in the trash is generally accepted by urbanites as an act of necessity for the homeless.

However, that's not altogether true. In fact, the practice goes by many names. Call it dumpster diving, dumpstering, binning, trashing, garbing, or garbage gleaning, and it is performed by a range of people, not just the needy.

The grotesqueness of vile-smelling trash receptacles provokes scrunched-noses and held breaths, and diving-in probably seems incomprehensible to most, posing the following question:

Who would scour through the garbage other than someone who has no other choice?

The answer will surprise you.

In fact, it's not just the needy going through the garbage. Artists search for materials, like the Haitian artist Guyoda or the “Garbage Queen” interior designer or Carol Tanzi. One guy even packages trash and and sells it online: Justin Gignac.

Organized groups like the Freegans practice  their belief that “almost all work and monetary exchanges within a capitalist economy contribute to a myriad of forms of exploitation,” and organizations like Food Not Bombs seek out jilted but edible food for the sake of feeding people who are hungry and in need, their belief being that the government allows hunger to continue in spite of abundance.

To really understand the deal with Dumpster Diving, The Inquirer interviewed two anonymous “divers” from Jersey City, who shed some light on the world of dumpstering:

Inquirer: What is "Dumpster Diving"?

Diver 1: Essentially, dumpster diving is utilizing anything that would have otherwise gone to waste.

Inquirer: What kind of equipment and planning is involved?

Diver 1: This can range from the spur-of-the-moment opening of a dumpster lid to an hour and a half discussion on how best to elude 'the authorities.'

Diver 2: It doesn't require much planning. A flashlight is pretty helpful for obvious reasons. Lots of common sense stuff like sturdy shoes and clothes you don't mind getting dirty.

Inquirer: Is there anyone of person or group of people that are known for starting dumpster diving?

Diver 1: Since food began to be stored, at the onset of agriculture, and when food was taken from the hands of everything into the hands of a few who distributed it, there have been dumpster divers.

Inquirer: Who dives?

Diver 1: People from every role of society.

Inquirer: What kinds of things do you find?

Diver 1: I look for food, somewhat exclusively, but it’s safe to say if it goes out the front doors, it goes out the back doors in some way or another.

Diver 2: Food is plentiful, but so are things like old books, magazines, even video cassettes sometimes. Nothing surprises me about what people throw away anymore, having seen them throw away perfectly good stuff. I've never found a body or anything like that.

Inquirer: How popular would you say it is?

Diver 1: Not very.

Diver 2: Diver 1 is a curt asshole, but he's right. There is a large stigma associated with dumpstering. Most people, myself included, are totally turned off at the concept at first. They seem to envision the inside of a dumpster to be like a landfill or compost heap or something. Dumpsters get emptied regularly, the trash is always fresh. Any smell is most likely from the dumpster itself, not the trash inside.

Inquirer: Is there etiquette to diving? For example, if you get to a good spot first and someone else shows up, could there be a confrontation?

Diver 1: You cannot 'own' a dumpster. Anyone who says otherwise, employees, managers, or other kids, should be confronted on it. Take what you need and make no apologies for it.

Diver 2: Yes, there are plenty of amicable ways to divide up stuff in a dumpster should people show up at the same time. I've never heard of anyone fighting over a dumpster.

Inquirer: How do you avoid getting hurt or sick from eating found food? Are there general rules of thumb about what you eat or don't eat?

Diver 1: Use your eyes and nose. Never eat dumpstered sprouts.

Diver 2: Like I said before, most of the food isn't actually spoiled. Of course be weary of the things that are supposed to be refrigerated unless it's real cold out. Check out expiration dates. Never dumpster raw meat. Never dumpster cooked meat from an actual dumpster, though trash cans at counter service places usually yield pretty fresh results. (I never dumpster meat, period.) Also, stay away from anywhere that has fish or seafood of any kind.

Inquirer: Are there some areas that are more popular then others?

Diver 2: Bakeries and produce markets are pretty popular because of the quick turnover in their stuff. Obviously cities make for more stuff and it being closer together.

Inquirer: What is diving like in Manhattan? Is there competition or animosity from people who are homeless vs. people who aren't?

Diver 1: I don’t really go to Manhattan.

Diver 2: Me neither, but in Jersey City there was never any sort of animosity. Usually we would wait until trash collection day where the trash would be right out on the street and just walk along Newark Ave. searching for bread and potatoes. The only animosity was when a few people I know were walking through little India and a car full of Indian dudes pulled up and gave them some shit for being in their neighborhood, but I doubt those guys even knew that dumpstering was going on, just some bros with too much time.

Inquirer: What are some anecdotal things you can share about diving? 

Diver 2: I once got yelled at by an employee of a supermarket who turned out to be defending a dumpster filled with cardboard. People are stupid.

Inquirer: What are the legal risks? Are there places that are exempt from "no trespassing" etc.? Are grocery stores and restaurants free reign?

Diver 1: In my opinion, everything is free reign. I’m sick of having to ask permission to feed myself and no store owners or cops will stop us now.

Diver 2: What he said. Technically trash is private property when in a dumpster. But enforcement is the issue, not the law.

Inquirer: Has you ever heard of someone being confronted by a business owner and/or the police while diving? Has anyone ever been arrested?

Diver 1: I’ve been confronted by everyone imaginable more times than I can remember; I was arrested once.

Diver 2: Sometimes cops hassle you and let you go usually. A few times store owners chase you off. Usually nothing serious. I mean, who wants to fuck with someone who isn't afraid of rooting through garbage?

Inquirer: Does diving illuminate how wasteful our society is? Is there a political statement being made by people who dive who don't necessarily "need" to do it?

Diver 1: It’s hard to develop a critical understanding of this economic system, scarcity culture, and the current social order if you haven’t seen the inside of a dumpster.

Inquirer: There are quite a few websites and message boards about diving; is there one in particular that spawned the popularity?

Diver 1: Though I love most of the people who run it but hate what they have to say, freegan.info is probably one of the most popular.

Inquirer: Any other areas of this topic that is important to acknowledge?

Diver 1: In anticipation of what you may have otherwise heard: dumpster diving cannot and will not save the world. Dumpster diving depends on the current social order to remain a viable source of food and pulling things from the trash and eating it is in no way, shape, or form a threat to a culture that destroys the earth and the human and non human animals that inhabit it.

(Schlock from *nathan's flickr stream; Dumpster illustration from okta'lonli's flickr stream; Eat Your Heart Out from married to potatoes flickr stream.)

Comments

[Oscar]

Nice article! I don't have anything else to add - just wanted to say this was an interesting read.