Freegans, Treasures and a Pot of Gold

Freegans, Treasures and a Pot of Gold

I have yet to touch on the subject of Freeganism, an anti-consumerism movement which advocates alternative living with limited participation in the conventional economy and minimal consumption of resources. Although Freeganism, a portmanteau for vegan and free, is most often associated with dumpster diving for food, it is not limited to food foraging. It also encompasses recovering and reusing materials found in the skip. I have referred to this in the past as treasure hunting.

Last August, I wrote about a neighbourhood treasure hunter, a very young-looking 65-year-old woman by the name of Joyce. I ran into her again on Friday morning in the park. She set down her bags on a park bench, and we had a chat about her philosophy on recovering and reusing the preloved.

As I stated in my post last summer, Joyce collects mostly cans and bottles for the deposit money, but what she really likes to uncover are magazines and newspapers, which she passes along to a hairdresser who then passes them on to his clients with reduced mobility in seniors' residences. Although she gave me a few general ideas about what she discovered, I was curious about the specifics and her motivation for treasure hunting.

"I'm 65 and with all the changes in technology, I gave up on trying to find work. But I hated sitting around and doing nothing. That's how people get sick and old." she said.

Joyce's neighbours often put in requests for things they need. Recently, one neighbour told her that he needed some tupperware. Within a few days, she had found some.

"Do you ask them to pay for what you find?" I asked.
"Of course not. That wouldn't be right," she said.
"But you're the one who did all the legwork to find it," I said.
"No, I enjoy finding things that people need and then giving them away. It's true what they say, 'give and you shall receive,'" she said.

I sensed that Joyce had something more to tell, but I could see that she felt slightly ill at ease. I wanted to find out what what she had received, but I could wait. I told her that she could be a Freegan, a concept that she was acquainted with. Our treasure hunter said that she didn't forage for food and made it abundantly clear that she was not poor. Joyce did not see herself as a Freegan, but instead a good samaritan. She enjoyed giving her treasures away to those who needed them most. I felt that I had my opening now.

"So what's the best treasure that you have ever found?" I asked.
She took two steps closer, and her voice dropped to a whisper.

"Someone had moved, and they had left a pile of things outside on the curb that had hardly been used. I found two Lagostina pots without a scratch on them, a new Sony radio and a beautiful leather purse, which someone had thrown out because the lining had come unsewn. Can you imagine?!" she said.
"Inside was a smaller purse that was brand new. It looked like a gift that someone hadn't liked. The style was too young for me, but I'd find someone to give it to. When I got home, I pulled out the smaller purse and showed it to my husband. He opened it up, unzipped the side pocket and found an envelope. We both looked at each other in disbelief. I opened the envelope and inside I found 500 Euros or the equivalent of $600," said Joyce.

That was quite a reward for our good samaritan, but somehow I wasn't surprised by the discovery. In recent years, I've seen all kinds of valuable items hastily thrown to the curb, and it seems that they're being thrown away because the owner can't think of anything else to do with them. Anyway, it makes me feel better knowing that there are people like Joyce saving things from becoming landfill.

Freeganism is a solution to protecting our resources. I'm not suggesting that people dumpster dive for food, but it might be a good idea if we all  considered what we really need before we buy.

Reader have you ever picked something up curbside? Please tell us what your best find was.

I'll go first. In 1993, I found a colour TV and a top loading VCR. Both were very heavy, but well worth the haul, and they suited my post-Master's financial situation.


A must read:
50 Freegan Lifestyle Habits for the Jobless

Other green-related posts
The Environmental Working Group Updates its Dirty Dozen
Organic Produce Too Expensive or Unavailable: Meet the Clean 15
Mom Activism: A Reply from McDonald's Canada
Living Downstream by Sandra Steingraber

Here's a funny video about a UC San Diego biology prof, a freeganist of 30 years, who shows some students how to dumpster dive. (2 min 30 sec)

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Plateau Mont-Royal Treasure Hunter

Plateau Mont-Royal Treasure Hunter

Last Saturday morning, as I was unlocking my bike, I was approached by a woman who asked me if she could look for cans and bottles in our recycling bins. I have seen this woman on several other occasions, usually on the weekend, and I've always been curious about what she finds.

"Be my guest," I said.

I continued to look in her general direction, as I put on my cycling helmet. She sensed this and sheepishly asked me if I thought there was something wrong with what she was doing.

"On the contrary," I said, "I'm pleased that someone finds some use for these things."

Then my curiosity got the better of me.

"What exactly do you find?" I asked.

"You wouldn't believe it if I told you," she said. "I find clothes, magazines, toys, even jewelry, and they're all in perfect condition. I find magazines like Wallpaper and Architectural Digest that cost more than books."

Then she told me that magazines are one of the things she likes to collect. She apparently has two 80-year-old neighbours whom she gives the magazines to. One of these neighbours then takes them to the neighbourhood barber who, in turn, takes them to a seniors' residence where additional reading material is greatly appreciated.

"That's wonderful," I said. "I'm so happy to hear that so many people are enjoying these things."

"You'd never know that we're in a recession," she said. "People from Outremont (a wealthy Montreal neighbourhood), and the people in this condo complex throw out a lot of perfectly good items."

"People often buy things they don't have room for, so they end up in the recycling," I said before saying good-bye and riding off.

I wanted to ask our treasure hunter more questions about the things she finds, if she sells them, how much she gets for them, etc, but I didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable. These questions could wait until I saw her the next time.

This short but insightful chat got me thinking about a number of things. For one, this woman was finding clothes, toys and jewelry in our recycling bins. These three items are supposed to be taken to the City of Montreal's Eco-centres, and if they are put in recycling bins they go straight to landfill.

You may recall that my husband and I found soiled clothing in our recycling bins last Christmas, and in light of what our treasure hunter had just told me, this problem sounds as though it's fairly widespread. Is it because our fair city has not made it clear what can and cannot be recycled? Or is it because residents don't have the time or can't be bothered to take their old clothes, toys and jewelry to the Eco-centres?

People often mistakenly believe that if something is "recyclable" that it will be recycled. This is just not the case. Each Montreal borough Web site posts a list of all the things that can and cannot be recycled. I've checked, and clothes and toys must be taken to our borough Eco-centre. However, I'm sure most people probably don't know where the closest Eco-centre is. I admit, I don't. I take all our old clothes and toys to a charity for battered women.

Anyway, our treasure hunter is doing a lot more than earning a little extra cash. She is performing a vital public service. Not only is she extending the life on a number of items and helping others, but she is also unwittingly collecting some valuable information about people's habits. It might be a good idea for the City to hire someone like her to get a better picture of the shortcomings of our recycling and waste disposal systems.

For a list of the Eco-centres, their addresses and phone numbers, click here. (French only)
For a list in English of what is accepted at the NDG/Cotes St-Luc Eco Centre click here.

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