'I Love Trash': Freegans on Film

Freeganism. Dumpster diving. Full-contact recycling. Scavenging. Dinner. The practice of subsisting on freshly-harvested trash goes by many names. And now there is "I Love Trash", a documentary that attempts to explain to the rest of us why this lifestyle is worthwhile...And perhaps how its proponents avoid getting worms.

"I Love Trash," which may or may not reference the Oscar the Grouch song of the same name, focuses on filmmakers David Brown and Greg Mann as they attempt to furnish an empty apartment entirely with items they cull from the garbage. Using this as a backdrop, they fan out to interview others who live off trash as a lifestyle choice rather than due to circumstance. The film will likely not be coming to a theater near you, but it is available to watch free online and is available for purchase on Amazon. You can watch a preview of the film below.

I've only seen snippets, but I'm already delighted by the way in which the camera lingers leeringly over a succession of Dumpsters, trash cans and recycling bins, almost palpably sizing up their enticing contents -- kind of how I look standing in front of the frozen dessert case at my local grocery store.

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