Have you ever thought about dumpster diving?

Do you think the only people who dumpster dive are homeless or super poor? Well, there's a whole subculture of people out there who don't fit those stereotypes. They're called "freegans" and want to make the world a more sustainable place.

Laura is a dumpster diver. In Laura's world, few things go to waste and that's the way she wants it! She dumpster dives for food, goods discarded from local thrift shops and even plants! She then uses the items in the course of her daily life or resells the objects she can't use.

You'll come away with a whole new opinion on dumpster diving after listening to this episode!

We also chat about...

how to turn wilted greens into farm fresh eggs
regenerative practices
socially responsible investing

Enjoy this chat with Laura, and please subscribe to us in iTunes if you enjoyed it!

Show notes and links from today's episode

Imperfect Produce
Vicki Robin
Laura's email
Laura's awesome blog

Key takeaways from our chat with Laura
1 - Laura is not the typical dumpster diver
She says most people she sees dumpster diving appear to be far worse off than she is. She started dumpster diving when she was making a decent living in DC, so definitely not someone you would think would dumpster dive.
2 - Dumpster diving = thriftiness
It's not limited to just food in the dumpsters behind your local grocery store or Chinese restaurant.

Laura also dumpster dives behind local thrift stores. Christmas decorations, clothes, books and more are all things she finds overflowing from the dumpsters.

Americans have so much stuff, even the thrift stores can't keep up and chuck stuff they don't have room for. Local, independent thrift stores are the best for this over Goodwill or Salvation Army who are so big they have things like trash compactors.

Laura takes the things she finds, uses what she can, and flips the rest on eBay, making
3 - Laura has multiple streams of income

renting a room to a tenant
dumpster diving
backyard nursery

While she's not a numbers person, the world runs on money. She owns her own house outright, so the rental income covers the minimal expenses and leaves plenty left over. The dumpster diving provides the second biggest stream as she resells the things she finds on her local Facebook marketplace, OfferUp, Craigslist and other sites. (The food she finds also lowers her expenses greatly!)

Often, Laura finds plants in the dumpster. She rescues them, gives them a new home, and then sells them to people who will take good care of them as part of her backyard nursery. She also sells dirt from her compost pile which is what she calls "black gold".
Questions? Like or dislike? Leave us a comment!