The wastes of capitalism are delicious, freegans claim. Photograph: Shira Golding
UK citizens are losing an average of nearly £500 per person every year in food that is thrown out, according to the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WARP).

The figures, which also revealed that UK households collectively waste £10bn per year by throwing food out, have prompted a new movement. ‘Freeganism’, a practise which teaches people how to live simply while reducing their carbon footprint, has become a popular and quirky way to save money.

According to members of the popular website “UK Freegans", a freegan is someone who wishes to reduce the pressure they place on the environment by recycling, sharing resources and using one’s time to help others. The practise itself is “about climbing out of the socio-economic system and living with a new motivation.”

This new-aged lifestyle is often subject to many misconceptions. Some believe that all freegans are dumpster-diving thieves who steal from the back alleys of markets. However, according to JD, the coordinator for the UK Freegan project, it’s easy to make that assumption.

"People have accused us of stealing or being freeloaders. People fail to realise that the real theft is the stealing of land from the developing nations, only for such things as cash crops to be grown rather than staple foods, and then these good being transported half-way around the world only for a large amount to be thrown out as landfill.

"Making use of some of this waste to stop landfill and to reduce the amount of methane in the atmosphere is not stealing, it is beneficial to the earth. How can one be accused of stealing rubbish? It is laughable really," said JD.

Though some might not be comfortable with the idea of eating food that has already been inside a rubbish bin, freegans take all kinds of precautions to make sure they are consuming food in a safe manner. They shy away from any meat or dairy products, and tend to only consume food that is still in its original packaging. Others will collect all of the food regardless of its expiration date to create a compost pile.

Another misconception surrounding freeganism is that the willing participants are either homeless or poor. In the UK Freegan organisation, many of the members are all part of the workforce earning an income. It’s not just about getting free food; rather, it’s about making responsible environmental and social decisions to help neighbours while helping nature.

For more information on the freegan lifestyle visit Freegan Info.