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Marc Giauque ReportingYou've heard of Vegans, but how about Freegans? They're members of a sub-culture who'll dumpster-dive, even squat in abandonded houses to live off your waste.
For Gary and Eda, much of their living comes from a dumpster.
"Sometimes it is absolutely gross. In some ways I'm sure a lot of people would be grossed out because a lot of people are clean freaks. But sometimes it's amazing. You'll find bread for instance; a lot of packaged stuff that's perfectly fine."
Gary says he's now a step beyond general freeganism. He won'f for example, eat bread out of a dumpster that contains any egg product. Others are less discrimnating.
"I wouldn't eat meat from a dumpster."
But they will celebrate the holidays, and it goes well beyond food.
"Christmas from the dumpster a few years ago, where we had found a DVD player, a clock, a radio."
Eda and Gary both believe it's a way to live free -- free from commercial excess, from society in general. "I probably live off of maybe $2000 a year. You don't have to sell your life away to a company who doesn't care about you and you don't have to support things you don't agree with."
The couple won't go in detail on their living arrangements, but some freegans will squat in abandoned homes. Salt Lake police detective Robin Synder says squatting, of course, is illegal. When it comes to dumpster diving, if it's on private property a diver can be cited with tresspassing or theft.
"But if it's past the curb, then it's on public property. So then at that point it's been abandoned by the person and it's on public property, so it's free game."
And Eda and Gary both say there's plenty of fair game out there.
"Not only is the waste disgusting, it is unnecessary. There's people starving around the world and in America. There is so much food that goes to waste."
