The Unofficial Freegan Glossary

Appreciation The key to happiness; to be grateful for what you have

Away – Far from someone; out of sight; not in someone’s view so that they don’t have to deal with it. “Throw the trash away.” “Get away from me with that baby cow formula”

Burial – The act of taking food and making it disappear; synonyms: gone

Consumerism – The societal phenomenon of buying things one does not need causing the extraction of our planet’s resources and leading to mindless behavior.

Dairy Nutritious if you’re a baby cow; cancer-causing if you’re an adult human.

Dumpster – A receptacle for (unwanted) things, for which many people find value

Dumpster Dive (Garbage Pick) To search through dumpsters or trash receptacles for food or items of value

Free – Requiring no cost or payment

Food – Nutritious substance that sustains life

Freegan A person who rejects consumerism and seeks to help the environment by reducing waste, especially by retrieving and using discarded food and other goods; synonyms: super hero

Gas – To examine or inspect a fridge, dumpster, or container, and take out the contents that would have otherwise gone to a landfill.

Gross – arousing revulsion or strong indignation. Used in a sentence: Some people find searching in a trash can gross, while others find throwing away perfectly usable items gross.

Gone – the English language’s most versatile word. 

  • Adjective: describing something removed from your life or your fridge. 
    • Or Used to describe when something is finished or done in a celebratory fashion. 
  • Verb: as gonify. “I gonified that fridge.” 
  • Often associated with burial, gas, and torch. 
  • Used in a sentence: “When it’s gone, iiit’s gone.” 

Inventory A complete list of items such as property, goods, or contents. Often used to describe how much food you have.

Leftovers Remaining food from a previous meal that requires minimal effort to prepare; One of my Uncle’s favorite things.

Meat Another word for a dead animal, something that causes heart disease

Mindless – Acting or doing without justification or concern for the consequences; often associated with consumerism

Nephew – An Uncle’s partner in crime; also: the son of your sibling

New Not existing before. Typically used in the context of extracting the Earth’s (our future generations’) resources.

Plants The healthiest, most sustainable diet.

Plant-Based – Eating Plants

Scrounge To dig around for treasure or something useful

Soap – Please use with water after you dumpster dive; especially during pandemics

Sustainability – The prevention of depleting natural resources to maintain an ecological balance so that future humans and animals can live an enjoyable life.

Torch Taking a fridge and blowing it to bits. Not a morsel of food will go to waste after you are done with it.

Trash – Wasted or spoiled food and other refuse, typically from a kitchen or household.

Uncle – Someone who’s always there for you, who makes sure you are cared for, well-fed, and loved.

Vegan – A lifestyle uniting the triumvirate of love and respect – for one’s own body, the lives of animals, and the well-being of the planet.

Waste unusable or unwanted materials


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