Freegans with truck

On a related note, a loosely organized group calling themselves Freegans produce less trash than most people. That's because they turn to trash itself to forage for free food, clothes, furniture and pretty much anything else.

"There's nothing out there that you can't find in the trash," said Cindy Rosin, a Freegan. "At 4 o'clock if I walk out of the store with this food in a white bag it's okay, but not if it's at 6 o'clock when it's hauled out in a black bag."

Freegans in New York City offer dumpster tours that attract about 20 people each week. Here, a Freegan sneaks behind a garbage collector to grab discarded goodies.