by Rebecca Barker

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What's in the dumpster is colloquially someone else's treasure. People who are willing to dig for that kind of treasure out of dumpsters are called dumpster divers.   Along with treasure, they often find disappointment, disapproval and danger of running into the law. Digging in the trash may not be everyone's idea of a fun night, but reporter Rebecca Barker went with local dumpster diver Connor Huntington on a recent trash-hunting trip.

Twenty year-old Conner Huntington climbs into the dumpster quickly, using niches and the cold metal sides for steps.  Brown and imposing, this dumpster is roughly twelve feet tall and stands behind a local big - box bookstore.  Even in the shadow of an Alaska winter evening, with a stout building blocking most light other than the headlights of passing traffic, footholds are still easy to find.  Connor is an experienced dumpster diver.

Connor: “There is a different way to get around every dumpster's defense mechanism. The only thing you can't get around is a garbage compactor. Because even if you do get in there, you'll die. And that sucks.”

Dumpster diving is the art of retrieving trash. And it can have any number of purposes. Those with keen eyes might just lean into a dumpster to pick up something interesting. Sometimes people short on money get essentials like food and clothing from dumpsters. But it can also be about more than just finding things. Conner says he practices some aspects of freeganism.

Freeganism, a name co-opted from veganism, is a lifestyle that aims to decrease personal impact on the earth. Freegans aim to buy less, make more and dive for the rest. And from a freegan perspective, Connor says dumpster diving is not only a way to get things for free, but also a critique of consumer society.  

Connor: “Everything that's actually political about dumpster diving just basically comes back to scarcity. Just the idea that instead of using what you have to help somebody, you are going to throw it away so you can charge more for it. Instead of providing for everybody, they choose to provide for a select group of people. They choose to provide for the people who can pay for it and make more money, rather than to provide for everyone and only create what is necessary.”

Don Winchester is the General Manager at Vend Alaska, a locally owned vending machine distribution agency in Anchorage. Winchester disagrees with Connor's perceptions of business, but he says he is sympathetic.

Winchester: “I grew up on a farm, so we grew what we ate, we produced, we traded. We never really had much money but, you know, there is nothing for free…I'm from the hippy era, in the 60s, and it's wonderful if they want to try that…But I don't want them in my dumpster. But hey bless them if they think they can do it.  That's what youth and stuff is all about.”

In Connor's experience most people don't enjoy finding him in their dumpsters.

Connor: “People get really confused when they find you in their dumpsters. People rarely respond actually violently, but people do get really pissed off sometimes.   They're just threatened, basically.  It's like, that's the trash.”

Winchester says this last year Vend Alaska put up a fence to stop people from coming onto their property at night.

  Winchester: “I just don't want anybody in my dumpster. It can't be healthy for one thing. We don't clean our dumpsters.  We don't want people eating the outdated food. Somebody could maybe get sick. I just don't want people in our dumpster nor do we want people on our premises after hours.”

Winchester says Vend Alaska used to donate their food to charities, but liability issues keep them from doing it now.

Winchester: “It is unfortunate, it's too bad.  Because even though there's an expiration date on those potato chips they're good for another two or three months usually.  But we can't do that nor risk it so now we just have to put them in the dumpster.”

Before he became a vegan, Connor ate out of dumpsters semi-regularly.   He said it's not easy, especially since so many businesses use trash compactors, but it can be done.

Connor: “In downtown Anchorage, down First, Second, Third street is where there are some very interesting dumpsters. But it's a time commitment. You can't just go jump into one. You are going to have to jump into 50 dumpsters before you find a good one. Once you find a good one you can go back. You've got to be pretty much obsessed. The great thing about being a vagrant is that you have time. You wonder from dumpster to dumpster and look around.”

There is a level of danger attached to eating food from a dumpster, says Chris Tofteberg, supervisor for the Anchorage Municipal Health and Human Services Food Safety and Sanitation Program.

Tofteberg: “From a public health standpoint, that's not necessarily a good idea because there is no temperature control. You got all sorts of vermin and all sorts of opportunities for cross contamination in a dumpster.  So we would advise against it…Anchorage is a great town for somebody to get a free meal because there are a lot of resources. Downtown there's Down Town Soup Kitchen, there's Bean's Café. That is the way I would advise it because those are places that we inspect as opposed to the questionable source that a dumpster is.”

Dumpster divers not only risk getting sick, they risk getting caught. But Officer Scott Chafan of the University of Alaska Anchorage police, says it isn't the diving itself that gets people in trouble.

Chafan: “Basically there's not really anything illegal in Alaska about dumpster diving. However, it may depend on where the dumpster is located. If it's on the property and it's not on the curb, like a garbage can, then they might be facing criminal trespass charges. But if it's on the curb, it's fair game for anybody.”

Trespassing on business property is a B Misdemeanor, says Officer Chafan. The maximum penalty, he says, is 90 days in prison and a $500 fine.

Lit by a single street light, the outside of this dumpster shines, while the inside is as deep and dark as a cave.

Connor: “You'll run into people, a lot of them are old timers with pickup trucks. They are collecting scrap wood. That's pretty much the best thing dumpster diving is for. If you want to make-make stuff you can find great dumpsters where you can get all the wood you need to make stuff. You can find metal scrap…You know, whatever's going out of style, you get a lot of that…I mean it is junk, that's why people throw it away but people buy other junk to put in their houses.”

Dumpster divers are alchemists, turning trash into treasure.  It takes tenacity, but it's worth it to some. They'll risk trespassing charges, physical danger and general disapproval for their hobby. To them, dumpster diving is a victim-less crime with a productive purpose.