freegan

/ˈfɹiːɡən/

Etymology

Blend of free + vegan.

freegan means A person who salvages and consumes food that has been discarded, especially one who wishes to protect the environment and challenge consumerism by means of waste reduction. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.

freegan is pronounced /ˈfɹiːɡən/.

Why “freegan” is a great word

FREEGAN — [Noun] A person who salvages and consumes discarded food, often as a means of reducing waste and protesting consumerism. The term is a blend of 'free' (meaning without cost) and 'vegan', first recorded in 1995–2000. Unlike a "dumpster diver," which neutrally describes an act of retrieval, or a "vegan," which denotes a strict dietary ethic, a freegan is defined by a conscientious ideology of anticonsumerist reclamation. It is the quiet gleaner in the alley at dawn, the careful washing of sound vegetables from a supermarket skip, and the shared feast of rescued abundance—a practice that turns society's ultimate act of disposal into a quiet sacrament of survival.

noun

A person who salvages and consumes food that has been discarded, especially one who wishes to protect the environment and challenge consumerism by means of waste reduction.