There's a movement a foot now called "Freeganism"...consisting primarily of disaffected middle-class kids who like to prattle on about how their freeloading, trash-picking way of life is the perfect antidote to the soulless consumerism of modern society, while apparently not realizing that their brave new world relies heavily on the enormous waste created by such consumerism.

Where else but in a big prosperous city can you find perfectly good croissants and fruit that have been tossed out because they will not be "fit to sell "the next morning?
I am an absolutely shameless dumpster-diver when it comes to construction materials, furniture, etc., and I guess it's recycling, but I draw the line at food. When I worked in restaurants, I would certainly
intercept stuff on its way to the trash, but you're taking your chances eating stuff out of the trash even if it's only been there an hour or two.
And most of these misguided souls are making a mess wherever they go- ripping open trash bags, even if you don't spill them on the ground, just invites more bugs and rats to the scene. And they often do leave stuff on the sidewalk- I guess they think they're "sticking it to the Man", but in reality they'e sticking it to the guy who has to clean it up the next day.

The one who has to work for a living, and can't just go crash at his parents' house in Scarsdale when he's had enough of the Freegan lifestyle.