Freeganism: A Dumpster Diving Lifestyle

This recent video from the New York Post shows a bunch of people choosing to live off of trash from supermarkets and other stores. It's a little extreme... in fact I'm pretty repulsed by the idea yet intrigued at the same time. I throw stuff away every day, particularly food, and think, "Wow, that sure is a waste. I wish there was some way to give it to someone who needed it." Because there is no cost for me to toss it, I do.

I wonder if we all had to pay $1,000 for every trash bag we took to the street? Maybe we'd think a little differently about what we throw away. Many companies pay fines for hauling trash, but just consider it the cost of doing business. However, with the economy in the shape it's in, perhaps they could look at trash reduction as an easy way to cut costs and green the business at the same time?