Custodian behavior is an everyday practice that certain consumers consciously perform in order to rescue and safeguard material objects from being thrown away or wasted. An analysis of nine in-depth interviews with self-identified custodian consumers shows custodian behavior to be a form of anti-consumerism that resists the wastefulness of consumer culture. This study broadens the area examined by anti-consumerism research by considering wider forms of cultural practices and expression.

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... they do not consciously attack global consumer culture, custodian consumer practices illustrate the diverse ways of countering the expansion of a throwaway culture, and are a testament to consumer reflexivity.