Trash 18.5 lbs. E-waste Bin 12.5 lbs. Paper Recycling 16.5 lbs. Cardboard Recycling 6 lbs. Misc Recycling 9.5 lbs. 71 Bottles and Containers. That's the tally thus far for Dave of 365 Days of Trash, who is attempting to keep all of his garbage and recycling in his basement for all of 2008...
365 Days of Trash
"We were talking about the idea of throwing things "away" and how "away" is just that, somewhere other than here. It occurred to us that it is easy to waste because we are not confronted with that waste since it goes "away" and then began to wonder how our choices would differ if we had to keep everything in a pile in the backyard. So the idea is to keep everything for a year and in doing so, be able to see how much waste I create and how much I can avoid."
We often wonder how much trash we produce in our moderate sized apartment on a yearly basis. And although we wouldn't want to store everything like he has (he composts all the undesirable organic matter), it might be a good lesson to tally even a single week or day of the trash we produce for reference. A trash audit might help us reduce our waste even further (I stopped recycling bath water for the garden after a few mishaps down the stairs and should improve about shredding and recycling documents).
Even with recycling, purchasing a majority of our groceries without packaging, reusing household items and trying to mindfully purchase only what we need or will appreciate long term, we're still amazed with how much "stuff" that goes in and out our doors. Living with less is an admirable endevour, but as Dave's blog illustrates, the modern life is one of considerable consumption. We'll be following Dave's 365daysoftrash every couple of weeks and hopes he makes it out alive.
Comments (10)
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This kind of reminds me to Supersize Me. I hope he gets some TV coverage; not just to get publicity, but to make a point to more people.
view Curtis's profile
Ick. Dave might like living with his trash but I'll bet no one else does. I'm so tired of these stunts.
view Palmetto's profile
As a kid, did your friends nickname you "Stinky"?
view plain jane's profile
if you read the website, he explains how diligently he separates all the materials, all the organic waste going to the "worms". According to him, it doesn't stink, he has vermin or bugs.
view marisajane's profile
There has to be a better way to make a point rather than turning one's home into a fire trap, as well as a haven for dust mites and worse.......
view Maureen's profile
Ha-ha-ha---just ONE mishap down the stairs would have made me give up on recycling bath water. You must have very grim determination, Gregory!
view Aulaire's profile
What a great idea. I'm sure your neighbors will be thrilled with the cockroaches this attracts (and mice, which are carriers for hantavirus). Volunteer at the local recycling center if you really want to be productive.
view PDXBill's profile
I had a friend who as part of his Art BFA thesis carried around all of his trash with him in clear gargabe bags for a month. It was definitely a conversation piece whenever he was in the vicinity, especially if you were near a person who didn't know him or the project. I thought that was a really interesting piece abot how much crap we go through without really thinking about it, but filling your whole house with it seems sort of over the top to me.
view bonjourmiette's profile
This just disgust me.
view Sleek's profile
somebody's gotta do it.
but hey- if you want to freak out about how a stranger is living with trash in his house (GASP!), that's your choice.
i'd be more concerned with the millions of people around the world living in slums with no septic system and NO trash disposal..
view antimatt's profile