OK, so it's a photo of someone's garbage.
That was our first thought when we saw The Private Life of Trash, 52 images of artist Katherine Hubbard's weekly trash, in this month's issue of GOOD Magazine.
Then we thought: That doesn't look like what our trash would look like, does it?
And, then we thought: I wonder what our trash would look like?
Which (cue light bulb), we suppose, is kind of Hubbard's point!
Even if it's not realistic, how useful would it be to require every American household to replicate Hubbard's experiment? Even if only for a week or two? To just stop and look at the all the waste we create (4.5 pounds per person every day, according to GOOD).
And then ask ourselves: How can we throw out less?
It's a good question to mull over every once in a while ... even if we aren't prepared to turn our trash into a photography exhibit.
What would your weekly trash look like? A mountain or a molehill?
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
Yikes! I think I would have 20-30 diapers which would be the bulk. About a rolls worth of papertowels, I guess I need to re-evaluate that. Empty ceral/Eggo boxes, a few tea bags, plenty of empty OJ, milk, wine or beer bottles which I recycle so does that count? Some tin foil, food packaging.
view labchick's profile
Does compost count? We cut out about half of our garbage production this summer by composting kitchen scraps at the community garden. Our garbage would be very messy because of coffee grounds though (yes, I know they can be composted but they were leaking in the compost bag and making a mess). I guess it would be coffee grounds with bits of wax paper and cat hair in it. Yuck.
view nycflatcats's profile
I did notice that Hubbard's photos included cans and bottles and other things which I would recycle. Either that means that it all counts as trash, or that she doesn't recycle. And I would have the same compost question.
view Joan A.'s profile
Then there's also the question of whether she kept all that stuff out for a week and then photographed it, or actually emptied out her garbage can at the end of every week. I think I'd rather not go through either of those experiences.
view Joan A.'s profile
Mine would be mostly cat litter and paper towels. I was using more washable rags at some point so I should reconsider that again. I feel like most of my non-recyclable trash is under control but god, that cat litter. It's "compostable" but where?
view jesse@humanerecipe's profile
I think Hubbard is right to include her cans & bottles & other recyclables in her trash, even if she does recycle them -- recycling is great, but still consumes energy.
I feel like my trash output is not at all consistent, both in volume and in content. This is a great reminder for me to pay more attention to the trash I'm generating. At least my paper towel consumption has dropped precipitously since starting to read AT Green and being reminded that a rags are washable and reusable for most purposes!
view JDog's profile