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Green Scene
by Erika Howsare
by Erika Howsare, September 1st, 2009 09:32am

My new issue of Orion Magazine came in the mail a few days ago. One of the features is a photo essay in which the artist took pictures of the insides of people's refrigerators, revealing their eating habits through the packaged foods and bunches of kale and takeout containers that populate the shelves. I wanted to share it with you, so I went to the Orion website, but it's not posted yet. Instead, I found this.

I love the concept: photographing everything you throw in the garbage for an entire year. It's a great way to frame the topic of waste, and you can see the portraits as a kind of bittersweet celebration of the resources that make up all those objects about to meet the landfill. (I'm not quite sure why Tim Gaudreau isn't recycling those beer bottles and orange juice containers, but perhaps he couldn't avoid tossing them.)

It's unclear whether the photos shown on the site are just a selection, or actually represent all this guy's garbage for a 365-day period. If this is the sum total, count me impressed—I know my "garbage yearbook" would be much lengthier.

I also know it would include stuff that I'd really be embarrassed about. Stuff like paper coffee cups that I acquired even though I had a reusable mug with me at the time (there's something about the clean white cup that I really like, oddly).

Fail.

What garbage of yours would you be a bit ashamed to memorialize? How many trash portraits do you think you'd have to take over 365 days?

Filed under: Recycling, Waste
Comments
Given that the white coffee cup pictured above is mine, I feel like it's an appropriate response in my case. Fear not, world—my Blue Ridge Country Store mug will prevent further damage!
Feedback September 1st, 2009 03:50pm
What if you photographed yourself throwing trash away for a year?

Trash Fail.
dank fu September 1st, 2009 09:45pm
coincidently, I just came across your blog about trash that references my work. I just thought I'd put my two cents in. I do, in fact, recycle those beer bottles, etc. I recycle everything that I can. But, I include those recycled items in my trash stream documentation because I don't think recycling gets us off the hook. It still takes resources to manufacture, transport and recycle. By including that stuff, I call into question the whole concept of consumer culture and single use convenience packaging. I advocate for a whole new way of doing things that doesn't use up stuff that gets thrown out. What's the recycle rate in your town? In mine, it's 25%. So, in the bigger picture, because something can be recycled (e.g beer bottle), it doesn't mean that it is being recycled. Anyway, I could go on... Tim
Tim Gaudreau September 1st, 2009 11:53pm
Feedback: Thanks for the loaner. Good luck with the new mug.

Tim Gaudreau: Thanks for chiming in! Your logic behind picturing recyclables makes sense.

Everybody: What is the recycling rate here in Charlottesville?
Erika Howsare September 2nd, 2009 09:07am
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