Trash & (Zero) Waste in a Disposable World

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7-Day Trash Journal
By: Greta Zableckas

Day 1:

(2) Pieces of Gum

(3) Batteries

(4) Paper Towels

(2) Plastic Zip-Lock bags

(1) Cardboard cereal box [recycled]

(2) Make-up remover pads

(2) Q-Tips

Food Scraps

Compost food and napkins in cafeteria

Day 2:

(2) Pieces of gum

(2) Paper towels

(3) Tissues

(1) Floss string

(1) Chip bag

(1) Sandwich wrapper

Food Compost in cafeteria

Day 3:

(1) Piece of gum

(1) Paper towel

(1) Coffee cup

(1) Sushi container [recycled]

(1) Chip bag

(2) Q-tips

(1) Receipt

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Day 4:

(1) Piece of gum

(1) Coffee cup

(1) Paper bag [recycled]

Day 5:

(1) Piece of gum

(1) Coffee cup

Fruit skins [that could have been composted]

Compost food in cafeteria

 

 

Day 6:

(1) Piece of gum

(2) Paper towels

(1) Coconut water juice box

(1) Plastic wrapping

Day 7:

(1) Empty pack of gum

(1) Styrofoam Jamba Juice cup

 

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Trash Analysis

            It’s the last day of my trash journal, and as I’m walking through Target, I’m on the verge of breaking out in tears- everything around me is trash! With every step I take I visualize all the wrappers and scraps from the products surrounding me piling up, over and over, in a landfill. The sad thing is, it won’t end there; once these items get picked up off the shelf, they will get replaced by the same product again, just creating more trash. Going into my Freshman Seminar class, called Trash and Zero Waste In A Disposable World, I was not very excited, nor did I think it would make me think so much or make me want to continue on the path of trash and zero waste; Watching a 365-day documentary called The Clean Bin Project, reading excerpts from books on the study of trash, and having in class discussions have really changed my life by inspiring my future. I’m still not 100% sure what I want to do as career, but this class has certainly given me some ideas of how I can positively impact the world of waste and disposability within my plans for Hospitality Management, but specifically within my personal trash production.

            My angst didn’t end at Target. On the way home I saw a Target truck; I thought to myself, “where the hell are all these materials coming from?!”. I mean seriously, what are people going to do when there is a shortage of materials along with land space? Finally realize they messed up from the very beginning? Maybe learning from our mistakes here isn’t the best option, considering we only have one planet Earth. It’s sad how convenience and sanitation have become more important than how our trash is being handled. Many people are pro trash, because of the jobs it provides for communities, but I believe that the amount of jobs created by trash can amount to the number of jobs created by zero waste projects.

             I can honestly say now that I am scared and almost ashamed of going into business, because after me having my little trash meltdown in Target, I realized everything relating to the business of consumer products is trash. So this got me thinking, how can I change the business world completely and apply the concept of trash and zero waste to my career? I have yet to declare my ideas, but I am sure that it can be done, it’s just a matter of who is going to want to engage in order to benefit the cause. This is where my personal data of my trash journal can be analyzed and looked at from a larger scale; trash is created daily, so why not target that market and create something to change the world of business forever. I am going to overpower trash!

            It is true that the amount of trash one creates is underestimated, unless the efforts are clear and energy goes towards reducing personal waste. One of our first readings was from Humes Garbology. I quickly learned that our trash production on average is insane! “We are each on track to generate 102 tons of trash” Humes(4). I thought about this for a second, and I couldn’t really wrap my mind around that number. 102 tons of trash in a lifetime? This seemed impossible to me, so I figured after tracking my trash and observing others for a week, I may be able to understand a little better.

            After day one of my trash journal, you could tell I was an on-the-go college student. My trash production was just at the level that I was expecting, but I could probably reduce my trash output by using more reusable materials, such as towels instead of paper towels, and my own coffee mug rather than paper or wax lined cups that campus stores and places like Starbucks provide. I caught myself using a lot of paper towels in my dorm room and public restrooms, along with disposal of wrappers from food. I have recently though started to shake my hands off to dry them rather than using a paper towel, which then saves a sheet or two of paper towel. This trash was created just because it was more convenient for me to throw a paper towel and cup away than to wash and reuse and product multiple time. What I found really interesting though was that on most of the coffee cups I drank out of, there was something written on there in tiny font on the materials used to produce the cup, or if it is compostable or not. Often times though, if a coffee cup, for instance, contains plant materials and is “green”, it can’t actually be recycled because it is not 100% paper, so I find this very contradicting and ironic. Like, what is this suppose to mean?

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This specific coffee cup was purchased from 7/11 and advertised the presidential election. Products with advertisements for current events, such as the presidential election can only be used for a certain amount of time before becoming outdated. This is unfortunate because once the presidential election is over, if these cups don’t get donated or something similar, they will end up in a landfill as an unused paper cup. Just like Strasser comments in her book Waste and Want, “convenience [is] intended to save time and wasted effort” (182). So I suppose it’s harder to clean and reuse a mug than to throw one away and have other people take care of it from there. I think it’s crazy how popular disposable products became all of a sudden just because it was more sanitary and “convenient”. It is clear the future impacts of these products were never thought about, and I honestly can’t believe these products are still being manufactured at such a rapid rate. More awareness needs to be exposed to the public rather than businesses being selfless and producing more “land fillers” if you will.

            One thing I observed a lot was the unnecessary use of extra materials in packaging. Specifically the coconut water juice box I threw away. The outside is cardboard while the inside is lined in foil or something similar, making it non recyclable. Other items containing a lot of extra trash material were when buying paper towels in bulk, candy, and other food. I am not quite sure as to why companies use so much unnecessary scrap material, maybe for the appeal of how it looks. Either way, I think companies should be confronted about the overuse of products. Why would they not agree? It’s only going to save them money in the long run.

            I noticed within my trash production a lot of the things I was throwing away were completely possible to live with out. A great example of this is throwing away make-up remover pads. Girls today are targeted to think we must wear make-up, and this use of make-up creates more trash than necessary- the packaging, the make-up itself, and the removal products too. Hygiene products are huge sources of garbage- everything from razors to toothpaste to make-up: all the packaging will end up in a landfill. If we chose to use these products, we have no choice but to create more garbage. Another example of me not choosing to make trash is when I buy my favorite Mexican chips and get a receipt too. If it were my choice, I would get the chips in a reusable bag and not get a receipt, but unfortunately Frito-Lay hasn’t given me a choice. Mexican chips, bag included. Some stores though have adapted to electronic receipts, which is definitely a step forward.

            One thing I was not very proud of constantly sending to the landfill was the gum I was chewing. I chew at least one piece of gum per day, usually after eating a meal and being right back on the go to class or club meetings. While sitting in class, I observed four people in a row chewing on gum. Imagining this on a huge scale of how much gum the world chews per day is kind of nasty. One huge pile of sticky, dirty gum.

            We had in class presentations on disposable products that appeal to an audience because of advertising methods. There was one group who said the greatest thing ever: “gum is trash in every single way”. This is so true; from the package, to the paper it’s in, to the gum itself- gum is trash. I am a victim of constantly chewing gum, and therefore creating trash. I just want fresh breath, not more trash! I am clearly getting frustrated and am starting to feel claustrophobic from all the trash surrounding me, even though I’m nowhere close to a landfill. I really want to take action, but how big of a positive affect will I really have? I know I will start to feel hopeless like the couple in the 365-day trash documentary, but maybe there is light at the end of the tunnel and more people doing the zero waste project will add up and eventually impact the amount of trash going into landfills.

            In the beginning of the quarter, our class took a trip to the recycling center near us. I often times reflect on this trip when thinking about the trash I created that could have been recycled or composted instead. When eating in our school cafeteria, we have compost options, but when making food in dorms, there is no choice but to send food scraps off to the landfill. However, with the huge amount of food being thrown into the compost bin in the cafeteria, I find myself wondering if the scraps really get composted or if it just secretly gets taken to the landfill and we have been tricked… Maybe I will look into this some more. One product I hate though is Styrofoam. This is because it is neither recyclable nor biodegradable. It should just be outlawed completely, especially with the amount of other, more environmentally products available.

            My trash tracking isn’t going to end here. Every time I throw something away now I am going to reflect on where my trash goes and think of how next time I could reduce my trash output and possibly even the purchase of that disposable item completely. Although it is hard being an on-the-go college student and not create trash, I think with my efforts I can reduce my trash production by at least 30%. We are trapped in a world full of planned obsolescence, where everything is created to break down and need a replacement. The problem is not only with what we are throwing away, but the lack of consideration of where our trash goes too. A problem in our society is that we throw trash away just to get it out of our sight and off of our hands, but do we really care where it’s going? I hope you yourself can also think of how you could reduce your trash output, not just for the hype, but also for the good feeling you get when you know you’re doing something good, and for greater good and moral of trash piling up in landfills. Maybe now you too will start looking at Target and other super markets as a massive wave of future trash.