Documenting
the Subconscious.
The author Fritjof
Capra wrote “There are solutions to the major problems of our time, some of
them even simple. But they require a radical shift in our perceptions, our
thinking, and our values” (pg.4). Before
this assignment began, I thought it would be a simple and easy process to
regulate my trash and document it. I planned after every meal to be thorough
when documenting my waste. As the first day passed I was so proud that I only thrown
away three napkins. Upon reflection though I realized that besides these
napkins, I had thrown away two paper towels, three tissues, a piece of tinfoil
and wax paper, and a sunflower seed bag. All of this I threw away without even
realizing that it was waste. Subconsciously our society has been programmed to
not think about waste once it leaves our hand. I feel like the quote above
applies to me and many Americans because we all subconsciously create waste. As
Capra said we need to make a “radical shift in our perception, our thinking, and
our values.” It is sad that we need such a radical change in thought reduce our
habits to a point where it can actually make a difference. Over the course of
my trash documentation I realized an interesting thing about the trash I
produced. All of it could have been avoided. For instance I could have used
towels instead of paper towels and the restaurant Illegal Pete’s could have put
my burrito on a plate rather than wrapping it in tinfoil and wax paper. And if
I was really trying to eliminate waste I could use a handkerchief rather than
tissues. Even though I am really trying to cut down on my waste, as Capra says,
I need to make even more drastic changes in my thought process for a difference
to occur.
Prior to this project I
was excited to create a trash journal for two reasons. First, I thought it
would be interesting to see how much trash I individually contribute to the
landfills, and second I believed that over the course of the week I would waste
less. Looking over my trash journal, the results of them startled me. I wasted the
same amount of food on Day 7 that I did on Day 1.Thinking back on it though it
is not at all surprising. I ordered food to-go which creates much more waste as
opposed to eating at the restaurant. In my room I also refused to use rags and
instead opted for paper towels since they were too much of a hassle to clean.
Like the Strasser reading stated, I acted like a typical citizen. As a college
student struggling with time management skills, when it came down to the battle
of convenient vs. ecofriendly products unfortunately I chose convenience as do many
other citizens. As Strasser mentioned, convenience is our addiction as Americans
which as a result creates waste. For instance from the past to the 21st
century we have migrated towards wasteful products such as tissues, paper
towels, paper plates, napkins, and plastic cups. All of these wasteful items
have become huge staples in our American economy and lifestyle.
When observing my trash
I realized that the real issue with the large quantity of waste is the
packaging that food and products comes in. For about every 5 things I threw
away, 3 of those objects were in some way related to the packaging of a product
of food. These items include wax paper, to go boxes, cardboard boxes, and tin
foil. All of these products follow the planned obsolescence model that Strasser
described. Essentially these paper products were created to last a very short
lifetime which as a result creates more waste. For example on Tuesday, I
ordered a calzone to go and it was put in a Styrofoam box. The entire point of
the Styrofoam box was to last the brief period of time that I walked from Nagel
Hall to my room in JMAC to the garbage. From there on it will lay in a landfill
for thousands of years. It is incredible to me how someone can create a product
like that which goes straight from the consumer to the landfill in a matter of
minutes.
By looking at my trash
I realized a lot of new information about myself and the school as well. The
first thing I noticed is that I eat off the University of Denver campus way too
much. I learned this because the majority of my waste came from restaurants
such as Illegal Pete’s and the Sandwich Shop Snarfs. By observing how much
trash I produced, I realized that I am spending too much of my money at these
restaurants which instead could be spent on my other less wasteful hobbies such
as traveling and skiing. What I was very impressed at with my journal was how
eating in the University of Denver dining halls created the least amount of
waste. Other than my one to-go order from Nagel Hall, all of my food was served
on plates which is optimal since they are reused which creates the least amount
of waste. The only garbage I created during the whole week of eating in the
dining halls were a few paper napkins. Fortunately due to the material of the
napkins and the sustainability councils efforts around campus, I was able to compost
these paper napkins resulting an essentially zero waste experience at the
dining hall. My favorite observation I noticed at the end of the week was the
fact that the messier the food, the more trash that I produced. On the last day
of writing in the journal, I went to South Philly Cheesesteaks and ordered hot
wings and cheese fries. When I finished my food I had thrown away 8 napkins, 2
disposable baskets, and two disposable cups. Essentially everything I was given
plus more were disposed by the end of the meal
In general I have
actually really enjoyed participating in this trash journal. Even though this
week I may not have reduced my trash by any significant margin, it has shown
that I contribute much more trash than I had ever imagined. By being conscious
about my trash production I feel more motivated to avoid packaging such as tin
foil and wax paper that are unnecessary to the product. I feel like this project is just the beginning
of a radical shift of my view on trash. By observing my trash for a week, I now
truly see how much of a disposable world we are. Hopefully many people will eventually
become aware of their individual trash production and will reduce their waste
as well.
Monday
Three napkins
Sunflower seed
Two paper towels
Three tissues
Napkin
Wax paper
Tinfoil
Tuesday
3 tissues
1 biscuit
To go box plastic n fork
Tin foil
Wax paper
Wednesday
Tin foil
Wax paper
Two cardboard boxes from amazon and bubble wrap
Thursday
1 cardboard box usps
Wax
Tinfoil
One paper towel
Three napkins
Friday
Two paper towels
Two to go boxes and a plastic bag.
4 napkins
Saturday
Wax paper
Tin foil
Three napkins
Two paper towels
Sunday
Two paper basket 7 paper towels
Works Cited
Capra, Fritjof. The
Web of Life. New York. Doubleday.1996. Print
Strasser, Susan. Waste
and Want. New York. Henry and Holt Company.
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