GARBAGE DIARY:
•What do you notice about these objects? Are you drawn to certain things? Colors? Brands? Shapes?
I noticed my waste consists of 50% of food and product packaging and 50% of scrap paper. Overpacking is often driven by marketing and branding considerations, with companies using elaborate packaging designs to make their products more appealing to consumers. The effectiveness of such a marketing device is evident to me, who easily gets attracted to pretty designs while consuming. However, Overpacking requires more raw materials and energy, resulting in increased resource consumption and carbon emissions. It also leads to more waste generation, which can overwhelm landfill sites, contribute to environmental pollution, and harm wildlife by entangling or choking animals and harmful chemicals into the environment. Material wise, It is surprising to observe my waste contains more paper than plastic. Paper is far more biodegradable than plastic and very easily recycled. But it often ends up in landfill, where its degradation rate slows – while it takes up more space than the same weight of plastic.
•What does your trash tell us about you?
Even though I am trying to find the pristine of the world, my attention is always drawn to the clear plastic bottle that stands out amidst the colourful chaos. They catch the light and shine like diamonds with their innocent colour coat. I can’t help but feel a sense of melancholy. Their transparency reveals the remnants of contents within, symbolising our careless consumption; they bear the scars of their former lives, scratches and dents, reminding me that they were once possessed in pristine forms but now were neglected as trash.
As I sit among the debris of discarded plastic bottles, I am struck by the irony of our modern age. We thought of building the moon as another green and blue home, but in reality, we struggled to manage the waste we create in our daily lives. Like me, who was trying to step into nature to find the earth’s pristine, but most of the time, I was tricked by their innocent transparency and complicit in this environmental crisis. I may not have personally discarded every plastic bottle surrounding me, but my choices and actions contribute to the more significant issue.
•How easy/difficult is the object to recycle? How do you feel about throwing it away?
Is it a simple disposal act, or does it weigh heavily on my conscience? I realize that every plastic bottle, clear or opaque, contributes to the growing issue of plastic pollution. Once those plastic bottles filled with the sweet nectar of life, now hold nothing but the detritus of our existence. However, those plastic bottles also tell something else about me – a desire to make a positive impact and find another “transparent diamond.” Even in their discarded state, plastic bottles hold the potential for redemption, and I strive to repurpose them and give them new life. I am also stepping into a more natural way with a sustainable option such as glasses to stand out from this colour chaos.
