the trash can project

One of the things that I dislike about blogs (the over/under of how many times that phrase will appear in a post of mine has to be near 300) is that many bloggers view blogging as a substantial form of action. Instead of getting out there and working for a solution, we now sit behind our computers and vent to a bunch of fiber optic cables. Don't believe me? Check around the Internet and you'll see a million "climate change is bad, sustainability is good" blog posts, but hardly any that say "let's create and try out new solutions".

One of the things that I like about blogging (the over/under for that phrase is probably around 3) is that it is a good way of keeping me honest. Instead of just thinking about an idea and letting it float away into the ether without ever doing anything, I can now print the idea here. If I fail to act, I have to answer to the public.

So with those two thoughts in mind, I present to you:

The Trash Can Project

Most of us have heard the Marketing 101 anecdote about grocery stores placing sugary cereals at the eye level of children. Apparently, since the children are face to face with these cereals, they will throw a fit until their adult shopping companion gets so embarrassed that the only recourse is placing that sugary cereal in their cart, putting a smile on both the child's and grocery store owner's faces.

Is there a way we can use similar thinking to reduce the amount of waste we produce? This is what I intend to find out.

In the next few months, pending approval from the university, I will be conducting an experiment where I place as many trash receptacles at eye-level as I can. On these receptacles, I will also place some quick facts or other information about what happens to our waste once it leaves our hand. My hypothesis is simple: having trash cans out of sight makes it mentally easier for us to create waste.

Success of the project will be measured in two ways:

1. Surveys and informal discussions with those who were affected by the experiment, and if/how it changed their actions.
2. A comparison of the amount of waste produced during the experiment vs. the normal amount of waste produced.

We live in a "throwaway culture", where even things like coffee cups and bags—two items with perfectly good non-disposable replacements—are being created for a single use. Now, I realize that our abundance of waste can't be solved by things like this alone. We have to be better consumers—buying natural products that use less packaging, using non-disposable replacements whenever possible, etc. What his experiment will hopefully accomplish is to remind people (including me, a repeat coffee cup offender) that our rubbish does end up somewhere, and we are running out of this "somewhere" space.

What I am hoping to do is create that second thought, even if it just for a few weeks.

As the project gets going, I will post updates, pictures, and videos. To make it easier to find these posts, I am removing categories for all posts except those regarding specific projects.