everydaytrash

  PRI’s The World aired a long piece on people who live near dumps tonight (thanks for the heads up, Mom).  Stream it from their web site, or check out this complimentary audio slide show on the upcoming documentary Tijuana Dump. 

Photo of a kindergarden near the dump via International Center on Child Labor and Education.

I stumbled upon this multi-part web series on the Greenpoint/Williamsburg oil spill and aftermath via Green Brooklyn. It’s some scary entertaining shit.

Update: For more information on this issue, check out the section of Riverkeeper’s web site devoted to it.

Mark your calendars, May 6-12 is International Compost Awareness Week. This year’s theme is “The Possibilities are Endless … Compost!” Make what you will of it.

The U.S. Composting Council has these suggestions for celebrating:

Successful promotions in past years have included:

• Compost sales – many communities offered compost for sale with the days proceeds going to selected local charities
• Openings and tours of composting demonstration gardens as well as centralized composting facilities
• Tree planting ceremonies using compost to prepare the soil for planting
• The setting up of a “Grow A Row” garden, using compost to prepare the soil, with the fall harvest being donated to the local food bank
• Backyard composting training sessions, offered for residents as well as through school visits
• A “Compost Tea Party” where residents were invited to learn about composting including how to use compost and make Compost Tea?
• Talks by well-known gardening experts on gardening experts on gardening and the use of compost
• TV & radio shows as well as newspaper articles on gardening and the use of compost as well as how to compost?

Here’s a little more information on Eugène Poubelle, the French official for which trash cans take their name in Paris, and throughout the francophone world. Frederique Krupa covers the namesake’s roll in Parisian trash history in this online essay. It turns out Poubelle set up laws formalizing garbage collection and mandating a cleaner city, part of a larger series of reforms in French sanitation of the day.

“Eugene Poubelle became Prefect of the Seine in 1884 and created the final laws governing the garbage collection and street cleaning, building on the earlier regulations about sweeping in front of the building and not throwing anything out the window. Poubelle took these rules much further. He defined the garbage can as having a maximum of 120 liters and the time of passage of the tipcarts (both summer and winter). Rules stipulated that lids must be removed before placing the garbage can on the sidewalk, that dumping rubble, industrial and garden waste was illegal, that glass required separate containers, that ragpickers must sort the garbage on the canvas and not on the ground, and that the cans must be cleaned regularly to avoid odors. Poubelle organized garbage collection in this manner to allow for the household waste to be composted at Saint Ouen. The advent of plastics in the 20th century waste stream put a halt to this practice as well. Angry landlords retaliated by giving his name to the garbage can.”

Tamar, Everydaytrash’s Parisian bureau chief, sent in a few fun links this morning (or afternoon, depending on your global perspective).

The first is a Paris Postcard article that details the French invention of the trash can, Paris’ subtle battle with doggie do and the future of recycling in a country that can’t be bothered to reuse anything not related to wine. The second, is this petite histoire from wikipédia. More to come.

  British theatre troupe, the Improbable Theatre, use scotch tape and old newspapers to create magical puppet improv scences.  Their latest show is playing at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis this weekend.

Ever feel like trash to energy programs sound a little too good to be true?  Sometimes they are.  It turns out Green Power is missing some key documents and didn’t report on a fire they had.

  I’m glad to hear someone is thinking about alternative energy in Uganda.  A Ugandan friend told me a couple of weeks ago that the government might allow the forest outside of Kampala to be uprooted and replaced with industrial nonsense. 

  San Franciso’s so green, even their garbage is green.  It’s so green, it makes yo’ mamma look blue.

And in other greening garbage news, it looks like the BigBelly is catching on.