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Gallons and gallons of raw sewage

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Is it just me, or have we seen a trend in raw sewage spill the last couple of weeks?

First, there was 94,000 gallons, spilled out in a creek in Spartanburg, South Carolina, on June 17th.  According to a commentator, this is really a small amount compared to the water that flows through the creek in question during one hour, so no worries.

Secondly, a couple of days later, on June 20th, a slightly more drastic 120 million gallons of raw sewage was spilled in Lake Michigan, Illinois. The Chicago Area Sea Kayakers Association informed the kayaking community that they should be worried.

Thirdly, 1,000 gallons of raw sewage spilled out in Newport, Oregon, yesterday. After cleaning up, city officials “posted notification of the spill”.

This makes you wonder, right? Are we seeing the early stages of some nationwide conspiracy so spill raw sewage everywhere, or are these just accidents and coincidences? If you want to join the conspiracy believers, you will benefit from this brake-down of risks, cut and pasted from Wisegeek (my italics):

The pathogens in raw sewage can contaminate ecological systems in addition to sickening humans and animals. Raw sewage typically contains viruses and bacteria as well as health-harming microorganisms. For example, this type of waste is known to contain E.coli and hepatitis A; cholera is another well-known pathogen in raw sewage.

Besides being exposed to bacteria and viruses, a person exposed to raw sewage may develop a range of illnesses, including gastroenteritis, which is marked by diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal cramping. The sometimes-fatal Weil’s disease is another common problem, which causes symptoms that resemble the flu and can lead to liver and kidney damage. Occupational asthma, caused by inhaling certain organisms, is another risk of exposure. Even the skin and eyes are not immune, as infection can develop here as well.

Danger, huh? On top of this, raw sewage apparently smells quite foul… On a final note, while we’re on the subject, take time to read about the sewage world sensation that occurred in April of this year. And if you here of more spills of raw sewage, tip us off would you?

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Holy trash in Brooklyn

Sunday, July 5, 2009

As its hot and weekendish all over, your dear Swede is paralyzed. Good then that friend from home, Anna, ventured out with my camera and documented this cute piece of street trash divinity.

Holy trash Brooklyn style

Holy trash Brooklyn style

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Trash for Teaching

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

How cute is this? Trash for Teaching, a Los Angeles based NGO, provide classrooms with trash that kids can transform into art, while learning all about the important stuff. Reminds me of my kindergarden days, where those carton rolls at the center of paper rolls could be used for virtually anything (these days I just recycle them, being old and narrow minded). Why isn’t this just mandatory everywhere?

Also, for $350, Trash for Teaching will entertain 15 kids at a birthday party. You supply tables and space, they do the rest.

Upcycled duck, you can buy these as kits

Upcycled duck, you can buy these as kits

http://trashforteaching.org/

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Posted in Artistic Trash, Upcycling | 4 Comments »

Trash waters

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

For those who can’t get enough of shock in the face of the plastic et al. that floats around in our seas, I highly recommend the UN Environment Programme’s recent report Marine Litter – A Global Challenge. The report spells it all out pretty clearly – there’s trash in all our seas. We don’t know how much it is, or exactly how damaging it is, but we know that it’s terrible.

The report makes a number of recommendations, such as the ever needed raised awareness (garbloggers 4-ever!), but the significant components if you ask me are spelled enforced legislation and incentives not to dump in the sea (or the rivers that flow out to sea). Enforcement is not only punishment though, its also about preventive measures, such as ship and industry control. I. e., governments must step in and force the private sector to behave when the invisible hand fails to do so.

Lastly, a new lovely abbreviation (actually a combination of two): The NOWPAP MALITA (The North West Pacific Marine Litter Activity).

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OK to dump US mining trash in lakes

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Eh, anyone who knows anything about mining trash, please explain this? The US Supreme Court ruled yesterday 6-3 in favor of a mining company who wants to dump 4.5 million tonnes of what’s known as coal slurry into Lower Slate Lake, Alaska.  The slurry is expected to annihilate life in these waters. Wikipedia says the following about coal slurry:

High-profile disasters associated with these slurry impoundments have called into question their safety. In February 1972, three dams holding a mixture of coal slurry and water in Logan County, West Virginia failed in succession: 130 million gallons of toxic water were released in the Buffalo Creek Flood.

Out of a population of 5,000 people, 125 people were killed, 1,121 were injured, and over 4,000 were left homeless. The flood caused 50 million dollars in damages. Despite evidence of negligence, the Pittston Company, which owned the compromised dam, called the event an “Act of God.”

Seriously, how flawed is the Clean Water Act if these things are ok? (And sure, this dumping is planned, so the flooding part isn’t going to happen, but its toxxxic man!)

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Posted in Trash Politics | 2 Comments »

York dustbin

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Couldn’t fly off for three nights to the UK without bringing back a pic of those handy dustbins on which there are some metal thingies for you to stub your cigarette before throwing it away where it belongs, could I? No, I couldn’t.

Yes, we paint our dustbins with gold, because trash is holy

Yes, we paint our dustbins with gold, because trash is holy

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Posted in Artistic Trash | 1 Comment »

The seagulls of Edingburgh dive for “illegaly presented refuse”

Monday, June 15, 2009

Geoffrey K. Pullum of the Language Log (a blog about languages and linguistics, six years in action, also in hard copy) today presented the world with the most fabulous description of what happens when residents break trash regulations in a city of seagulls. Everyone, this is a mandatory read. To give you a taste:

What the Edinburgh city council finally did, in response to my calls to the Environmental Protection department, was to come round and note sacks that had been put out too early, and they stuck on at least one of them (the one I noticed on Thursday) a small sticky label saying “THIS REFUSE HAS BEEN CHECKED FOR ILLEGAL PRESENTATION.”

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Posted in Garblogging, Trash Politics | Leave a Comment »

The kids are alright (Decorative Dumpster Jr.)

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Remember I told you all about our lovley Swedish tradition Pick Up the Trash Day? If you log on to this page (in Swedish) of Gävle Municipality, and klick the link “Här kan du se alla bidrag som kommit in till sopkorgstävlingen”, you will be able to look at about 50 home made decorated dumpsters by Gävle kids.

*Eyes watering with tears from cuteness overload*

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Bribed trash collectors as standard

Thursday, June 11, 2009

We’ve known for quite some time now that everyday city trash attracts a lot of black market services. The most famous example is of course the mobsters who control large quantities of Italy’s trash. In Sweden, while the mob doesn’t seem to take a heavy interest, a lot of trash is collected under the eye of the municipal authorities and companies officially running business.

In an intriguing piece for Swedish weekly magazine Fokus, Nuri Kino, Petter Ljunggren and Mattias Pleijel lift the lid of the bin that is the real trash collecting economy in my hometown of Stockholm, claiming that their discoveries are valid for most of the country. A system has developed where restaurant owners don’t want to pay for collection every day of the week, but rather once or twice, and then slip Mr. Trash Collector some $100 on the side for the other days of the week. Further, there’s complimentary food and drinks to expect.

For some trash collectors, this seem to have developed in to a full blown lifestyle, with some restaurant owners having no option but to put out that free lunch, or finding out that the refuse truck is suddenly broken, oh sorry there will be no collection today as scheduled.

Would be surprised if this doesn’t spark debate back home, as us Swedes always pose happily about sharing the top spot at the Corruption Perceptions Index (where being #1 means very little bribing), currently together with Denmark and New Zealand. Now, the obvious question to the rest of the world: Where there is no trash mobster boss running things, how do these things play out? Who are the beneficiaries, who lose and what is being done about it? Everydaytrash wants to know!

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Posted in TRA$H | 2 Comments »

Its up to your landlord!

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Treehugger reports that proposed legeslation in San Francisco opens for harsh fines for residential and commercial building owners who fail to make sure trash from their tenants is recycled, and recylced properly. According to Treehugger, such legislation exists in several places already in the US, but not with fines.

Makes me think of yesterday, when a note was posted at my front door. Intrigued as you always are by notes, I read it, although it was addressed to my landlord. It turned out to be notice of a $300 fine for placing plastic for recycling on the curb on the wrong day of the week.

This focus on building owners is very different to my homeland of Sweden, where, as I have described earlier, the responsability for recycling lies with the individual person. And they say we’re the commies..

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Sweden decides on long term nuclear trash storage

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Today the Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Co (SKB), the entity tasked with finding out where and how to store Sweden’s ultra dangerous radioactive trash, decided on where they will recommend the construction of the long term repository. The winner is Östhammar, a municipality with just over 21,000 inhabitants in southeast Sweden.

At today’s press conference, representatives of the municipality were serious-looking and happy, having beat the municipality Oskarshamn in the race to become nuclear trash spot no 1, they of course talked wide about cooperation, but it’s an ill kept secret that people in power back in Östhammar are jubilant over this decision.

One might find it odd that two municipalities would compete and advocate that they have the best mountain core for nuclear trash, but it just goes to show the power of tra$h, I guess, nuclear being the ultimate trash after all. That, or people are just outright bonkers. To learn all about how the final disposal will happen, check out the 101 on nuclear trash storage at the SKB website.

UPDATE: Follow this link to Swedish newspaper Uppsala Nya Tidning to see pix of Östhammar storage site boss celebrating with cake. The local government commissioner cried tears of joy (yes, she did). Then take a look at the most important YouTube clip ever about #cake. (Many thanx to @gerontedodedon for inspiration.)

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Most horrific trash pix to date?

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

GigaPica, a Dutch website honoring the art of photographic journalism (firmly asking you not to post their pictures on your blog, how very 90’s) has what I believe to be the worse images of trash yet published. It’s just horrible, but really worth a look.

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Posted in Trash Politics | 4 Comments »

The future is here!

Saturday, May 23, 2009

They have been sweeping the streets of South Korea. They have disintegrated dust in Japan. They have gathered garbage in Italy. Now, in the Swedish town of Örebro, they will patrol the streets and put terror in the eyes of trash. I speak, of course, of DUSTBOT!

Dustbot

Dustbot

Dustobot is what we’ve all been longing for ever since we met R2-D2 and the other droids in Star Wars. Small, cute and friendly looking robots, slowly finding their way around on wheeled legs, doing stuff for us. Like taking out the trash. The Dustbot aims higher than just convenience though, it’s a one of these super-sophisticated tech project, funded by the European Commission, loads of researchers involed, development of new technique, etc.

Which of course is all very well. I however believe that the citizens of Örebro will not discuss the details too much, but instead enjoy the future that you can send a text message to Dustbot, and wait for the little bot to come rolling to you, happily swallowing whatever there is you want to get rid of (just don’t forget to tell the Dustbot what it is you’re throwing away, through clicking around for a while on it’s display).

Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter reports that Dustbot will roll out in Örebro at the end of July. For those who want more of the research, visit the (surprisingly super-ugly) website for project Dustbot.

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Posted in Intellectual Trash | 4 Comments »

Bridge day = trash day!

Friday, May 22, 2009

My dear folks spend a lot of time at their country house in rural Sweden. This week and weekend, Ascension Day means Thursday off, usually with the effect that everyone claims Friday as bridge day, i.e. day off too, and leave their cities. My folks are no different, how can one deny such a great opportunity to clean out winter trash in the summer house?

Dad reports he thought they would be the only ones being houseproud enough to visit the local town trash deposit this lazy day, but oh was he wrong. There was a cue! Conclusion: Swedes take time off work to drive mile long stretches to recycle. Is this just us? Memorial day is coming up in the US this Monday, does it mean the recycling will overflow in Park Slope? Experienced citizens, pray tell.

EDIT: Dad now reports that Swedish Public Service television news says today is Sweden’s busiest recycling day of the year. All thanks to a legend about the ascent of this guy who preached about “be nice to people”, some 2000 years ago. Who said religion wasn’t useful?

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Posted in Garblogging | 3 Comments »

Cabin cleaning goes unpaid

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Flew across a couple of states on US Airways this morning, and learned that the crazy terrible economic turmoil we’re in has effects you wouldn’t know of unless someone told you. When US Airways started suffering from the economy, all cleaning services by employees or contractors ended, and trash is now taken care of by the cabin crew.

Only problem is that the cabin crew only get paid for the hours from the start of taxi until the seat belt-signs are finally turned off (which in itself is mighty weird, as these people are in the aircraft before anyone else, and leave last). The trash management is unpaid, and there are no incentives to clean very detailed, as you might be running to the next flight you work out, or might be going home. Hence, cabins are dirtier nowadays.

For the record, both flights landed ahead of schedule.

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Posted in Trash Politics | 3 Comments »

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