everydaytrash

  A promising sight upon entering a supermarket this afternoon: lots of reusable bags.  At the checkout counter there was an even larger display.  Often when travelling I get all peeved and self-righteous about diesal fumes and the lack of recycling.  It’s great to see a model example from Africa. 

  The trash-related news is grim today.  In Guatemala, a landslide at a dump killed four trash pickers.  For more about the lives of these people, check out the inspirational documentary Recycled Lives.

My friend Jenny in Italy sent me this link to a film called Biùtiful Cauntri, an Italian trash documentary. We’re still searching for a subtitled version for those of us who need them. Jenny sent this note after a recent trip to the front lines of the trash war:

“The situation in the area around Naples is still devastating, this is what this documetantary talks about. The mafia has been dumping toxic waste into farm land for over 14 years, what we are seeing in the papers isn’t news to the neapolitans.”

An eleventh grader in Waterloo has figured out what makes plastic decompose and how to speed up that process—to three months. The trick was figuring out which bacteria are responsible for breaking down plastic over time and then to grow those.

“Almost every week I have to do chores and when I open the closet door, I have this avalanche of plastic bags falling on top of me,” the 16-year old-told The Record. “One day, I got tired of it and I wanted to know what other people are doing with these plastic bags.”

Via Treehugger via The Record

Here’s the link, pass it on!

Photo by Cristen at Beth and Don’s annual extravaganza

At 3pm, June 1st, a raft made of a salvaged plane and 15,000 plastic bottles will set sail from the Long Beach Aquarium, pointed toward Hawaii. Tipster Anna Cummins invites anyone in the area to see her financee and his partner head off on an exciting expedition to raise awareness about ocean debris. Track the journey on the boat’s blog.

Via everdaytrash comments and Shifting Baselines.

Veolia Environmental Services has figured out an interesting model for funding the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.  They collect old bras from local ladies and sell them in West Africa.  When I first started seeing bra recycling headlines from Ireland and England this week, I assumed people were collecting the underwire.  This, however, is a good example of how recycling pays!

Via letsrecycle.com

Oh no, the trash crisis in Naples isn’t over.

The Combustibles are having a benefit party/auction/extravaganza in midtown.   A mere $15 at the door gets you beer and snacks, not a bad deal and for a trashy cause.

My friend Joe of Beer at Joe’s tipped me off to this story relevant to both of our blogs: a solar water heater made out of old beer bottles.  Love it!

This provocative image came to me via the comments. It’s from a blog in Dutch. Perhaps they feel a kinship over comfy shoes made of hard materials?