Circular Economy

An item I regularly interact with is packaging, and more biodegradable packaging should be part of a circular economy. Packaging is something that the average American engages in, for example: online deliveries, in person shopping, soap and water bottles. Something specifically to minimize is the amount of plastics, as it’s overwhelmingly overused and within everything. Also, if it were to become part of a circular economy, it should be more accessible, because some zero waste stores are not in every city/neighborhood, and usually overpriced. Not to mention greenwashing sustainable products should be lessened.

Natural Disaster

About a year ago waste disrupted the way I normally functioned.  This was due to a hurricane flooding my neighborhood and my house.  Because of the flooding and the lack of road service available, there was a lot of trash and waste in front of my house for a while.  Some of it was yard waste as the tree in front of our house had a lot of branches and sticks that fell but we also had to cut down that tree due to fears of instability for the next storm.  There was also a lot of our furniture and things that were on the floor that could not be salvaged. We had to throw away a lot as the water that seeped into our house was dangerous and contained gasoline and other contaminants.  We also had to remove the bottom half of the drywall on all of our walls which also produced a significant amount of trash.  There was simply no service to pick up all of the waste that we had in front of our house and in front of all of our neighbors houses. Our whole neighborhood was affected by the storm as we lived in a low  elevation area.  In an emergency Public Services don’t always work like they should, which is understandable because it’s an emergency and they needed to be more focused on other things, But it was very stressful and messy. It took about a month or two for all of the trash to be removed from in front of our house which just made me worry a bit about pollution and runoff from the items sitting out there for over a month.  it was not very sanitary but most trash isn’t.

Paint water

I like to collage. I enjoy creating art, and because of this, I often end up with some waste after making my art. It makes sense that art creation produces waste, as you can’t use all the materials. Despite trying to minimize waste, there’s always some leftover. Since much of my journaling and collaging involve found materials, I tend to keep small scraps, even if I don’t have a specific purpose for them yet.

Another type of art waste I generate is paint water. I didn’t know for a while that it shouldn’t be poured down the drain. Acrylic paint water, when left to dry in a bucket, allows the water to evaporate, leaving behind the dried acrylic or other medium used. I only made the connection with the name “acrylic” later on.

When it comes to watercolors, unless they are sparkly, I usually pour them down the drain, even though I know I shouldn’t. The reason is that there’s a cat in my house, and I don’t want him to drink it and get sick. While I use him as an excuse, I know that it’s not the best practice. I might be in trouble if this pollution were completely prohibited, but it could be a good motivator to set up a system where I’m not just pouring it down the drain and leaching harmful materials into our water.

Double or nothing

I need to fidget and because of that I have made some interesting fidget toys based on them  having a nice texture.  An example of that is I had a single-use lidocaine patch like one of the big pad ones. I put the patch on my body for pain management and it helped. While I was putting it on I noticed it had a nice squish to it so once it was done I took it off and folded it in half. I just kept it for about a month or two to just feel it. I would roll it up, it would be squishy kind of like one of those little mini Squishy toys. And because of that material that I was made out of it was also cold and so when it was hot in my dorm I could also just put it near my face and it’d be cold and nice. I wasn’t using the object for its intended purpose. Well I did use it for its intended purpose and then I found another purpose after. I’ll probably do that again if I  need to use another lidocaine patch. The Object is disposable because it only has one use, to be put on your body to numb the pain and when it’s been on long enough then you can take it off and throw it away.  While cleaning my room I did end up throwing it away because it was the floor and it got a bit gross and dirty. It’s quite frustrating how many things are single use, which is why I normally stick to lidocaine creams, especially the roll-on kind. As those can be used multiple times even if the packaging isn’t super great.

Moldy Fruit

A moldy piece of fruit is a waste object that could be seen as a hazard, a risk, and a resource. The Moldy piece of fruit is considered a hazard because mold is generally not the best to be around there’s a lot of people to have mold allergies and also consuming mold can cause a lot of people to get sick.  The Moldy piece of fruit can also be considered a risk as it may cause other food in the fridge to become moldy faster as it spreads its spores which can create more frustration and loss of goods.  but it can also be seen as a resource since moldy food is something that you can put in the compost bin and the compost can be used for fertilizing soil and other plants and so in that mind it is not as bad as it ending up in a landfill and not being able to decompose due to the  environment. Things that are seen as a hazard  is something I am more likely to throw away if I see something as a resource I will want to keep it until I’m able to use it as a resource and so there have been times when I put moldy food in the freezer because I don’t have the energy to take it out to the compost bin but I also would feel terribly guilty about throwing away food that was once fresh and I could have had the potential to eat I just didn’t. When I think of moldy food I was unable to get to due to my lack of object permanence with my ADHD  and my lack of energy and fatigue;  it makes me feel less bad if I’m able to consider it as a resource that still has value.

Little tin box

Many things are structured around distancing us from waste. One example I can think of is sanitary disposal boxes in the  public bathroom.  After one has used a sanitary napkin  and needs to dispose of it they are able to put it in a little brown paper bag inside the metal waste receptacle in the bathroom stall. Keeps the biological waste away from other people that have to use the stall and makes it more discreet as they are able to not throw it away outside of the individual stall which can sometimes be embarrassing for some people.  In many men’s bathrooms those  receptacles aren’t there  which can create some frustration for those who need to use those bathrooms but menstruate.  These receptacles provide a place to dispose of waste that is in general in society seen as shameful or embarrassing. where a lot of people will be very embarrassed if their pad rapper crinkles while they’re trying to unwrap it and it’s a shame that periods and menstruation is so Vilified when it’s a natural biological process that nearly half the population has.

In New York

I recently traveled to New York and I was able to have personal experience with the trash of New York City. I was able to understand the waste workers reading a lot more as I was in the city of the DSNY. New York being such a heavily populated city there is a lot of waste that people and businesses produce.
I can understand how the trash piles up when the sanitation workers are unable to fulfill their job due to traffic, strikes, or some other reason.
I also took notice of the amount of waste that I was producing. Eating out frequently meant having containers for leftovers, leading to more trash.
I believe if there was more motivation to reduce waste or a greater focus on recycling and food waste disposal, much of the trash could be minimized.
However, it really depends on the time and education invested in making these changes.
I personally feel that people generally believe the responsibility for trash is no longer theirs once it leaves their personal property or home. While I understand this in some cases, it’s easier to not worry about it and let it be out of sight. Dealing with the amount of waste we produce becomes less impending and exhausting once it’s out of mind.

Paper

Paper, an everyday material deeply integrated into our lives, currently operates on a very linear path- manufactured, used, and discarded. Envisioning a shift towards a curricular economy model for paper seems promising. By redesigning its composition and connected infrastructures, paper could embrace a closed-loop system. Firstly, altering the production process to incorporate refueled fibers or sustainable sources like agricultural residues could diminish reliance on virgin wood pulp. A redesign focusing on eco friendly materials and innovative production methods could foster a circular paper economy. Enhancing recycling technologies to efficiently collect and process used paper products becomes crucial. Instituting policies and infrastructures promoting paper recycling at both individual and industrial levels would help a lot. Overall , transitioning paper into a circular economy demands a holistic approach and seems very doable if we could get everyone on board and working towards the same goal which is nearly impossible it seems these days.

Archaeology

Picture an archaeologist, a millennium from now, unearthing a commonplace item:  a discarded toilet. This artifact, once an integral part of daily life, could offer significant insights into our culture and societal practices. Firstly, the material design of the toilet might convey a great deal about our technological advancements and priorities. The craftsmanship and materials used could indicate the level of our sophistication and our emphasis on sanitation (or lack thereof) and comfort. The location where the toilet is discovered could also speak volumes. If it was around a lot more rubble perhaps stuff like plastics, non perishable foods and all the other long lasting items we have created they might see us as a consumer driven society valuing convenience and mass production (pretty accurate). However they might make wrong assumptions about hygiene and the way we care for ourselves based on the condition or area it’s located in. Or as the book I love that talks about this discusses perhaps the toilet was an ancient throne to worship the gods. The interpretation of a material object requires much nuanced understanding and consideration as it takes layers of both societal and basic knowledge to really understand what an item might be. 

Archaeology

Something I regularly dispose of is drink bottles, and while they go into the recycling when I get rid of them, it is possible they do not all make it to recycling facilities. If they were to be found in the future, they would most likely be able to assume that the bottle is some form of drinking vessel. If found on its own, they might make the assumption that it was a form of traveling with liquids, which would not be incorrect, but if it were to be found with other waste objects, maybe even with other bottles, they would likely make the assumption it was not something that we cared to hold on to. If they drew the conclusion that these were bottles of liquid being sold, they might make the incorrect assumption that water was a rare and hard to find resource, since it was being distributed to people in what would appear to be rationed amounts. From there they might assume that necessary resources might have been difficult to obtain, especially if they find other food packaging, which would also give the impression of rationed items.