What happens to garbage...interview with Heather Rogers...

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Andy Middleton on September 13, 2009 at 13:10

Sure, waste in the way that we see things, is a new construct. Before plastics, the only waste would have been broken pans and steel items that ended up with the rag and bone man, and bits of broken willow pattern crockery, which turn up in people's gardens across the UK.

It's time to tackle the idea of anything going to landfill head-on so that we a) maintain stocks of important resources, b) learn to create restorative design that starts to fix this injured planet of ours

Permalink Reply by Penny Walker on September 14, 2009 at 10:43

One of the paradigm-shifts or 'aha' moments for me, was realising that when we throw something away, there is no 'away'.

The unintended consequence of regular municipal rubbish collections (good for keeping things sanitary, a great example of collective activity) is that people come to assume that rubbish is someone else's responsbility, and that their waste-creation activities are inherent and should be catered for, rather than a choice they are making which they can take responsibility for. Andy's comments seem to be aimed at the big players. In addition to them, a shift needs to happen in our collective, domestic behaviour.



Andy Middleton said:

Sure, waste in the way that we see things, is a new construct. Before plastics, the only waste would have been broken pans and steel items that ended up with the rag and bone man, and bits of broken willow pattern crockery, which turn up in people's gardens across the UK.

It's time to tackle the idea of anything going to landfill head-on so that we a) maintain stocks of important resources, b) learn to create restorative design that starts to fix this injured planet of ours