22
MLCM
WINTER/SPRING2017
PACK IT IN, PACK ITOUT…FOREVER
THEAGEOFCONSUMERISMMEETSTHE30-DAYGARBAGECHALLENGE
words :: Brian Finestone
illustration ::DaveBarnes
Imagine if youhad to carry around every scrapof
garbage yougenerated for one full month.What
does life look likewhenwaste that cannot be
recycled, compostedor reusedwithin a fewdays
goes into a bag andmust be carriedon your person
everywhere yougo—out for a dinner date, to
themovies, to a job interview, on a business trip.
Everywhere.
It startedwith coffee cups.Opening any bear-proof
bins inWhistler reveals dozens,maybe hundreds, of
paper coffee cups. Each cuphas a paper jacket and
plastic lid, bothofwhich couldhave been recycled.
Upon seeing recyclables in the trash, even atmy
home andwork, I became increasingly alarmed at
the volume of garbage beinggenerated aroundme
and the seed for the 30-DayGarbageChallenge
was planted. I wondered if peoplewould caremore,
or take the few extra steps needed to recycle, if
they had to carry around their owngarbage for
theworld to see.And so, after aChristmas break
where the garbage room inmy complex became an
overflowingpile of plastic packaging andwaste, I
took out the trash… everywhere.
I tookmy trash snowboarding, tomeetings, andona
trip toColorado.You catch some strange lookswhen
you’re sendinga clear plastic bagof garbage through
airport securityX-raymachines, or sitting it on the
table at fancy restaurants inBeaver Creek andVail.
But I learned very quickly.Most of thewaste
itemswe generate are the result of front loaded
convenience –paper coffee cups“togo”versus
sittingdown to a cupof coffee in a ceramicmug
or bringing your own reusable travel cup.The
challenge forcedme tobe proactivewhen eating
out, particularlywhile travelling, inorder to avoid
plastic straws and single use plastic foodwrapping
wherever possible. I amnowmuchmore creative
when it comes toplanning andpacking food for
lunches, always looking to alternatives that canbe
reusedor composted aftermultiple uses.
At home, I shopwith an increased scrutiny ofwhat
packaging companies use tobring their products
tomarket.The one item I tried towash and carry,
but had to abandon,was absorbentmeat pads
saturatedwithblood.Despite repeatedwashing and
rinsing, the pads started to smell like a cadaver after
a couple of days so I was forced to toss themout.
Everything elsewent into the bag and came along
for themonth.
I encourage others to take up the challenge, tell
peoplewhat they are doing, andnominatemore
people to try it for themselves. Share the effort
on social media platforms anduse the hashtag
#30DayGarbageChallenge. Badhabits die pretty
quicklywhen youhave to lug them aroundwith you
all the time.
UP
FRONT
