Tracking Our Trash, Part I

Americans are third in the world in the amount of trash generated per person. On average we generate 4.5 lbs of trash per day! In one year, one person throws away 1672 lbs of trash. Picture hauling two grand pianos out of your home – that is how much trash the average American throws away every year.

But do you ever stop to think about what happens after you take the trash out? When you throw something away – poof! – it’s as if it magically disappeared. At the end of the week the trash bin out on the curb is empty, and the cycle of refilling and emptying continues. But what happens to all those take-out containers and coffee cups we are throwing away? The story of our stuff doesn't end with a good aim and a fling of the wrist towards the nearest empty container.

Our stuff gets disposed of in four ways: recycling, composting, incineration, and landfill burying. Recycling and composting sound like the green way to go, but inevitably some waste will end up at an incineration facility or at a landfill. In 2008, 33% of America's waste was recycled, while 54% went to landfills. A landfill is like a grave for our stuff. Trash is compacted and sealed in air-tight modules and stays there, preserved, for the rest of time (well, as far as we are concerned).

This week I am exploring the Miramar Landfill in San Diego to answer the question, “What happens to our trash?” A landfill is like a time capsule, and the layers of buried trash hold stories of our cultural life. What exactly goes on at a landfill will be covered in the next post.