Man loses weight by saving trash

Ari Derfel in Berkeley got svelter and healthier last year -- by saving his trash. Yes, the 35-year-old saved ALL his trash -- including the recyclables, in 2007, storing it in his apartment as part of his pet project, dubbed Project Trash Retention.

And when he saw all those soy ice cream containers stacking up, he decided to stop eating the stuff, as well as other food in one-use containers. Voila: Weight loss. According to the San Francisco Chronicle:

The project started out as an experiment - to see just how much waste one person generates in a year (in Derfel's case, about 96 cubic feet). But as the months rolled by and Derfel's refuse overflowed from his kitchen pantry and into bins in the living room, the project grew from novelty into an environmental statement, a source of much discussion and debate, and a three-dimensional diary of Derfel's consumption habits (not to mention a source of many, many jokes).

And Derfel plans to save his trash again this year to see if he can reduce it further. He's hoping an artist will turn his 2007 refuse into something pretty -- a not-so-crazy idea, considering that in nearby San Francisco, the dump has an Artist in Residence program doing just that.

Why Derfel is saving even the recyclables: Most recycling, especially that for plastics, is downcycling -- meaning that the "new" product made from recycled materials tends to be a lower-quality product that's then usually difficult to recycle. Plus, most recyclables are shipped all over the place before they're actually recycled -- adding to CO2 emissions.

Saving one's trash -- or at least vastly reducing it -- has become somewhat of a popular pastime -- at least in the green blogosphere. Cases in point:

• Last September, a Pasadena woman named Tess Vigeland carried around her trash around with her for two weeks — and blogged about her experience at Tess’ Trash Challenge for American Public Radio.
• Oakland resident Beth of Fake Plastic Fish notes her weekly plastic trash accumulation, carefully tabulating the results. Envirowoman in Canada also challenged herself to give up plastic for 2007, also keeping tabs on her plastic accumulation.
• In NYC, Colin Beavan, a.k.a. No Impact Man, went a year trying to have NO impact on the planet. The effort included forgoing toilet paper, towing furniture by bike and, of course, reducing trash as much as possible.
• Some hardcore environmentalists in San Francisco started the Compact, a group of people who pledged not to buy anything new for an entire year (except for essentials like undies). This effort both reduces the trash created by the production of new stuff, as well as providing more of a demand for pre-loved stuff.

And of course Derfel himself has started his own blog, titled Save Your Trash. Tagline: Because there's no such thing as away.

I'm not ready to start collecting my trash, though I do my best to reduce it. One practical lesson from the Derfel story: Reduce one-time use containers as much as possible, and when you have a choice, choose a glass container over plastic. Glass is highly recyclable, and often recycled locally; plastic is not.

Photo courtesy of Save Your Trash

Comments

[m]

Oddly enough, I just came across an article online yesterday that said people that have a tendency to store excessive stuff/trash/hoard are in general way more likely to be overweight than those that don't. I can't remember what the connection was between the two besides people being complacent with their trash and their lifestyle. I suppose the difference in motivation for storing it all makes all of the difference (This is not meant as an attack on anyone - I love making things out of trash and other tidbits I pick up around me, so I can understand justifying storing "trash" for later usage.)

I wonder if owns his apartment because honestly, if my manager came in and saw me storing all of that trash, no matter what the reasons, I don't think they would be too happy even if they didn't see any bugs around (what happens if ppl around you get an infestation and you don't know because it is buried under all of your trash?)

[Siel]

He composts all organic matter, so it's bug free. I dunno -- The trash looks pretty well organized and taken care of :P

[m]

Unfortunately being bug free doesn't necessarily have to do with having organic matter around, especially in a multi-family home environment. My apartment is pretty clean and right now I am dealing with what I think are bedbugs. I don't know where they came from, but the subway, a neighbor or a short stay in a hotel on the east coast are all possibilities. Despite any preconceptions about bedbugs, it doesn't matter how clean you are, as long as you are living, they are interested in being near you and they will find any tiny nook or crack to hide in and they will wait for you to reappear (for up to 18 months without a meal!!). One of the worst things to do is have excess clutter around because it just means there are more places for them to hide in your home and reproduce... Roaches are also known to feast (and travel into homes) on cardboard.