Bag Lady

For three days I had to collect all the garbage I created in a plastic bag. Just to quell any silly inquiries about doing bum research, let me clarify that this was an assignment for my Environmental Ethics class. It was designed to provoke thought about environmental sustainability in light of the garbage humans produce.

Upon hearing the directions of the assignment, I was concerned about the bag of garbage being an eyesore. I certainly didn’t want to tote around an atrocious accessory. However, it was no feat to keep it inconspicuous. To my surprise, I did not produced much waste at all. I guess it has been drilled into me that our culture is so wasteful that I expected to follow suit. The bag itself eclipsed the bulk of my rubbish.

In order to distinguish garbage from compostable or recyclable material, I referred the Waste Management Northwest guideline. I keep a magnetic chart posted on my refrigerator. I have committed most of the list to memory, although I occasionally consult it when deciding what to do with questionable items. I suppose I could have avoided throwing some objects away. My gum could have been public art by adding it to a gum shrine. I could have used the bagel bag as a mutt mitt, doubling its utility. However thrifty that may have been, I did not want to lug around excrement. So even though there we alternative options, I chose to classify what I did as garbage in the name of hygiene and keeping with local regulations.

Carrying around my trash did not affect the amount waste I disposing, rather I noticed that I was more cautious in the way I went about it. For instance, my efforts to compost increased. Normally, I throw away orange/banana skins and apple cores if I plan to be at school for a few hours. Since undertaking this project, I kept a baggie in which to store my compostable material until I could properly dispose of it.

The most out of character behavior for me to exhibit was including the paper towels I used in public restrooms as an item to compost. I found myself discreetly palming the soiled paper instead of simply throwing it away in the closest receptacle. Curious witnesses cast sideways glances in my direction, no doubt questioning my sanity. I suppose the suspicious stares made me slightly self-conscious, though it did not discouraged me much from continuing this quirk for the duration of the project.

This exercise put into perspective that the seemingly insignificant lifestyle changes I have made actually make a difference. Often times, I find myself wondering, “ What does it matter if I compost or recycle”. I have adopted these habits because I was educated on their impact, but I continue them largely out of guilt. It has been a year since I began sorting my disposables and the tedious task has started to wear on me. Each time I make the gesture, it doesn’t feel like I am truly helping the environment. However upon reflection, the collective results of my behavior modification have a higher positive effect than I previously thought. Being hyper-aware of my waste contribution rejuvenated my patience for sorting and my enthusiasm to minimize my output.