If you’ve ever wondered just how much trash you generate in a year and what impact it has on the environment, then you’ll want to check out Berkeley-based caterer Ari Derfel, who collected all of his recyclable waste product from last year, everything from straws and napkins to stereo boxes, and stockpiled them in his apartment.
Derfel was meticulous, even collecting detritus from his vacations and backpacking trips, and wound up with 96 cubic feet of waste for the year. The S.F. Chronicle has an excellent feature on what Derfel is calling Project Trash Retention, and if you want the gritty details, have a look at his blog, Save Your Trash.
Derfel plans to continue the project for at least another year with the goal of reducing his garbage load in 2008. He’s also planning to shoot some video shorts for YouTube and is meeting with artists interested in turning his first year’s pile of trash into an object d’art.
