Garbage

This article is about the refuse of society. For other uses of the term Garbage, please see Garbage (disambiguation).

© Image: Derek Hodges
Garbage in public park during Toronto garbage strike.

Garbage, trash, or (in British English) rubbish, is the byproduct of the disposed waste created by a society. The terms garbage and rubbish are more or less a 'catch-all' term for items that are viewed as disposable, or that can be "thrown away". Other terms that may be used to describe garbage are waste, litter, and refuse; however these terms often mean something specific when used in appropriate context, e.g. human waste.

Trash

Worldwide, about 1.3 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste are generated every year. The largest percent of municipal waste is generated by the United States (19%), followed by China (14%). The next four countries together, the Russian Federation, Japan, Brazil and Germany, make up about 18% of world municipal waste. In addition, trash, or waste, is the source of 3-5% of emissions generated from human activity.

Trash Management

Garbage, once disposed of, is usually collected by a waste-management company (which may be a municipality) or a privately run contract, depending on the agreement made by the government of the city, county, state, or country. After it is collected, it is hauled away by trucks to either dumps (also known as landfills), or to processing facilities where it is then filtered of recyclable materials and then incinerated, pulverized, or deposited at another location.

Disposal of trash can be a problem in itself: if not managed correctly, sites where trash is deposited can over-run into the main populace areas of the city.

Throughout history, there have been creative ways of disposing of trash. One option is to mix layers of solid waste (non-liquid and non-gaseous waste) with layers of soil. This was done to create Mount Trashmore Park, located in Virginia Beach, VA.. Mount Trashmore is approximately 165 acres of composted trash, reaching 60 feet high and spanning over 800 feet long.

In many parts of the world, trash is burned. Unfortunately the gas produced by the burning of trash is often toxic and poses an environmental and health hazard; so much so that the EPA has established a website that includes links to laws, regulations, and hazards.

Trash classification

Not all trash is created equal. In the United States, there are laws and regulations that determine how specific kinds of trash much be handled. For example: medical waste(items such as needles, test tubes, gloves, testing materials) is classified as "biohazard" materials and must be handled appropriately. Even household chemicals, and containers, for such things as drain cleaners and paint must be treated as hazardous materials. Discarded electronic equipment both may contain hazardous materials such as mercury, as well as traces of gold plating and other materials that economically justify separate recycling.

With an increasing recycling movement, more and more separations are used. "Trash" tends to imply dry material and "garbage" wet (e.g., food waste). Dry materials, based on different recycling, may be sorted into conventional paper, glazed paper (e.g., magazines), cardboard, plastic, glass and aluminum. In one major high-technology firm, where the coffee rooms have an extensive range of sorting containers, a ritual for new employees is to ask them whether empty coffee bags, made of aluminum coated Mylar, should go into "plastic" or "metal."

Creative uses of trash

There are also a number of ways that trash can be used creatively. Several examples include Trash Art, Trashion (fashion made from trash) and trash-to-treasure programs for children.

Trashion

Quite a number of artists use trash in fashion design. For example, Marina DeBris used rope, nets, canvas from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch to make a corset and hoop-skirt outfit for an ocean education festival, and used styrofoam coffee cups and containers, and paper plates, to make a dress to benefit sustainable arts education. Four University of Michigan students used materials they found in trash cans around campus to create a “trashy” cloths line.