California man keeps year's worth of trash

Straits Times 1 Jan 08

MR ARI Derfel leads a trashy life. He just wants to remind everyone else that they do, too.

The 35-year-old Berkeley, California, caterer said he has saved every piece of trash he has generated over the past year to see how much garbage one person creates, The San Francisco Chronicle reported on Sunday.

In his case, it was about 2.7 cubic m.

The experiment began as a way to examine his own consumption habits, Mr Derfel said, but grew into a statement about consumerism and the environment.

'When we throw something away, what does 'away' mean?' Mr Derfel said.

'There's no such thing as 'away'.'

The refuse - including every tissue, receipt, food wrapper and plastic bottle - lies in bins in the kitchen and living room of Mr Derfel's apartment. He composts his food scraps.

The apartment does not smell like rotting food, and there are no bugs, other than the normal number roaming around any house, the newspaper reported.

Mr Derfel, who washes out bags and containers regularly to ward off odours and vermin, said he hopes to donate his accumulated waste to a sculptor.

ASSOCIATED PRESS