What This Blog Is About

The day after Thanksgiving seems like an appropriate day to spend some time thinking about waste. And that's what I'm doing. And that's what I plan to keep doing with this blog.

The problem with recycling is that it has become so difficult. Policies on what's recyclable vary not only from state to state but from city to city. Here in Los Angeles we've got three bins for trash: Black for landfill, blue for most recyclables, and green for organic waste such as tree trimmings. And what goes in each? One day plastic bags go in the black bin, then the next they are relegated to the blue, so you begin wondering if perhaps the plastic ones are more eco-friendly than the paper ones, and there really isn't a singular resource out there for advice on which is best. I hope, with this blog, to change that.

My plan for this blog is to follow this simple formula: One piece of trash per post. We look at it, describe what it is, and discuss the best possible way to dispose of it. It could be something as simple as a tin can that you throw in the blue bin, or as complicated as an old cell phone that gets mailed out to Cell Phones for Soldiers. One item. One answer.

I hope over time that this blog serves as a type of database. My goal is to make the thing searchable, so that you can look up a specific piece of refuse you might be curious about, and find out the best way to dispose of it.

Because I am based in Los Angeles, the answers will have a decidedly L.A.-centric flavor. If things go well on this somewhat micro scale, maybe we can expand. We'll see. For now, we're talking about Los Angeles County.

Let me tell you what this blog is not: It's not your mother. I'm not here to guilt you into being green. I'm not here to tell you what to do. And let's be clear that I am no green angel myself. I harm the environment in all sorts of ways and I'm in no position to judge anyone for how they disregard the ecosystem with their behaviors, large or small. But for those who do want to be green, for those who are trying to do the right thing but don't always know what the right thing is, I humbly offer this blog. No judgment.

Edward R. Murrow chose Thanksgiving Day 1960 to broadcast his "Harvest of Shame" documentary to millions of Americans, shedding light on the plight of migrant farm workers. Though I fear I would suffer in comparison to Edward R. Murrow, I do hope what I do here proves similarly enlightening. So my soap box isn't as big as Murrow's. If I could set one person on the path to correct recycling, the world would be a better place, right? I look forward to this journey and what we will learn together along the way.