2: Can You Fit Your Trash in a Jar?
Canada
A Climate Pollinator story by Sierra Ross Richer
During lent last year, Noa Baergen replaced their trash can with a mason jar. Fitting six weeks of garbage into a container the size of a water bottle challenged the university student to rethink their relationship with waste.
“It changed how I think about waste (because) it forced me to understand that garbage is permanent and that it does accumulate and it does have real effects,” Noa said, “Having to keep the garbage I created in a container where I could see it really made that stand out to me.”
Noa is in their second year studying art at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. They modeled their lent experiment after the Zero Waste Challenge sponsored by Reep Green Solutions, an organization promoting sustainability in the Waterloo region.
The purpose of the Zero Waste Challenge is to help participants develop a circular economy mindset. In a circular economy, nothing is “thrown out” for good, instead materials are constantly being reused, recycled and repurposed. Limiting the amount of trash sent to landfills keeps more materials in circulation to be used again or turned into something new. When it comes to climate change, this is important because it reduces the need to extract new resources from the environment and keeps garbage out of landfills, where it produces methane.
Noa said the challenge was an opportunity to think more critically about what they consume–and how it’s packaged. “If there’s a food I want to buy and it comes in a non-recyclable wrapper,” Noa said, they learned to ask the questions: “Is there a different brand that comes in something that can be recycled? or is there a way that I can make it at home?”
Whether participating in a formal challenge or not, Noa encourages others to grab a jar and try the experiment for themselves.
When it comes to climate change, Noa said, “I wish there was more of a sense of urgency in climate action. I wish there was more of a willingness to take real action even though it requires inconvenience or a change in lifestyle.”