These Top 10 garbloggers are taking the world of trash to task by going to great lengths ““ and even extremes ““ to make sure their consumer waste stays out of the landfill. A garblogger, if you’re unfamiliar with the term, is a green lifestyle blogger who writes about one particular slovenly subject ““ garbage. Our consumption compulsions are trashing the planet, they say, and their aim is to get folks thinking about what it really means when we throw something “away.”
Get inspired by these incredible garbage gabbers below, and then
at reduce.org to find out how you can cut back on your own consumer waste, and do your part to reduce environmental damage caused by overconsumption.
1) Everyday Trash - http://everydaytrash.wordpress.com
In the words of Brooklyn-based journalist Leila Darabi, her Everyday Trash blog is all about “the “˜out’ in toss out and the “˜rid’ in get rid of it.” Anything you could possibly want to know about the art, money, power, people, and the literature of garbage can probably be found here. It covers topics ranging from scholarly examinations of the language we use in our trash discourse to suggestions for eco-friendly erotica.
2) 365 Days of Trash - http://365daysoftrash.blogspot.com/
This blog chronicles the experiences of one man who has decided not to throw anything away for one year. Since the beginning of January, he’s been keeping all of his garbage and recycling in his basement. At the end of the day, he totals everything up and keeps a running tab of all the trash he’s produced ““ from bottles to paper recycling to E-waste ““ and posts the poundage for your perusal. In addition to 365 Days of Trash, he also maintains the SustainableDave and Achieving Sustainability blogs.
3) Plastic Free! - http://plasticfree.blogspot.com
EnviroWoman decided to try living plastic-free as a 2007 New Year’s Resolution, and she’s still going strong in her second year! Finding non-plastic replacements for the things we use daily is no small feat, as this blogger illustrates in her detailed plastic-free progress reports. Plastic is used in the production and process of almost everything ““ from paint to paper to clothing, and even dentist and veterinary visits. Whereas the average consumer uses about 200lbs of new plastic each year, EnviroWoman managed to use (mostly by accident ““ plastic is sneaky!) just over one pound in 2007.
4) Wasted Food - http://www.wastedfood.com/
Jonathan Bloom examines how and why America wastes nearly half its food. The average American throws out over half a pound of food everyday ““ that’s about 12.5% of their overall daily garbage. It might not seem like a lot, but at the end of the year it amounts to 30 million tons of food waste in landfills emitting methane, a greenhouse gas 20 times more harmful than carbon dioxide. Kind of disheartening, when you think about the fact there are people in the world who are so malnourished, they’ve resorted to eating mud. Bloom provides helpful food donation/recovery action tips for both individuals and businesses.
5) Visible Trash - http://www.visibletrash.net/
If you think a plastic bag caught in the wind is the most beautiful thing in the world, then this blog is definitely for you. Garbage = free art supplies for these pioneering artists who use trash as materials for their creative endeavors. Trash photography, multi-media rubish art, trash fashions, and trash collecting expeditions turned museum exhibitions are just some of the things you’ll find on Visible Trash.
6) Save Your Trash - http://saveyourtrash.typepad.com/
Ari Derfel decided to take up residence with his trash for one year, and lived to tell about it. His blog is collection of his discoveries, experiences, and meditations on his own consumer waste, as well as a few musings on some of his most embarrassing (?) and favorite garbage bits. Learn where he kept it, how he lived with it, and what he learned along the way that is helping him to reduce his trash in the coming years.
7) Last Night’s Garbage - http://www.lastnightsgarbage.com
This photoblog documenting NYC’s garbage is inspired by the statistic that American’s throw away enough garbage to fill 63,000 garbage trucks every day. The images themselves are sometimes strikingly beautiful, given their subject matter. Picture a half-deflated balloon with Elmo’s waving face on it, forlornly discarded in street puddle reflecting the sinewy image of winter trees.
8 ) Etsy Trashion - http://etsytrashion.blogspot.com
Trashion is jewelry, fashion and home decor made from materials that have been discarded, leftover and found. For the Etsy Street Team artisans, the recycling of these materials into trashion objects isn’t just a fun past time - it’s a manifestation of their philosophy of innovation, environmentalism and human healing.
9) Say No To Trash - http://nomoregarbage.wordpress.com
This blog explores one couple’s attempt to eliminate all of their household garbage production since 2004. Their first attempt was for 31 consecutive garbage-free days (a near success), after which they kept all of their garbage for a year and a half - it amounted to just under two black garbage bags. They hope their blog will inspire others to join them in reducing their eco-footprint in all aspects of life.
10) Fake Plastic Fish - http://www.fakeplasticfish.com
Beth Terry’s Fake Plastic Fish blog is all about rethinking our relationship with plastic, reducing unnecessary plastic waste, and learning how to live responsibly with the rest of it. Beth provides detailed writings on where the plastic that she does use comes from, and how she’s incorporating plastic-free alternatives into her lifestyle.
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Filed under:
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Related Links:
Green Video of the Week: 5 Tips for Reducing Your Garbage
Ecoist Turning Trash Into Fashion
Bag Monster Wants You to Say NO to Plastic Bag Bans
Westchester Kicks Recycling Scofflaws to the Curb
Celebrity Chefs Reveal Top Ways to Reduce Food Waste
Tagged as:365 Days of Trash • Achieving sustainability • Ari Derfel • Beth Terry • carbon emissions • eco-bloggers • eco-blogs • EnviroWoman • Etsy Street • Etsy Street Team • Etsy Trashion • Everyday Trash • everydaytrash • Fake Plastic Fish • garbage • garbage reduction • garblogger • garbloggers • green bloggers • green blogs • greenhouse gas • greenhouse gases • greenlogger • greenloggers • Jonathan Bloom • landfills • Last Night's Garbage • Leila Darabi • living plastic free • methan • no more garbage • nomoregarbage • NYC garbage • NYC garbage photos • people who write about garbage • photoblog • photoblogs • Plastic Free • plastic-free alternatives • Plasticfree • recycling • reduce food waste • reduce garbage • reduce reuse recycle • reduce waste • reduce your garbage • reducing plastic • Save Your Trash • Say No To Trash • sustainable Dave • sustainabledave • trash art • trash fashions • trash photography • trashion • Visible Trash • Wasted Food • writing about garbage • writing about trash

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Overconsumption is as dangerous as the toxins that landfills emit. One NY study reports that women who live near landfills, where toxins are escaping, have a four fold chance of getting bladder cancer or leukemia. Pretty frightening, huh?
Closing landfills is possible, and don’t let anyone tell you there are not alternatives: an integrated solid waste disposal system, to replace landfills, is an option and it can be adopted if a community, city, state, country, care about this planet and its people.
There’s this company in Switzerland that I’ve had my eye on for some time now. Check it out when you have time:
http://tinyurl.com/27e8ez
Recycling, composting, and full landfill cleanup. If Switzerland can do it, so can we.
Trash PickerOnly #2? No extra points for coining “garblogger”? Just kidding, thanks for the shout out and for compiling links to these talented colleagues in this post!
Leila
everydaytrasheverydaytrash.com
[...] 2nd best Someone out there is ranking garbloggers. [...]
2nd best « everydaytrash April 11, 2008 | 4:05 pm ESTHi Leila! Extra points!!! See above
The “garblogs” actually weren’t organized according to any specific ranking, but your blog is definitely top notch - very inspirational!
Nicole HughesHey, you forgot to mention Olympia Dumpster Divers ….. best little garblog in the Pacific Northwest, for reals! love your list, love, etc Ruby
Ruby Re-UsableThanks Nicole, as I said, it’s awesome that you’re drawing attention to these great blogs. Also, I second the nomination of Olympia Dumpster Divers!
Leila
everydaytrash[...] getting inspired to reduce the amount of waste we create, and subsequently our carbon emissions. takepart and check out more news and views on garbage reduction [...]
Green Video of the Week: 5 Tips for Reducing Your Garbage | TakePart Blog Network June 12, 2008 | 12:31 pm ESTWhat a wonderful post - it’s so exciting to see people across the world doing something so positive for the environment.
We set ourselves a zero waste challenge, two short weeks ago in the UK.
We’re blogging our progress and have articles on how to reduce waste and increase recycling - it would be great to see some of you there. Please stop by and leave a comment for us.
Blogging can be a lonely thing, but when you realise there are people across the globe with a similar vision, it gives you more energy to keep on keeping on!
Thanks for a great post, Nicole
Mrs Green x
Mrs Green