Hello everybody! I recently posted a video about my feeling regarding the trash jar. It has become a sort of a symbol of the zero waste movement, which is why I think it is necessary to discuss its effects. Also, I personally don’t have a trash jar and I’ve gotten several questions about it. If you want to know more about this in detail then watch the video above.
The trash jar is an amazing symbol of zero waste, in the sense that it forces people to re-evaluate their relationship with trash. Trash is not usually a category of objects which is exhibited, and because of that, the trash jar pulls amazing media attention.
However, I also fear that the trash jar is becoming an unattainable ideal, sort of the skinny supermodel of zero waste. I have very little trust in the trash jar because it assumes that you are always in control of the situations around, which you are not. Thus, many people might be turned off zero waste because the jar gives an extreme impression.
The trash jar often pulls all the focus towards the physical trash we create, however, the overall impact of our actions reach so much further than the trash we can fit in a jar. When I started my zero waste journey I was yet to go vegan, I went to the butcher’s a got meat in a mason jar. Technically that did not produce any physical trash, however, the impact of animal agriculture is exceedingly damaging no matter how the meat is packaged.
Anyway, whether or not one chooses to use a trash jar or not, reflecting on the amount of waste accumulated daily is essential in a green lifestyle. I personally do that by finding reusable alternatives to disposable products, and everything I produce a piece of trash I will learn to do better in the future.
