Rubbish photos reveal an ugly truth
It's no secret: we are producing far more garbage than we used to, and scarily, far more than we are currently able to manage.
The average American produces around two kilograms of rubbish per day.
Think of the weight of the average margarine block. Multiply that by four. Per person.
This amount is more than double what was produced in 1960, and around 50% more than that produced by Western Europeans.
This, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
To help us understand exactly what this amounts to, American photographer Gregg Segal decided to put some imagery to those numbers.
His ongoing series '7 Days of Garbage' shows his friends, neighbours, and acquaintances lying in the rubbish they created in one week.
Segal made a point of including people from various socio-economic backgrounds.
(Above: Alfie, Kirsten, Miles, and Elly)
(Above: Marsha and Steven)
(Above: Sam and Jane)
(Above: Susan)
(Above: Milt)
(Above: Elias, Jessica, Azai, and Ri-karlo)
Segal told Slate magazine that there were some people who produced more garbage than they were willing to bring to the shoot.
“Of course, there were some people who edited their stuff. I said, ‘Is this really it?’ I think they didn’t want to include really foul stuff so it was just packaging stuff without the foul garbage. Other people didn’t edit and there were some nasty things that made for a stronger image,” Segal said.
Would you be brave enough to lie in a week's worth of your rubbish and then have it photographed for the world to see?
Looking at these photos, do you think you produce more or less the same amount?
Segal posed for a photo, too, with his wife and son. “I didn’t want to act like I’m separate,” he told Slate. “I wasn’t crazy about the picture, but I do think it’s important to show people. It’s not like I’m pointing the finger at them. I’m pointing it at all of us.”
(Above: Lya, Whitney, and Kathrin)
(Above: Michael, Jason, Annie, and Olivia)
(All photos: Gregg Segal)