creative time !

[kossai]

to some extent , kossai like to save up stockpile of trash . too much and get mess of hoard which help no one , but , reasonable stockpile give some options to craft without need search and buy all new materials - and in fact , sometimes specifics of trash will inspire .

case in point : broken 5 segment fidget spinner , coincidentally 5 mechanical pencil lead containers , and various plastic packages now in process of become flower which will eventually papier mache over . :)

sometimes trash is truly trash and no choice but to throw out , especially when unsanitary , but always nice when able to give new life instead .

Comments

[dismallyoriented]

This may be only tangentially related, and also idk how much kossai enjoys podcasts. But there is an interview with a professor I knew back in undergrad, who specifically studied trash and the ways people treat trash and what things they do or don't categorize as trash (she called her subject Discard Anthropology). She has an oral history project for the NYC Dept of Sanitation workers who handle trash disposal (one set of interviews from 2012, another from 2021 talking about COVID). It is really cool to hear her talk about her work, even though I'm biased through the personal connection. Your talk about finding value from garbage and building things out of it as material, reminded me a little of the ways she talked about and found value in trash.

[kossai]

podcasts give too much trouble , but that sound wonderful ! :)

for sure , live in world that unfortunately give no choice other than to devalue and take for granted all sort of materials and objects - big frustration , and in many ways , big problem as well . so much that could still be usable , albeit in different form , instead land in trash bins and dumps : so easy to buy replacements , after all , and so hard to do anything else .

individual action is not alone solution to systems like this , but , think can help to reconnect with ideas that modern systems try to eradicate . do really think awareness of these systems , and shift in ideas , still kickstart ability to fix and fight . :)

Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Upcycling is excellent.

I generally think about parameters like these:

* Can it be immediately repurposed into an obvious new use with little or no effort? (e.g. a coffee cup with a broken handle makes a fine pen holder) If so, do that and you are done.

* Does it consist of or contain materials that are routinely useful? (e.g. rags, gears) If so, put it in a stash of those things. You may need to break it down first.

* Is it usable as-is but of no use to you personally right now? (e.g. off-season holiday decor, outgrown clothing) Then donate it.

* Can it be recycled? (e.g. aluminum, paper) Recycle it.

* Is it something that "might" be useful eventually, but you can't visualize any examples? (e.g. odd-shaped plastic boxes) You might keep a bin of such random things, but limit the amount and discard anything beyond that.

I'm a packrat, but I know where everything is (plus or minus 10%) and I routinely use things from my stash rather than buying new. I'm cutting the heads off sunflowers this time of year. I don't even have to cut string to hang them; I have a pile of little stringlets saved from sewn tops of bags. I just pick up a few and tie up the heads. Done. No point taking down the ball of kitchen string when this serves the need.

[doomvega]

upcycling!! SO important.

[kossai]

yes ! <3