With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today .
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Photos: Lying On A Week's Worth Of Your Own Garbage
Photographer Gregg Segal doesn't particularly consider himself an environmental activist, but he is concerned about the amount of trash Americans are producing. (251 million tons in 2012, according to the EPA!) Segal brings this disturbing truth to light in a very jarring way in his latest and ongoing project, "7 Days of Garbage."
For this series that he started shooting in January, the 49-year-old photographer asked neighbors and friends, and even paid some people he didn't know to collect their trash for a week. He wanted a wide-spectrum of people from different age groups, and ethnic and economic backgrounds. (He even included himself and his family in one of the photos.) Segal then built three different sets—a pool, a grassy area, and a sandy-like beach—in his backyard in Altadena, where he arranged the trash around his subjects and then photographed them.
Segal spoke to LAist about what planted the seed for this project. It started because he thought it was worrisome that Americans were producing so much trash and seemed unfazed by the idea of it. "For the most part we are reliably unaware or unconcerned," he said. "We go out to eat lunch and get a to-go container. That to-go container we may use for an hour a day, but if it’s Styrofoam it’s going to be around for a million years."
His subjects varied in how honest they were in collecting their trash. Some "edited" out their trash, he said, where they would leave out the really stinky garbage and only bring in recyclables. However, some were really faithful to the project: during the project, some arrived with tampons or a hypodermic needle for insulin.
Support for LAist comes from
He did encourage his people to bring in their recyclables as well to make a point. "I asked people to bring recycling for several reasons—one of which is that not everything that is designated as recyclable is actually recycled, as evidenced by the Pacific Garbage Patch in the Pacific Ocean, which is an area that is twice the size of Texas that is filled with plastic," Segal said. "A lot of stuff ends up in the ocean which shouldn’t be, and plastic isn’t economically pliable as a recyclable because the amount of energy that is required to recycle plastic kind of negates its value."
Segal plans on building more sets for this project; some ideas he has in mind are a field of wildflowers, a snowy, arctic tundra, and a rocky area.
Aside from this project, he's a photographer for magazines like ESPN, TIME, and Fortune. He's also known for his "Superheroes at Home" series where he snapped juxtaposing pictures of the folks who dress up as superheroes on Hollywood Boulevard looking for tips at home doing mundane chores. A few years back, he also photographed average people who dress up like pirates—while at their day jobs.
[h/t Slate]
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The study found recipients spent nearly all the money on basic needs like food and transportation, not drugs or alcohol. -
Kevin Lee's Tokyo Noir has become one of the top spots for craft-inspired cocktails. -
A tort claim obtained by LAist via a public records request alleges the Anaheim procurement department lacks basic contracting procedures and oversight. -
Flauta, taquito, tacos dorados? Whatever they’re called, they’re golden, crispy and delicious. -
If California redistricts, the conservative beach town that banned LGBTQ Pride flags on city property would get a gay, progressive Democrat in Congress. -
Most survivors of January's fires face a massive gap in the money they need to rebuild, and funding to help is moving too slowly or nonexistent.
Best of LAist