Most people don’t give any thought to the amount of trash they produce. Once they put it in a garbage can, it’s out of sight and out of mind. Rob Greenfield, an environmentalist from New York City, recently made the issue front and center when he decided to literally wear his trash for 30 days. Greenfield collected every piece of trash he produced and placed it in a specially made suit so people could see what he threw away. Nancy Judd, a designer with Recycle Runway, created the suit to support the weight of the trash in addition to making it visible.

The Amount of Trash People Produce May Shock You

In a 2013 report, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that the average American produces 4.4 pounds of trash every single day. That comes out to 135 pounds per month, which means that Greenfield will be wearing a very heavy suit at the end of his experiment. Although normally conservative with the trash he generates, Greenfield decided to live just like the average American for 30 days. By the eighth day of his experiment, his specialty suit already included:

  • Styrofoam cups from his morning coffee
  • Fast food bags and containers
  • Boxes from home delivery
  • Food remnants
  • Plastic bags from local stores
  • Newspapers and junk mail
  • Bottles from water and soda

Greenfield states that the purpose of this hilarious but also sobering 30-day experiment is to raise awareness of the problem of everyday waste. He realizes that it’s not realistic to expect people not to produce any waste. However, he hopes they will commit to making small changes after seeing his so-called garbage suit. Even something as minor as using a reusable water bottle rather than filling a new cup each time can have a big impact on the environment.

Since most cities have mandatory recycling programs, a lot of people assume they are doing all they can to decrease the problem of too much waste. Although some trash does get composted or recycled, the majority of it gets dumped into landfills. As the trash decomposes, it releases greenhouse gases into the air that have a negative effect on climate change.

Follow Greenfield on Social Media to Learn the Outcome of His Experiment

Greenfield plans to document his experience wearing the trash suit each day from now until the middle of October. He is working with a professional filming crew to document his project, which he has appropriately named Trash Me. Those interested in following along should click here to get links to his website, Facebook, and YouTube accounts. He also encourages people to have their picture taken with him and upload it to their own social media account with the hashtag #TrashMe.

Greenfield hopes to start a nationwide conversation about the impact of consumerism on people, animals, and the environment. People don’t have to be a full-time environmentalist like he is to make a big difference in their own community.