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Remade In China

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Week 4 Journal Response: Trash Collector Talk

October 4, 2019

During our week 4 class, a trash collector came in to speak with us to talk about how he collects and manages waste within his neighbourhood. From his talk, I learned a plethora of information about Shanghai’s trash collection system in the perspective of the informal sector.

He explained to us the different categories of trash and what types of trash gets sorted into which category. For example, residuals are usually the most type of trash they get whilst, this includes dirty paper, cigarette butts and dirty plastic. Whilst the least amount of trash they get is toxic waste, which includes batteries, lightbulbs and expired medicine.

As a trash collector he works extremely hard, with very long hours. The new Shanghai trash sorting policy has had a big impact on his job. Trash collecting has become much cleaner and organised now. He also notes how the price of trash has dropped this year, in comparison to last. Prices are usually affected by timing such as holidays and weekends.

This talk was incredibly insightful as we often don’t get the opportunity to see trash sorting from Trash Collectors themselves. Hence, this often leads to nonchalance towards sorting out trash properly — something I’m sometimes very guilty of doing. However, seeing his perspective and opinions sheds light on this problem of waste management that we all must hold ourselves responsible for in order to make their lives and waste management, in general, a lot easier.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Week 4: Guest Speaker: Trash Collector

September 25, 2019

 

Trash Collector Guest Talk

In today’s class, we were visited by a trash collector that works in the Shanghai area. He told us about his job and the various kinds of waste that he deals with on a daily basis. He shared various interesting facts with us about trash collection in Shanghai. Here are some notes that I jotted down during his talk:

  • Residual trash is most common
  • It often contains dirty paper which needs to be sorted by hand
  • Wet trash is a significantly smaller category and it consists mostly of food leftovers
  • Toxic trash includes medical waste and is collected by his team after a company calls in trash collectors
  • Residual trash contains: clear trash is recycled but if it is black or brown or dirty then it goes into residual
  • Textile waste is counted as recyclable
  • Textile waste is priced depending on how much fabric you get from each piece
  • Friday and Saturday are good business days since on those days most trash is produced
  • Recyclables are mainly collected from companies
  • Rising prices reduce the amount of trash available
  • Holidays are bad business days
  •  

He also shared various notes on his day-to-day schedule and shed light on the challenges he faces on the job:

  • His workday typically starts at 5:30 am when trash from the day before is collected
  • Wet trash trucks come at noon
  • 6am-8pm are his general working hours and he does not go to bed until 10:30pm
  • he says that after the policy was implemented in Shanghai there is less trash and the trash that is present is relatively cleaner

In terms of the recycling habits of local Shanghainese citizens in the compound in which he collects trash:

  • There are still people who randomly throw trash and refuse to adopt trash recycling laws
  • Shanghainese families tend not to listen to proper waste disposal, while foreigners and the elder population is particularly receptive to proper waste disposal
  • He now receives less money than he did before for trash per kg

Class Time and Trash Awareness Video Project:

(to be added)

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Week 3 Trash Map

September 25, 2019

Trash Map Group Assignment

The group assignment for the week was the Trash Map. This assignment consisted of creating a visualization of the trash route on campus. Together with my teammates from the trash installation piece, we created a visual representation of the path of trash in NYU Shanghai and the ways in which the campus ayis dispose of and sort the trash.

This is the illustration of our trash map. We followed the ayis to the B2 area of the cafeteria, where the trash sorting takes place everyday. The first step in the trash sorting process begins with the students that sort their recyclables and food waste after their meals. This is done in the 3 large trash cans by the dishes conveyor belt area.The trash is then collected by the ayis.

It is interesting to observe that a lot of the ayis end up placing the trash which is previously sorted in the 3 containers(recyclable, residual and household waste) in the same container, which is then taken to B2. Surprisingly, this trash is once again sorted into different types of waste. This is done by hand by the ayis in the B2 area.

https://bpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/wp.nyu.edu/dist/6/12906/files/2019/09/B2-sorting-area.mp4

This is a video taken by my team member James Chou of the trash sorting in B2.

The following are some facts we collected about trash sorting on campus, after our interview with one of the B2 ayis:

-The NYU Shanghai building actually has two different companies of ayis working. One group works from 10F-15F and the rest works from B1-9F. 

-The Ayis from 10F-15F only collects the trash and throws it down to B2, they do not do any sorting.  

-Then, the Ayis from B2 start their work of sorting at 2pm, and finish around 3:30 sometimes to 4. Then at night they do another sorting from 6pm to around 8pm but sometimes to later time as well.

 

In addition, we discovered several interesting facts about trash sorting on campus from our talks with camPus employees. Since its start in 2014, trash sorting awareness has been gradually implemented at NYUSH. According to the ayis, an average of 15 buckets of trash are produced a day, excluding wet waste, which is estimated to be around 10 buckets. As a conclusion, ayis were adamant that around 70% of the trash produced on campus is not sorted properly.

 

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Guest Lecture Week 4

September 25, 2019

Name: Mehr Un Nisa Javed 

Date: 25th Sep’2019

Professor: Marcela Godoy 

Objective: Document the week 4 guest lecture

Guest Lecture+ Interview 

We got to have a guest lecture and interview a person who works with the trash in Shanghai. He shared his experiences and said thathis basic role is to recycle trash and sell it. As far as his working hours are concerned, it takes longer for him to work otherwise; trash collection time is evening. His job finishes around 10:30 pm and goes back home at 11 pm. He starts job around 5 am in the morning. If certain companies call him then it takes longer because he needs to collect more trash.

Then, he talked about the new regulations imposed and said that after the new policy related to trash there is less trash for him to collect now and things and overall, the city is cleaner now. This shows that things are improving with more people following laws and trash related rules. Mostly around 2/10 people do not follow the rules. Thus, shows that 90% of the people do take care of the laws.

 

Then, we asked him some questions which he answered;

 

Where does toxic waste go?

Toxic trash is very low and actually quite rare that people would give him batteries. Although, it’s not in high quantities but when it is there then they would call the right people and they would come to collect it up.

 

Which sort of people do not follow the rules and regulations, (basically what are the demographics)?

It usually the people from Shanghai who are not very concerned and do not follow the rules. People from other cities usually listen and follow the regulations. Thus, we can conclude that its mainly Shanghainese people and mostly the same families who disregard the laws.

 

How do they control the people who disregard the laws?

If someone is not following the regulations, then they take their picture and give that person 3 chances. If even after that the person does not listen, then they are reported to the community Centre.

 

Finally, he also appreciated our Professor Marcela for leading such class because it raises awareness especially amongst the foreigners about Shanghai’s trash management practices.  

 

I really found the talk very interesting and it kind of helped in illuminating because I got to know what actually happens to our waste in shanghai and what are the conditions of the people who work in this business. It definitely helped in understanding the working conditions of such people and what motivates and demotivates them in their job.

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Week 3: Journal Entry 3 (Art Ins/ RR / Trash Collector / Campus Trash Map)

September 25, 2019

Name: Eva Solo

Date: 25/09/19 

Professor: Marcela Godoy 

Art Installation:

As the aim of the installation was to raise awareness about plastic waste, the first thing we did was brainstorming the most eye-catching ways to draw attention to what seems to be most important to us. A common theme from our concerns surfaced, which was the amount of waste each one of our 外卖 orders produced post-meal. Drawing back from the Bag It documentary as well as the Trash Whale installation, we expressed empathy towards the animals that consume the trash we produce. The process of ideating new thoughts while looking at our collected assets   narrowed our visual representation scheme to a dinner table fully decked out in trash. 

The process of creating was my biggest take away from this installation, as we were able to discuss the relevant concepts about trash waste and visually express them on our dinner plate. A great suggestion to add informational quotations around the seating arrangement took our installation one step further in terms of sharing knowledge with out community. I was also very happy we were able to incorporate some Chinese puns, which not only is considerate of the community around but also introduces something light-hearted for the audience to consider. “我不吃 ’塑 ’ ” meaning – “I don’t eat ‘vegetarian/ or / plastic’ ” is a great example of the different type of audiences we wanted to attract, as on multiple occasions I have seen young children roaming our cafeteria spaces. Through this process I was able to reflect on myself and how I want to contribute to this society, even past my university experience, which was tremendously eye-opening in considering what type of projects I want to be apart of later in life.

While setting up the space in the Cafeteria, I was thinking over Richard’s talk and how little time and effort we collectively spend considering our consumption habits as a community. After the installation was properly titled, I decided to spend a few minutes in the cafeteria observing the circulation of people. From this evaluation, I noticed the effectiveness of the location where we decided to set up the Trash Meal.  Even for those that didn’t come close enough to read the labels, the installation grabbed their eye focus – which is progress when considering the ignorance we cherish when it comes to Ecological concerns.

Reading Response:

  • Collective Responsibility Shanghai’s Informal Waste Management Report
    [Pages 1 -25]

    • Informal Trash Collecting has sparked my curiosity since the first day of our course, as I began transforming the way I view materials and their worth. While reading about Shanghai’s trash circulation I was noticing which aspects could be implemented in Lithuania’s infrastructure, as it is drastically smaller in scale. Lithuania has recently introduced recycling bins just like Shanghai, yet this effort is only encouraged, so considering a population with very little outside-the-boarder information flowing in – the situation is not great. I see similarities in the way these local community approach discarding trash, yet a huge difference in the way the trash is received, which I believe primarily comes from the misconception that trash is worthless.  This reminds me of the couple that was able to put their daughter through university level education in China purely out of the finances of repurposing raw materials. Changing our collective approach to the value of materials should influence our consumption rates, as well as the routes we choose for our trash.
    • Seeing Tricycle Collectors is a part of my daily routine while living in Shanghai, so it was very interesting to learn that these individuals are a strong back bone to the entirety of the operation. I am particularly interested how their daily work routine unfolds, and if it is drastically different from day to day. I am also interested in the challenges they face in relation to the transportation of the trash – which allowed me to get more specific in the topic of interest I am currently developing.
  • Sustainability. MIT Press 2015. The Concepts of Sustainability
    [Pages 38-56]

    • In The Concepts of Sustainability the idea of a ‘sustainable community’ was discussed, as well as a ‘sustainable city’ plan, which to me sounded like the appropriate step forward. I notice a lot of individual responsibility to be discarded as part of mob mentality, so ideas towards collective efforts sound like progress in the grand scheme. I was also able to evaluate how different regions of the world produce trash waste, especially urban areas, and consider 

 

 

From a Conversation with Raw a Material Collector, 余:

As I already had a chance to introduce myself to 余, this time I brought one of my Chinese speaking friends to clarify some of the responses she was providing me. What I learnt was that she is selective in what type of trash she chooses to keep, and that being in change of your choices provides a lot of flexibility in a very a very unstable line of self-imployment. 

Campus Trash Route:

For the Campus Trash Route, our group had a few phases of collaboration. First we all met and discussed our current perception of trash routes around the University. We shared what we most commonly observe. From there we each individually took time to explore the campus building and locate the trash bins, concluding with the B2 level where the trash is gathered from the bins.

Then I was very curious to investigate the bins in the corridors and how their content changed (if it changed) thought the levels of the buildings:

I noticed a significantly less amount of trash in the top floors, most likely due to less traffic in the upper floors – but the question I raised was: If the bins are still being cleared out every day, only if it only contains one banana peal, what about all of the plastic bags that are being wasted?

I traveled from the top to the bottom and not being a science related person myself, have never before visited the 7th floor before, which I spend some time on investigating. I was greeted with HAZARDOUS signs and warning and was able to locate specific bins or lab related discarding.

This was very interesting to take into consideration as this trash must be handled differently from the Residual or Household waste.

On the 4th floor, I was able to find a few binds that had different labelling on the side and the top view, which to a person wanting to discard their trash appropriately can seem very confusing, ultimately leading them to choose the big circle big that is ‘everything’.

IMG_1066

 

From my observations on the 2nd floor cafe, when people approach the bins they seem to stop for a second and think where they should be placing their trash. It seemed obvious that easily distinguishable material (eg. food waste/ banana peal, finished apple or unstained plastic or paper) would almost always go in the correct bin, but when it came to the more complicated waste that potentially involved some plastic cover but also contained food – this from my observation always ended up the the round ‘everything’ bin. I spotted a few acquaintances doing this during my observation and went to ask them if they had considered taking the extra 5 seconds to toss the plastic 外卖 packaging in the plastic bin and the bones from their chicken order into the household waste, to which I got a response ‘are you an environmentalist now?’ (I giggle at that, and confidently said yes) and also ‘it’s just easier this way, I’m sure someone takes care of that anyway’. I am getting a strong sense of not having individual responsibility as human, and then I remembered I too shared this perspective before gaining the knowledge I further explore today about our planet and the human impact on it.

Another interesting innovation I spotted was the wire placed underneath the rain draining outside. This is a location where cigarette buds are often discarded, and this wire now allows for much quicker collection of this doing.

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Week 3: Trash Map – Maya Wang

September 25, 2019

Ben, Cassie, and Sofia did the field research for where the trash in the school went, and Kenneth and I created the map visualization.

They first looked at places around the school to discard waste and what kind of waste was collected from each floor.

Cafe: recyclable waste, residual waste, household food waste

Hallways: recyclable waste, residual waste, household food waste

Cafeteria: recyclable waste, “paper” (napkins), food waste

They spoke to an ayi who was collecting trash from the classroom, who said she takes all the waste to B2. They then went to B2 (parking garage) and walked around until the found the waste area, which was pretty neatly organized.

The trash in B2 was separated by kitchen waste, other waste, harmful waste, recyclable waste, and residual waste.

Later, they asked the man working there where the trash goes, and found out that a trash truck comes everyday 1-3pm, except for Sunday.

Kenneth and I put all this information into a drawing of NYU Shanghai with a clearly labeled key.

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: IMA, NYUSH, Remade in China

The Trash Map (Group Assignment)- Week 3

September 25, 2019

Name: Mehr Un Nisa Javed
Date:24th Sep’2019
Professor: Marcela Godoy

Objective: Track the trash route on Campus. Create a collective visualization that shows where different types of trash are produced. Where is this going? Is it recycled? Try to find out where your own plastic trash is going.

Trash Map Visualization

One of our group members already had a time lapse from B2 where the waste was being collected. I’d like to put it on here as well.

https://bpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/wp.nyu.edu/dist/6/12906/files/2019/09/video-1569383403.mp4

Next week we will build up on this project and do a deeper research where we will create a short film and get in close contact with the trash management people in our school.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Trash Map: NYU Shanghai Edition

September 24, 2019

Our journey began in the 2nd-floor cafe. We looked around the trash cans and our search led us to find a huge black trash bag on wheels. We then ran into the room because we were so excited by what we had just witnessed. A lovely ayi was cleaning up and so we took the opportunity to ask her where the trash is going and she told us that it goes in B2. We scurried down the elevator in B2 and were astounded to find an empty parking garage. We actually walked quite a few ways to find only by hearing what sounded to be a trash machine? We weren’t sure so we walked closer and found the most beautifully assorted trash and waste bins. There was no smell whatsoever. Everything was meticulously placed in its spot and there was even a machine that appeared to be a plastic recycling machine. We asked the man who was there if he knew where the trash goes after this point in B2. He said that a truck comes to pick it up and it is history from there. So there you have it. NYU Shanghai has a very efficient way of getting rid of waste and so I do believe that incorporating a phase of plastic and recycling within the school it would be possible.

 

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Week 3 (Trash Map) -BLT

September 24, 2019

Research/Investigative Team (Cassie, Sofia, & Ben) 

Places to discard waste:

  • Cafe

    • Recyclable waste

    • Residual waste

    • Household food waste

  • Hallways

    • Recyclable waste

    • Residual waste

    • Household food waste

  • Cafeteria

    • Recyclable waste

    • “Paper” (napkins)

    • Food waste

 

We spoke to an ayi who was collecting trash from the classroom, who said she takes all the waste to B2. We then went to B2 (parking garage) and walked around until we found the waste area, which was pretty neatly organized:

 

The trash in this room was separated by:

  • Kitchen waste

  • Other waste

  • Harmful waste

  • Recyclable waste

  • Residual waste

We asked the man working there where the trash goes:

  • Trash truck comes everyday 1-3pm, except for Sunday

Visualization

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Week 3 Response

September 24, 2019

Shanghai’s Informal Waste Management Report

-Landfilling is Shanghai’s most common form of waste treatment

-Shanghai plans to become landfill-free by 2020

-Incinerators burn waste to turn a turbine and produce electricity

-Incinerators release toxins into the environment and harm people’s health

-Swapping Points: non-licensed areas on the street where informal individuals and recyclers gather to buy and sell material from other recyclers

-Small collection centers: these sites pay informal and opportunistic collectors by weight for the waste collected

-Large consolidation center: These centers are the last points in the collection chain before
transportation to processing centers

-Processing Centres: These are the endpoint in the material life with many
present in nearby provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. This is the side of the informal sector that is the least transparent
and in many cases little is known about the quality of the
treatment. 

Sustainability MIT Press

-Triple E’s of Business: Environment, Economy, Equity

-Building a community as a form of social capital 

-Sustainable communities consist of collections of people who, when interacting, develop a sense of community, a sense of connectedness to others, and a sense of personal and collective well-being.

-Cities can achieve sustainable goals through design and public policy.

-Mainstream economics vs. sustainable economics

-Common pool resources: resources available to everyone

-“Tragedy of the Sources”: when the resources become depleted. EX: overfishing in the Atlantic 

-The problem starts when a cattle ranchers put as many cows on grazing areas as they want, but over time they want to earn more profit so they keep adding more cattle to the area and the plant life slowly declines due to the overpopulation of inhabitants on the graze.

Agatha: Trash Installation in the Cafe

The thought of creating an art piece out of trash was daunting. I had no idea where to begin because I was scared I couldn’t shape the materials to my particular liking. My group and I decided that we had enough bubble wrap to make a cloud, so there begins our project with a cloud named Agatha. After wrapping up styrofoam and bubble wrap into a cloud formation, we began to hang trash bottles on cords of plastic, bags, and we even used an old headphone set. This represented acid rain that is contaminated by our landfills that leak into the oceans and begin the precipitation, evaporation, and condensation cycle. We thought it was important to use commonly known brands that we see every day to connect with our audience and relate a more meaningful message. We then did a runoff land and water part that goes directly under Agatha (the cloud) which expresses the rain and trash that runs off from landfills and into the ocean. Agatha also has a set of eyes and melancholy eyebrows that denotes how sad she is. I would have liked to see her hung up in the cafe to give the installation the full effect but once we sat her down in a chair it was fine. Just something we need to plan further next time. 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

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