Garbage Museum

Last updated

The Garbage Museum
Garbagemuseumlogo.png
Logo for the Garbage Museum
Garbage Museum
Established1993
DissolvedClosed August 25, 2011
Location1410 Honeyspot Road Extension, Stratford, Connecticut
Visitors32,200 in 2008 [1]

The Garbage Museum was a waste management themed museum in Stratford, Connecticut, United States. Constructed and opened in 1994, the recycling facility and museum was constructed for a cost of $5 million and funded through a group of 19 local municipalities, collectively known as the Southwest Connecticut Recycling Committee. The museum was operated by the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority which focused on empowering visitors with knowledge about waste management and allowed visitors to watch the sorting process of recyclables. The most iconic exhibit was Trash-o-saurus, a dinosaur sculpture made of garbage. Funding for the museum dropped in 2009 due to expiring contracts, but remained open until 2011. The closure of the museum followed a failed fundraising campaign. In 2014, the Connecticut General Assembly approved a measure to fund the museum by allowing the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to award a grant of up to $100,000 to the Connecticut Resource Recovery Authority.

Contents

Operation

The recycling facility and museum was constructed for a cost of $5 million and opened in 1993. [2] [3] Funding for the museum was provided through a group of 19 local municipalities, known as the Southwest Connecticut Recycling Committee, which transported recyclables to the facility for processing. The museum was part of an active recycling operation that allows visitors to follow the recyclable materials through the sorting processes to the crushing and baling process before they are shipped to processors to be recycled into new products. The museum was overseen and operated by the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority. [4]

Exhibits

The museum's goal was to empower its visitors to make good choices and be knowledgeable about waste management in the midst of a "waste crisis". The center director of the museum, Valerie Knight-Di-Gangi said, "We've created exhibits that encourage children to explore serious environmental issues, and do so in a fun way to have lasting impact and empower them to take responsibility for the environment." [5] The museum was operated by the Southwest Connecticut Regional Recycling Operating Committee which staffed the museum with "educational specialists who design[ed] and conduct[ed] the educational programs". [5]

The Garbage Museum was an operating recycling facility and featured a viewing area for the operation which processes around 60,000 tons of recyclables from 20 local towns. [1] Educational exhibits focused on the benefits of recycling drink cans and mining bauxite, the main source of aluminum, and reducing air pollution and water pollution. Another exhibit features a walk-through tunnel depicting a compost pile. Interactive exhibits included a general store and a "Trash Bash" activity in which "imprison[ed] helmet-wearing contestants ... answer questions. If the answer is wrong, others are given the green light to dump trash on them from an overhead opening." [1] There were also art exhibits made from recyclable material including a "life-size mannequin made from crushed and colored milk containers strung together with pipe cleaners". [1] In 2004, a new exhibit showcasing the trash-to-energy process was created by Mike Blasavage as part of a project funded by the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority. The exhibit follows trash, represented as marbles, being transferred from bins to toy trucks, the trucks transfers the trash to the energy plant that generates energy to open and close a drawbridge. [6]

A popular and unique exhibit was Trash-o-saurus, a 12 feet (3.7 m) tall and 24 feet (7.3 m) long dinosaur made out of junk that was prominently on display in the Garbage Museum. The one-ton sculpture was created by Leo Sewell of Pennsylvania and made of "no parking" signs, cell phones, license plates, and other materials. The sculpture represents the average amount of garbage and recyclables that a person in Connecticut discards each year. The exhibit was focused on the importance of recycling and had an interactive checklist of items to find the comprise the sculpture. [1] In April 2011, the museum celebrated the 16th birthday of the Trash-o-saurus with a birthday party. [7]

Closure

In 2009, the fate of the Garbage Museum became uncertain due to financial problems when the recycling plant's contracts expired on June 30 and the commodity prices dropped due to the economic recession. The museum began fundraising efforts and started collecting $2 for entrance fees in September 2008. The United States Internal Revenue Service also ruled that museum donations could be tax-deductible increasing opportunities for fundraising. The Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority also applied for federal funding as a "shovel ready" project to upgrade and automate the recycling center's operations. In 2009, Nonnenmacher stated that the museum's operational costs were between $200,000 and $250,000 per year. [1] Interest in the museum also came from a group of East Haven High School students who produced a short documentary video about the Garbage Museum which won a state award and attracted some international interest. [8]

Prior to its close in 2011, the operating budget was $341,000, which funded staffing, educational programs, and the museum's heating and lighting. [9] In July 2011, Milford's Board of Aldermen approved allocating $26,000 via a $0.75 tax per ton of municipal solid waste, then representing the latest addition to a $100,000 fundraising drive. [9] On August 25, 2011, the museum was closed after the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority Board of Directors voted to close the Garbage Museum immediately. [10] In 2013, Connecticut State Senator Kevin C. Kelly introduced legislation to reopen the museum, but the amendment failed to garner support. [11] In 2014, the Connecticut General Assembly approved a measure to fund the museum by allowing the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to award a grant of up to $100,000 to the Connecticut Resource Recovery Authority via funding of the Municipal Tipping Fee Fund. [12]

Related Research Articles

Recycling Converting waste materials into new products

Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. The recovery of energy from waste materials is often included in this concept. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability to reacquire the properties it had in its original state. It is an alternative to "conventional" waste disposal that can save material and help lower greenhouse gas emissions. It can also prevent the waste of potentially useful materials and reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reducing energy use, air pollution and water pollution.

Waste management Activities and actions required to manage waste from its source to its final disposal

Waste management includes the processes and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal. This includes the collection, transport, treatment and disposal of waste, together with monitoring and regulation of the waste management process and waste-related laws, technologies, economic mechanisms.

Municipal solid waste Type of waste consisting of everyday items discarded by the public

Municipal solid waste (MSW), commonly known as trash or garbage in the United States and rubbish in Britain, is a waste type consisting of everyday items that are discarded by the public. "Garbage" can also refer specifically to food waste, as in a garbage disposal; the two are sometimes collected separately. In the European Union, the semantic definition is 'mixed municipal waste,' given waste code 20 03 01 in the European Waste Catalog. Although the waste may originate from a number of sources that has nothing to do with a municipality, the traditional role of municipalities in collecting and managing these kinds of waste have produced the particular etymology 'municipal.'

Ariel Sharon Park

Ariel Sharon Park is an environmental park established on the former Hiriya waste dump located southeast of Tel Aviv, Israel. After accumulating 25 million tons of waste, the facility was shut down in August 1998. It is visible on approach into Ben Gurion International Airport as a flat-topped hill. Three recycling facilities have been established at the foot of the mountain: a waste separation center, a green waste facility that produces mulch and a building materials recycling plant. The waste dump and its surrounding area have been renovated into a large park that is still under construction.

The Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO) was established by the Ohio General Assembly in 1989 as part of Ohio House Bill 592, which created Ohio’s current solid waste management planning and regulatory programs. SWACO is a government-run entity responsible for the safe and sanitary management of all solid waste within its district. In this role, it operates the Franklin County Sanitary Landfill,, as well as two transfer facilities, all for the benefit of Franklin County, Ohio, and parts of surrounding counties in central Ohio.

There is no national law in the United States that mandates recycling. State and local governments often introduce their own recycling requirements. In 2014, the recycling/composting rate for municipal solid waste in the US was 34.6%. A number of U.S. states, including California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Oregon, and Vermont have passed laws that establish deposits or refund values on beverage containers while other jurisdictions rely on recycling goals or landfill bans of recyclable materials.

Puente Hills Landfill Largest landfill in the United States

Puente Hills Landfill was the largest landfill in the United States, rising 500 feet high and covering 700 acres (2.8 km2). Originally opened in 1957 in a back canyon in the Puente Hills, the landfill was made to meet the demands of urbanization and waste-disposal east of Los Angeles. By the 1990s, the landfill became an artificial mountain visible around the San Gabriel Valley region. Puente Hills accepted four million tons of waste in 2005. As of October 31, 2013, its operating permit was terminated and it no longer accepts new refuse. The former landfill is in the process of becoming a natural habitat preservation area.

Covanta Holding Corporation is a public company headquartered in Morristown, New Jersey. It provides energy-from-waste and industrial waste management services. Most of its revenue comes from operating power plants that burn trash as fuel. Covanta charges a fee for waste disposal, sells electricity produced in the process, and recovers metal for recycling.

Leo Sewell is an American "found object" artist. His assemblages of recycled material are in over 40 museums and in private collections worldwide.

Republic Services American waste disposal corporation

Republic Services is an American waste disposal company whose services include non-hazardous solid waste collection, waste transfer, and waste disposal, recycling, and energy services. It is the second largest provider of waste disposal in the United States after Waste Management Corporation.

Waste management in Japan today emphasizes not just the efficient and sanitary collection of waste, but also reduction in waste produced and recycling of waste when possible. This has been influenced by its history, particularly periods of significant economic expansion, as well as its geography as a mountainous country with limited space for landfills. Important forms of waste disposal include incineration, recycling and, to a smaller extent, landfills and land reclamation. Although Japan has made progress since the 1990s in reducing waste produced and encouraging recycling, there is still further progress to be made in reducing reliance on incinerators and the garbage sent to landfills. Challenges also exist in the processing of electronic waste and debris left after natural disasters.

Waste Unwanted or unusable materials

Waste are unwanted or unusable materials. Waste is any substance which is discarded after primary use, or is worthless, defective and of no use. A by-product by contrast is a joint product of relatively minor economic value. A waste product may become a by-product, joint product or resource through an invention that raises a waste product's value above zero.

Recology

Recology, formerly known as Norcal Waste Systems, is a waste management company headquartered in San Francisco, California. The company collects and processes municipal solid waste, reclaiming reusable materials. The company also operates transfer stations, materials recovery facilities (MRFs), a number of landfills, and continues to spearhead renewable energy projects. Recology is the largest organics compost facility operator by volume in the United States.

Paint is a recyclable item. Latex paint is collected at collection facilities in many countries and shipped to paint-recycling facilities.

Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority

The Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority, formerly the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority (1973-2014), is a quasi-public agency that provides single-stream recycling and trash disposal for Connecticut cities and towns. It owns a trash-to-energy plant in Hartford, oversees another in Preston, and financed the development of others in Bridgeport and Wallingford.

Waste management in Russia

Waste management in Russia refers to the legislation, actions and processes pertaining to the management of the various waste types encountered throughout the Russian Federation. The basis of legal governance for waste management in Russia at the federal level is outlined through Federal Law No. 89-FZ, which defines waste as “the remains of raw materials, materials, semi-finished products, other articles or products that have been formed in the process of production or consumption as well as the goods (products) that have lost their consumer properties”.

The Essex County Resource Recovery Facility, also known as Covanta Essex, is a waste-to-energy incineration power station in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. Opened in 1990, it is owned by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) and operated by Covanta Energy. It is located adjacent to the New Jersey Turnpike between Raymond Boulevard and the Passaic River in Newark.

Waste management in Australia Waste management in Australia

Waste management in Australia started to be implemented as a modern system by the second half of the 19th century, with its progresses driven by technological and sanitary advances. It is currently regulated at both federal and state level. The Commonwealth's Department of the Environment and Energy is responsible for the national legislative framework.

New York City waste management system

New York City's waste management system is a refuse removal system primarily run by the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY). The department maintains the waste collection infrastructure and hires public and private contractors who remove the city's waste. This waste, created by New York City's population of more than eight million, can amount to more than ten thousand tons a day.

Delaware Valley Resource Recovery Facility Trash incineration plant in Chester, Pennsylvania, USA

The Delaware Valley Resource Recovery Facility is a trash incineration plant located in Chester, Pennsylvania. The waste-to-energy plant - which incinerates waste to generate power - was built and operated by Westinghouse from 1991 to 1997. It is currently operated by Covanta and has been criticized for the level of pollution it produces. The plant has the largest capacity of any waste-to-energy plant in the United States.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Collins, Dave (April 9, 2009). "It's always Earth Day at Connecticut trash museum". AP Worldstream. Archived from the original on June 29, 2014. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  2. ↑ Weizel, Richard (November 7, 1999). "One Man's Trash Is Another's Museum". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
  3. ↑ Zimring, Carl (2012). Encyclopedia of Consumption and Waste: The Social Science of Garbage. SAGE Publications. p. 147. ISBN   9781452266671 . Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  4. ↑ "The CRRA Garbage Museum". Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority. Archived from the original on 15 January 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
  5. 1 2 Davis, Mae (June 3, 1996). "Garbage Museum Teaches Environmental Awareness to Children". Nation's Cities Weekly.[ dead link ]
  6. ↑ Rhatigan, Chris (August 17, 2004). "Museum exhibit puts new spin on garbage". New Haven Register. New Haven, CT. Archived from the original on June 29, 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
  7. ↑ Swebilius, Phyllis (April 22, 2011). "Garbage Museum plans 16th birthday bash for Trash-o-saurus". New Haven Register. New Haven, CT. Archived from the original on June 29, 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
  8. ↑ Zaretsky, Mark (June 15, 2009). "E. Haven student film focuses on plight of Stratford's Garbage Museum?". New Haven Register. New Haven, CT. Archived from the original on June 29, 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
  9. 1 2 McCready, Brian (July 2, 2011). "Milford approves $26G for Garbage Museum?". New Haven Register. New Haven, CT. Archived from the original on June 29, 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
  10. ↑ "Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority - Contact Garbage Museum". Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority. Archived from the original on 6 February 2014. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  11. ↑ "Kelly tries, fails to get Garbage museum reopened". Stratford Star. June 7, 2013. Archived from the original on 25 May 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
  12. ↑ "An Act Providing Funds For The Garbage Museum In Stratford". State of Connecticut. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.