<
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/may/11/ultimate-spiritual-pilgrimage-waste-management-site>
"Like all the best things in life, this story starts with an argument about
bins. Admittedly, I could do better at recycling. I can try to chalk this up to
having read too much about how all our plastic waste ultimately ends up in
landfill sites in the poorest parts of south-east Asia. But I’m also lazy and
so well-acquainted with cognitive dissonance that I could probably cry over the
death scene in Bambi while comforting myself by chowing down on a giant haunch
of venison.
My partner, Leo, is the total opposite: diligent and principled. Which is why
she finally lost it with me for failing to put a plastic yoghurt tub in the
recycling. I went on the defensive, citing half-imagined reports about
megadumps in the Philippines and inescapable doom. She retaliated by booking us
on an educational tour of Southwark Reuse and Recycling Centre.
There’s nothing quite like the fermented, sweet, umami scent of bin juice. And
when it hit us, about 100m from the centre, I became even more convinced that
we were going to be the only people on this tour. Minutes later, we were in a
conference room packed out with waste management enthusiasts. There were about
20 of us in total, including a man with a blue ponytail, an elegant grey-haired
woman in a classy shade of green, and an American. This is the inscrutable
cross-section of binthusiasts. Ages ranged from mid-20s to early 70s. A hush
fell over the room when one man – having perhaps misunderstood the “what does
everyone love about London?” icebreaker question – announced that he’s glad he
has cancer. All power to him. Another moment of tension came when, during the
introductory slide show, we learned that in the UK, glass is recycled into
insulation, and not more glass. At this, one man (possibly the most passionate
in the group) interjected, calling it a “tragedy”.
After a health and safety video on which we were then tested (yes, this tour of
a waste management facility also includes an exam), we put on PPE and headed
into the materials recovery facility. This is a bit like stepping inside an MC
Escher print, in which rubbish is being moved by conveyor belts in seemingly
every direction. This – the first stop for every single item placed in a blue
bin by Southwark residents – is humbling to behold. Workers in stab-proof,
elbow-length gloves sift through our detritus, aided by whirring, churning, and
sometimes AI-powered machines. I focused on individual items, visible for
seconds in the endless current; a tuna can, a cuddly leprechaun toy, some pages
of sheet music. I began thinking about how every single one of these objects
was interacted with before being thrown away, and soon started to feel dizzy.
Yes, the tour guide told us about the weirdest thing that ever showed up in
this place: a live cat. Don’t worry, he survived, and they named him Lucky.
As I stood there in a hard hat, awed by how disgusting and innovative our
species is, I realised that everyone needs to see this. Back when pilgrimages
were more of a thing in the west, people would travel to great, imposing spaces
to think about how gross and sinful they were. Today, maybe a visit to a
mechanised garbage cathedral like this can fulfil a similar purpose. It’s all
too easy to imagine that the things we throw away cease to exist. But to be
confronted by thousands upon thousands of forgotten objects is more than a sad,
smelly day out: it’s a reminder that we’re part of something absolutely
massive."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
