What I’ve learned being a “trash talker”

Ahhh how wonderful it is to be caught up in a summer daze. The sun’s out, we’re all happy, avoiding any mention of back-to-school, and all is good. And if you’re not hitting up the beaches, or vacationing in exotic places, there’s always the option of staying closer to home and attending some of the great festivals in Calgary!

Yes, with summer being festival season, and being a Youth Central volunteer, I’ve had the fortune of attending several of these festivals and events to volunteer. A little less fortunately though, a majority of the time, I have been stuck with the oh-so-glamorous task of “trash-talking”.

Now, before you freak out, no, I have not been going around at events talking smack to random attendees. Green team, (or “trash-talking”, as they coined our task) is basically when us volunteers stand beside trash stations and direct trash into three main streams: Waste, Compost, and Refundables (and under certain groups, Mixed Recycling as well). The main purpose is to divert unnecessary waste from the landfill, ultimately reducing carbon emissions, and saving the planet (yay!). And this all sounds fine and dandy, but unfortunately, we need someone to be there to actually make it happen, which is just **great fun**. Standing beside the trash for upwards of 12 hours, like a broken record saying “I can help you compost that”? Sign me up!

So this summer, I’ve done this task at several different events, such as the Calgary Stampede, Fiestival, and this past weekend, Taste of Calgary. And while I have gone home with very sore legs and many mosquito bites, green team has a few lessons to teach. So here is What I’ve learned while being a “Trash Talker”

I originally thought that only things like banana peels and apple cores could be composted. And although this is true in a home setting, in commercial compost facilities, the range of compostable items is actually quite surprising. Many people at these events were very surprised that all food waste (including bones), napkins, and even some (plant-based) plastics were all compost! But it was really interesting to inform so many people about all the things that were compostable. And I must admit that it was quite satisfying to hear someone complain that “plastic wasn’t compostable”, and then be able to swoop in and say that actually, it was made out of a plant-based material, and that it does, in fact, go in the compost.

Yes, after over 70 ish hours of doing this same task, trying to help the environment, it definitely starts to have an impact on your own morals and values. Now, I’m definitely more aware of all the waste that humans generate, and I’m alot more appreciative of corporations who do make the effort to have a more environmentally friendly company. However, this has raised alot of frustrations with various companies. For example, I was at Village Ice Cream the other day, coincidentally with some other volunteers who had done some of these Green Team projects with me, and we were pleased to discover that the ice cream cups claimed to be “100% compostable”, as were the napkins. However, there wasn’t even a compost bin in the store! They’re missing a very crucial step in the environmental initiative, by giving the ability to compost the cups, but not the opportunity. Also, at Taste of Calgary, we were initially told that David’s Tea cups were made out of a mixed material that meant it had to go in waste. Now even though I used to love David’s Tea, I suddenly felt really disappointed, and for a few days, I really disliked the company, and refused to buy anything from their booth. It was only on Sunday, when we were informed that there was a misunderstanding, and that their cups were compostable, that I regained my respect for them.

Yes, for every nice, wonderful person who actually cared about the initiative, unfortunately, there was another, less-nice, not-so-wonderful person who honestly just didn’t give a crap. But that’s just the reality of volunteering at events with lots of people, there are always gonna be rude people. My personal favourites include the man who waited until I said “Hi, that’s actually gonna go in compost over here!”, dumped his fries in the refundables bin (why?!), looked at me straight in the eye, smirked, and mockingly said “Too late” before walking away. Also, the woman in the red cap trying to take the bottles and cans (for her own profit), who immediately started aggressively yelling “Don’t you f***ing say a word to me” when we tried to tell her that no-one was actually allowed to take those refundables. Last but not least, the woman who looked at me like I was Hitler after I told her that her food was compostable, said “NO”, as if she felt super offended, and dumped it all in the waste before walking away. Ahh the joys of working with people.

But even at the end of a long day, when your legs are sore, and your mouth is dry, and you don’t ever want to hear the word “compost” again, looking at all the compost and recycling that you helped to divert from the landfill, it makes it worth it. Although it’s not the funnest, these green team type projects are actually really satisfying, because you get to see the tangible results of your work. Sure, the waste we’re diverting is only a tiny fraction of all the waste in the world, and yeah, it’s impossible to suddenly make every container compostable, and eradicate all styrofoam from existence (one can only dream), but nevertheless, we do make an impact. Because making a difference isn’t about suddenly making everything perfect, it’s about making it better, piece by piece.

(featured image: Youth Central volunteers gearing up for another Green Team shift. Look at that enthusiasm! (Source))