Waste Management

Ah, waste. The age old question of how we manage our waste. Where does our human and animal waste go? What can we recycle? What can we reuse?

These are all questions that communities around the world have dealt with for centuries, really ever since the era of Industrialization.

But we want to stick with cities here, because there are a few important topics that are ever relevant today. The first is public washrooms - does your community have any? And before you say yes - remember, when we talk about public washrooms, we're referencing those that are open to the public, 24/7, and do not require the use/patronage of a business in order to access.

Some examples:

• NPR: Transparent Public Toilets Unveiled In Tokyo Parks — But They Also Offer Privacy

• HowStuffWorks: Self-Cleaning Toilets: How Do They Work?
• Wikipedia: Sanisette/Superloo
• CBC: Montreal's new self-cleaning public toilets will soon be open for business

For us, the marker of any great community is how it treats its most vulnerable. Not only unhoused people, but those that require the use of toilets more often, those that require privacy more often, and those that just need to get some relief. Now, how great is your community?

The second topic in Waste Management is a big one, that is what we more typically think about: how is our waste treated? What happens when we flush the toilet? Do items that I put in my recycling bin... actually get recycled?

And really, these are tough, hard to answer questions due to the nature of traceability and infrastructure. Basically... it depends. Some places do phenomenal work in treating waste and diverting items from the landfill. Others do... not.

Here's a few really great resources on this topic:

• Duane Burnett on YouTube: Water Resource Centre Sechelt Sunshine Coast BC
• Electronics&Computers on YouTube: Fully automatic and self cleaning public toilet in Paris France
• JapanGo on YouTube: Transparent Toilets In Tokyo
• NYT: Trash or Recycling? Why Plastic Keeps Us Guessing.
• Gimlet's How to Save a Planet: Recycling! Is it BS?

We take waste management very seriously here at the YIMBY shop, and that's why our products are made specifically for you when you order. There's limited waste involved as we don't pre-order thousands of shirts to sit and wait. Check out our collection and order yourself something to stir up some shit (pun intended) at your local community meetings.