Related Posts
Trash Becomes Kenyan Wildlife ArtOnce again, there is an innovative way of turning waste and recyclables into sculptures.
This past summer, student volunteers...
Man builds fantastic eco-friendly houses out of trash
In a small city in East Texas, Dan Phillips builds charming rustic houses for low-income people. That's remarkable...
Storms cover SoCal beaches in trash
A series of rainstorms in Southern California have resulted in debris-lined beaches strewn with 'mangled shopping carts, bicycle...
Would You Check-In to a Hotel Made from Garbage?When you think of Italy, you probably think of great cities like Rome and Venice, or perhaps the...
The ec-O.bench: a Bench and yet, so Much More!The wheel has been regarded as one of the best inventions of all time; it’s simple and yet...
Get your Eco Starter Kit
Create an account and start harvesting Carbon Credits! Exchange your Carbon Credits for green goodies, like the Eco-Hatchery Starter Kit!
-
Green network users
3,031 Users - Show All
Green Directory
Tip of the Day
Go grocery shopping locally to help reduce your carbon footprint
How Much Would You Pay for a Piece of Trash?
Image Source: Screen capture from NYCGarbage.com
They say that “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure”. While this is a good phrase to live by, NYC artist, Justin Gignac, takes the saying to a completely new level.
Introducing: Garbage of New York City. The whole thing started in 2001, when a co-worker challenged the importance of package design. So, Gignac collected trash from the streets of New York City and packaged it into neat little transparent cubes (completely sealed and smell proof). You would think that no one would be crazy enough to buy a package of NYC trash, right?
Wrong. Gignac has sold over 1,200 of these trashy items. You can find them sitting on shelves, desks, tables and so forth in at least 25 countries across the globe. Each package contains a unique assortment of New York City trash and they are also numbered, dated and signed by the artist. There have also been specialty packages available over the years, including items from New Year’s Eve at Times Square and Opening Day at Yankee Stadium.
So, how much are people willing to pay for a cube of trash? A regular trash package costs $50; specialty items run for $100.
I suppose it is a rather unique way to get a piece of NYC memorabilia and at least some of the trash is finally being put to good use; though I’ll never understand why people would pay so much for something they could get for free. At any rate, it’s certainly safe to say who won the package design challenge. Anyone who has the skills to sell packaged trash at such prices is either doing something extremely well or incredibly wrong.
What would you willingly pay for a cube of trash?
By Heidi Marshall
Tags: artist sells trash, cubed trash, NYC garbage, NYC trash, packaged trash for sale
Other Greenfudge.org posts
China enforces the use of renewable energy with new law
Chalk another one up for the efficiency of authoritarian rule. According to an article from Reuters, the government of China has passed a law requiring power grid operators to buy 'all the electricity produced by renewable energy generators'. This will encourage the use of power from renewable sources such as wind and solar energy plants over cheaper electricity from coal plants. The Chinese State Council energy department now has the authority to 'determine the proportion of renewable energy power generation to...
Compostable Biodegradable Dog Waste Poop Bags
Did you know that the typical dog produces 125 kg (274 pounds) of waste each year (source: USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service)? With today’s town policies requiring owners to pick up after their pets that is a lot of plastic waste that takes op to 100 years to decompose. Luckily enough, some companies see economical advantages in providing biodegradable and compostable doggy bags. Some of these bags are even certified to decompose in just a couple of days, leaving practically...
Extinct skinks: Lizards especially vulnerable to climate change
A recent study claims that 20% of lizard species could be extinct by the year 2080, due to the effects of climate change. The research shows a correlation between rising temperatures and lizard extinctions since 1975. As more species become extinct, entire eco-systems will be thrown out of balance. From an article in the Telegraph: The drop in the lizard population could cause an explosion in the numbers of insect they normally feed on as well as devastating creatures higher up the...
Green investment banks – The free market to the rescue?
An independent report commissioned by the UK’s Conservative Party – when they were in opposition – has found that Britain needs a green investment bank in order to meet its emissions goals for 2020. The report, entitled ‘Unlocking investment to deliver Britain's low carbon future’ discusses low carbon investment, issuing ‘green bonds’, tax incentives to help clean energy industries and levies on consumer fuel bills. From a Reuters Africa report: The scale of the investment required to meet UK climate change and renewable...
Global Warming in 5 steps: How does it affect Wildlife?
When it comes to global warming, humans have certainly felt the effects, and this year more than ever. With one weather disaster after another hammering the globe (there were a dozen in the U.S. alone that topped the billion-dollar mark for damages), there’s no denying that the natural course of the climate has been altered due to the many greenhouse gas emissions we spew into the air courtesy of industry and transport. And the results of our pollution are not...
Breaking news: Japanese schools serving whale meat
Breaking news WHALE meat is on the menu of a sixth of Japanese primary and junior high schools, a survey released today showed. In Japan, 5355 schools out of the 29,600 public primary and junior high schools with canteens for students, served whale meat at least once up to March 2010, during the school year , a survey by Kyodo news revealed. In the rising sun country, cooked whale meat was regularly present in school lunch menus in the 1960s and 1970s as the annual supply of...
Farewell Wangari Maathai – Nobel winner dies in Nairobi
Throat cancer has claimed the life of one of Africa’s and indeed the world’s luminaries of environmental and human rights activism. Wangari Maathai, Kenya’s founder of the Green Belt Movement, has died from throat cancer at the age of 71. The Green Belt Movement combined ecological causes with social justice issues and planted 20-30 million trees on the African continent. In 2004 Maathai became the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for her activism on behalf of the environment,...
La Batalla Verde! The Great, Muddy Battle That Creates Greenspace!
When you were younger, did you ever enjoy playing in the mud? There were so many ways you could have fun with it: mud wrestling, mud pies, jumping in mud puddles. Life was grand—until your mother scolded you for tracking mud through the house. These days, you don’t exactly see adults playing in the mud very often (gods forbid what other people would think!). However, there is an awesome new game in town that allows you to play in the mud...
An Environmental Victory: Styrofoam can Finally be Recycled!
Styrofoam has been the bane of the earth and all types of environmentalists for decades. It’s durable, moisture-resistant, has multiple uses…and takes at least 5,000 years to biodegrade. Americans alone throw away at least 25 billion Styrofoam products per year; all of that is just taking up more and more landfill space. Now, there is finally some light at the end of the Styrofoam-packed tunnel. Dart Corporation—a manufacturer of Styrofoam products—is setting up bins across the US to collect Styrofoam. They...
Check Out Earth911.com’s Awesome Earth Day Giveaway Contest!
The 40th anniversary of Earth Day is less than 3 weeks away and Earth911.com is holding an awesome giveaway contest to celebrate! If you’re unfamiliar with Earth911.com, it’s the site to go to for all the recycling information you can think of. Want to know what items can be recycled in your area? Check out that site. Curious about the latest recycling news? They got it all covered. Ah, but I suppose you are more curious about this giveaway contest, so...
View all articles
You can also log in to post a comment.