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Week Twelve:
The Lethal Laundry

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Preface

Why document trash?

That is a valid question. In a world filled with wonderous sights and sensations, placing a spotlight on the drab and discarded items that lay in the wastebin seems absurd. From an outsiders’ perspective, I would be inclined to agree. However, this documentation of garbage is a clear representation of me, society, and our future. In its most basic sense, this project forces me to consider the items I dispose of, how I dispose them, and why I dispose of them. Through this, the project holds me accountable for my unnecessary waste buildup and clutter; do I truly need to use straws when I know how to drink from a cup just fine? Do I need to continually purchase plastic water bottles when I have reusable ones on my shelf? Do I need to hoard those old flyers or empty ChapStick that has no value to me? The more I stopped and thought about it, the more I realized just how accustomed I had become to trash in my life, because it is something that has been with me from the start... Continue reading

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Weekly Overview

This week in particular sparked many moments of reflection compared to other weeks. My trash put into perspective just how much I carry with me, physically and emotionally. As a very sentimental individual, I keep objects based on their emotional value (for example, if it was a birthday gift or if I have had it for a long time). I also keep things “just in case” I ever intend to use them again, which I rarely do. As a result, my room becomes very untidy. I tend to find that when my environment is cluttered and disorganized, I end up feeling the same way. This week encouraged me to rummage through my belongings and ask myself what truly mattered in my life.

Moreover, this week was also an opportunity of learning and appreciating what I already have. I tend to be a clumsy, forgetful person a lot of the time. I find that I frequently ignore certain precautions due to sheer laziness or the assumption that things will go my way. This week demonstrated that this is simply not the case, and that there are consequences to my actions. For example, not restocking on laundry sheets before they run out, forgetting to check my pants pockets before I run the washing machine, or constantly dropping my phone. All of these little moments lead to unnecessary stress that can be easily avoided with a bit of forward thinking.

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The Laundry Incident:

There are only two items in this category, a container of Vaseline lip therapy and an empty box of Bounce dryer sheets. Allow me to paint the scene: it is 12 PM on a Friday in February, and you decide to do your laundry. You start by putting a load in the washing machine (you do not bother to check your pants pockets as your normally do). When the load is done, the clothes are sopping wet, as if they did not go through the spin cycle to rid of the excess water. In an attempt to really ensure your clothes dry, you separate them into two separate loads, put them in individual dryers, insert your final two dryer sheets, and set it at high temperature. Unfortunately, because this is Rutgers, the timer is set to 45 minutes instead of the usual 1 hour. To your disappointment, not only are your clothes still damp upon completion, but it appears a rogue container of Vaseline lip therapy was left in your pockets and managed to stain your sweatshirt and sweatpants. On top of that, you have other errands to run, so the clothes are left to sit damp in a pile. When you return, there is nothing else to do but unfortunately do the whole cycle again, this time praying that your clothes dry.

This is how these two items came to be in this week’s trash: a lack of urgency and forethought. Although the Vaseline lip therapy, purchased on Amazon just 2 months ago, still contained some product, I could not trust to keep it. I worried that with the heat of the dryer, some of the plastic of the container may have melted and contaminated the balm itself. As for the empty box of dryer sheets, it served as a reminder to order new ones in advance instead of waiting till the very last minute. This was the most notable learning experience this week.

Outdated:

The outdated category describes items that are no longer usable because they have, in a sense, expired. In this week’s case, I had a stack of flyers from my club, The Rutgers Review, that was created for the Fall 2023 semester. I printed them at the Academic Building on College Ave around November, as that is when our club realized that membership was quite low and needed some advertising. However, since then, we have updated our slogan, meeting place, and overall aesthetics. Thus, the old flyers were obsolete and needed to go. Similarly, I had a stack of old resumes from Fall 2023 that I used at career fairs. I also printed these at the Academic Building, but back in September. With the Fall Career Fair being the first I ever attended; I was quite nervous. That is partially why I over-printed my resumes and kept most to myself – I was too anxious to talk to recruiters and give it to them. While most of the information on these papers holds true now, some parts of my resume have changed, such as GPA, relevant coursework, and technical skills. As a result, I no longer have a use for them.

On the Brink of Death / Why Do I Still Have This?

Items in this category, “On the Brink of Death / Why Do I Still Have This?” are things that have either completely broken down or are just straight trash that I have for some reason held on to. The first item is my Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm: my prized position. I bought this lip balm roughly 1-2 years ago, most likely from CVS or Walgreens. As someone with sensitive skin and dry lips, I am always in the market for a balm. When I saw this tube in particular, I was really excited to have a product that moisturized my lips and tinted them! However, after using it nearly every single day, it has run its course. I have held onto it thinking that I can still scrape the product out of the sad little tube, but the truth is that I cannot. So, she has to go. Another item in this category is a box for Brooklyn&Bailey’s “Lash Next Door” mascara. I have been using this makeup product also for about 2 years now, mainly because it competes really well against other brands in the market. This specific box held a mascara in it I bought about 2 months ago, yet for some reason, I decided to keep the box (even though the mascara tube does not need it). So, the container has now been disposed of). Lastly, I have my clear OtterBox phone case. It may not be obvious from the looks of the picture, but it is in really rough shape. There is sticker residue on the corner, separation of the case itself, scratches all over the back, and it has generally yellowed. I bought this case and an additional identical one on Amazon back in Spring 2023. I had originally purchased them for my partner and I, so that we could put matching photos inside the case. Clearly, it did not last very long. So, in the trash it went (after I ordered a replacement).

Unnecessary

This section is dedicated to objects that have little value to me because I will never use it, and yet I have kept them anyways. The first item is a pamphlet I received at a career fair for the US Navy– I have not looked at it once since that day and do not plan to anytime soon. Another item that fits this category is a phone card sleeve with “WRSU 88.7 FM Rutgers Radio” printed on it. I was given this for free in Fall 2022 during the Involvement Fair, and have never used it. To be fair, it is a very useful item, however I have no need for it. I already have a wristlet where I put all my cards, and I personally like to show off my phone case, not cover it. As a result, I have decided to get rid of it.

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Gallery

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Item Data

Item	Weight	Source	Location	Cost	Time Owned	Mode	Reason for Disposal
Clear OtterBox Phone Case	0.70 oz	Amazon	On my phone	$15	1 year		Worn Out
Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm	0.15 oz	Pharmacy	Bedroom	$3	2 years		Completely Used Up
Lash Next Door Box	0.10 oz	Lashnextdoor.com	Desk drawer	$18	2 months		Do not need the box
US Navy Pamphlet	0.30 oz	Career and Internship Megafair	Desk Drawer	Free	5 months		I am not joining the US Navy
Phone Card Sleeve	1.00 oz	Involvement Fair	Desk Drawer	Free	1 ½ years		I don’t use card sleeves on my phone
Old Resumes	0.75 oz	Academic Building	Desk Drawer	$1.20	6 months		Outdated
The Rutgers Review Flyers	0.75 oz	Academic Building	Desk Drawer	$0.40	3 months		Outdated
Vaseline Lip Therapy	0.25 oz	Amazon	Pocket	$3.00	2 months		Ran through washer and dryer by accident
Bounce Dryer Sheet Box	3.00 oz	Shoprite	Closet	$5.00	5 months		Empty from using all dryer sheets

Legend: Trashed | Recycled | Gifted to a Friend

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Item of the Week: Vaseline Lip Therapy

Despite its short time in my posession, I have selected this item in particular because it practically saved my life. While that may sound like an exaggeration, I am someone with sensitive skin, so I am no stranger to the crippling drying effects of the colder months. Over the course of this winter specifically, I found that my lips were getting especially dry and cracked more than ever before, tempting me to pick and cause severe damage to a hyper-delicate body part. Regular lip balms like ChapStick were just not cutting it – I needed something stronger.

After doing some research, I found that a lot of people recommended the Vaseline Lip Therapy (including my roommate), as its formula is very hydrating and creates a barrier that prohibits moisture from the outside to touch the skin. Needless to say, it got the job done. Despite having to endure constant hair stuck on my lips as a result of windy days, my lips were healed. That's huge! I was no longer in pain, I was able to drink from cups without worry, and I just generally felt more comfortable. Moreover, this specific tub of Vaseline was also a lip tint, so it doubled as skin protection and makeup. I used it nearly every single day until its demise.

While I was investigating various solutions to my problem, I also discovered that lip balms have actually been around since 40 B.C. during the time of the Ancient Egyptians, but these concoctions mainly consisted of beeswax, olive oil, animal fats, and other natural ingredients. Vaseline Lip Therapy is made up of petrolatum, butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter, and tocopheryl acetate. Evidently, the lip balm world has changed since 40 B.C. In fact, petroleum jelly was only introduced for lip products in 1870 – over one (nearly two) thousand years later than the inception of lip balms! Now of course, this type of revolution can have positives and negatives. For me, the product worked wonders. However, many lip products today contain unrefined petroleum jelly, which harbors carcinogens such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that are linked to different types of cancers. So… it seems that I should weigh my options seriously before entrusting my health to a product!

Three Reasons I Loved This Item

• It actually moisturized my lips.
• It gave me a pink tint!
• It was compact and easy to bring on the go!

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Trash Familiar Profile

A solemn, lonesome empty can of Spindrift .

This is an opened can of lime Spindrift, a zero-calorie, zero-sugar, two-ingredient sparkling water. It can be seen here sitting on the windowsill of my partner's suite, looking out to the Crosby Suites on Busch campus. My boyfriend and his roommate are Spindrift addicts -- not a day goes by that I don't see a can in hand or placed hapazardly on desks and dressers. This one in particular though sticks out to me, as it has yet to be moved from its place on the windowsill. It is completely empty, down to the drop, and yet it remains next to my boyfriend's roommate's (unpictured) empty fanta bottles, catcus, and lego sculptures. It is almost as if it is an artistic form in itself, a decoration of the room and a way to declare my partners' love for Spindrift. I admire that, and so long as no mold grows, I think his preserving of that can is beautiful.

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Coda

Thank you for reading Week 12 of Trash of the Week. After taking deep dives into the history and nature of trash and reflecting on my own consumption, I feel confident that I can take back control in my life and contribute to a better future. I will stay conscious about how to minimize my waste production, reuse or give away old items, and properly dispose of anything else that comes my way. I've become more aware of not just what I throw out, but other peoples' habits too (i.e., the Spindrift and Fanta cans/bottles, used up toilet paper, old Amazon boxes). I hope that with my newfound knowledge, I can educate and inspire on this page and in my own life, while providing witty banter along the way. Whether it is looking into ways that you can combat climate change, working to declutter your space, or just wanting to have a good time, Trash of the Week is the page for you. Feel free to message me @ambersafe.er on Instagram for any questions or to chat! I would love to hear about how my site has impacted you, and what I can do to improve it. Looking forward to next week! L8r sk8r

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