MoJo Audio: Dave Chameides

What happens when you store a year’s worth of trash in your basement?

Photo: Jonathan Alcorn

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To hear the audio podcast of MoJo‘s interview with Dave Chameides, click below:

Meet Dave Chameides, a 39-year-old father of two and Hollywood cameraman whose work includes Donnie Darko, Will and Grace, and The West Wing. Since January, Chameides has not thrown away any of his trash—he has cataloged and stored all of it in his basement. What accumulates is whatever can’t be reused, recycled, composted, or fed to the worms. For the average American—who generates 4.6 pounds of waste each day—this could be a messy experiment. But as Chameides blogs on 365 Days of Trash and SustainableDave, it’s possible to live a comfortable, fulfilling life while generating only 1 pound of waste a month.

Recently, Chameides spoke with MoJo about the joy of worm composting, the problem with restaurants, and what his young daughters think about his trash, soon to become an educational exhibit in Connecticut’s Trash Museum.

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PLEASE—BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things it doesn’t like—which is most things that are true.

We’ll say it loud and clear: At Mother Jones, no one gets to tell us what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please do your part and help us reach our $150,000 membership goal by May 31.

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