MIT tracks trash for study

MIT tracks trash for study

Out of sight, out of mind has long been the mindset of many when taking out the trash. But a new project from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology seeks to illuminate what happens where disposals after being disposed.

In 2009, researchers at MIT's SENSEable City Lab — a project that uses new technologies to examine urban issues — launched Trash Track. They recruited volunteers in Seattle who attached 3,000 electronic monitors to coffee cups, yogurt containers, computers, light bulbs and other disposables to determine their end destination. The recently released results provide a glimpse into where waste produced in the city wound up. Interestingly, more than 75 percent of waste tracked in the study found its way into a recycling facility.

"As the location reports from the tracked objects started coming in, we were fascinated to see an invisible infrastructure unfolding," said Dietmar Offenhuber, Trash Track project leader, in a prepared statement. "The extent and complexity of the network of waste trajectories was quite unexpected."

Results of the study also showed how far some waste from Seattle travelled across the country. Electronic waste made its way to specialized facilities in other states, on average more than 932 miles. A printer cartridge made the longest journey at 3,823 miles.

To go back to the newsletter, click here [2].