Garbology: Pet-Related Items Paper

Garbology: Contrasting Elements During the process of this exercise in Garbology, I chose to collect garbage from my neighbor’s private home. I personally do not know them very well, but we are friendly enough that they were willing and happy to provide their trash and recycling as part of the experiment. I chose to separate the items between trash and recycling, and then created subcategories within those headings. The table below is a list of the categories and the items I chose as anthropological examples of their lifestyle, social class, and preoccupations.
Trash Recyclables

Food Food Packaging
Pet-Related Items Paper
Non-Food Items Glass

One of the most fascinating aspects of the food trash I found was that the family clearly did
I found two different brands of contact lens cleaner. This would suggest that there are at least two members of the family who wear contact lenses. The choice to use contacts instead of glasses could suggest vanity. There was also an Aveda shampoo bottle, suggesting that both or either of the female household members have an interest in high-end hair care focused on natural ingredients. I found an empty tube of MAC lipstick labeled as “cherry red.” There was also an empty bottle of OPI nail polish. The fact that the females of the household do their own nail polishing and wear lipstick suggests that they are concerned with their appearances, but somewhat frugal. Frequent manicures are not inexpensive. Yet it could also just be for touch-ups between manicures. There was an empty tube of Jason whitening toothpaste. This item also suggests that at least one member of the family is concerned with purchasing health-driven brands while choosing to select an option that assists in the whiteness of their teeth. Included in this personal hygiene section of the trash were men’s razors from the Dollar Shave Club. Perhaps the male adult in the family may be trying to save money. There was also a can of Gillette shaving