Lanewaste

project type: studio work
location: Vancouver, BC
date: 2019
instructor: Fionn Byrne & Mary Miller

Our society is built on a destructive linear system of resource-to-waste. Much of what we consume has a short life span before reaching a landfill. Not only is this harmful on the resource end, but also on the disposal end. Landfills emit greenhouse gasses and pose significant
risks to health and the environment. It is becoming increasingly important to change our systems of waste management and our attitude towards garbage. This work explores new relationships to waste in the laneways of Kitsilano, Vancouver.

The neighborhood is made up of mainly wealthy households, who likely have little contact with landfills or visible impacts of waste. The laneways are currently underused semi-private spaces mainly for garbage storage and pickup. This project shifts the focus to the laneways and to waste by creating a new, more cyclical system. Household compost from the neighborhood is used to generate heat for communal spas and support seasonal rain and vegetable gardens. Waste becomes an opportunity to strengthen community.