Five Pounds Every Day

By Rob Christopher in Arts & Entertainment on Jul 26, 2007 12:46PM

Like someone who's ready to quit smoking but still can't clean up their own mess, Chicago will go smoke-free on January 1 but ... we'll still have a little problem. A garbage problem. Daley's trying like gangbusters to make the city go green. And we're behind green roofs, eco-friendly sidewalks and solar-powered bus shelters 100%. But. (Non)news flash: the recycling program is a joke. The Blue Bag recycling program doesn't address the fact that most of us are living in multi-unit apartment buildings or that business offices generate a whole lotta crap (though, to be fair, in the latter case there is an ordinance in place). If we really want a better future for our city, we're going to have the face the problem of what we throw out and what we do with it.

Five pounds a day. Every day. That's the amount of garbage each man, woman and child in the U.S. generates. Trashed, a new documentary which opens tonight at the Music Box, is an investigation into one of North America's fastest-growing businesses: the waste disposal industry. In many ways similar to the book Stiff, you might just be surprised to learn what happens to your trash after it's taken away. Expect to cringe and laugh in equal measure. Let's just be glad that scratch & sniff cards aren't part of the show.

Director Bill Kirkos will be present for a Q & A after the 7:30 screening. Advance tickets are available. Image via Pollution Issues.