Since the Fresh Kills landfill closed on Staten Island over 15 years ago, NYC has exported all of its trash to other places to be buried or burned. Everyone from government officials to local residents have debated this complicated process, but one thing all folks agree on is that this current system is too costly and difficult to maintain. Where does our trash go and who makes these decisions? What’s the dirt on NYC’s mounting trash problem?
In our first Digital Investigation, CUP and Teaching Artist Dillon de Give partnered with students at Frances Perkins Academy in Greenpoint to dig deeper into the complicated world of garbage infrastructure. To find out more, students visited places like a local waste transfer station and a recycling facility. They interviewed key decision makers including a private waste carrier, an environmental activist, a Department of Sanitation staff member, and the Chair of the City Council Sanitation Committee.
Students collaborated with the Teaching Artist to edit and refine their findings into a documentary-style video that explains where our trash goes, who decides, and how else the current system could work.
Students debuted their documentary to a full house at the Wythe Hotel Screening Room, where students shared their video and discussed their creative process.
Check out the video below!
