Trash | Track

Trash | Track is an investigation into understanding the 'removal-chain' in urban areas. TrashTrack uses hundreds of small, smart, location aware tags, which are attached to different types of trash so that these items can be followed through the city's waste management system, revealing the final journey of our everyday objects in a series of real time visualizations.
more info:
http://senseable.mit.edu/trashtrack/

Video credits:
E Roon Kang: video / motiongraphics
Carnaven Chiu: visualization
Dietmar Offenhuber: visualization / proj. lead
Armin Linke: videofootage
Assaf Biderman: storyboard
Carlo Ratti: storyboard / concept

• Category

  Science & Technology

[GreningerProductions]

I wonder did they track the actual waste at some point or were the tags themselves being sorted and identified as "E-waste" they radio transmitters they used probably contained silver, gold, and potentially other precious metals, but the intellectual property, backward engineered would be more valuable to a company wishing to track it's products.

[Jari Vasell]

Funny that most of the items end up near ports. I wonder what happens next...

See for yourself? Google for usa biggest ports.

[whez08]

I would pay cash for one of those trash tags.

[Daniel O'Connor]

Brilliant. This can be used for far more then raising awareness.

[Gavin Stokes]

Another fine example of applying a layer of technology where its not needed, if people where educated properly on how to mange their waste or punished for not managing it this kind of ridiculous system would not be needed

[shoplifting1is1fun]

haha

[shoplifting1is1fun]

Great idea, surprising results.

[tincan77]

Not surprising that so much trash ends up in Chicago. (BOOM! Said it.)

[age20d]

wow, I did not realize that our trash gets sorted and sent to various different facilities around the USA.