This body of work is about the end of the line, the final destination for most consumer goods. With typical economic growth comes landfill growth. In the United States alone, an estimated total of 146 million tons of material went into landfills in 2018. Sites such as the one featured in this body of work are designed to address all aspects of the burial of solid waste. Compaction rates, liquid leachate management, and strategies for methane gas containment are calculated by engineering firms and overseen by government agencies.
As much as we love to buy things, no one wants to pay for their disposal. Many regional public landfills are self funded. Tipping fees are used to pay for the equipment, labor, and facilities necessary to run large operations. Reserve funds are required as a contingency for the ever present threat of environmental damage. Decisions about these funds are often made by advisory boards, populated by local politicians who have different views as to how tipping fees are utilized. What is best for the mountain may not always be best for election campaigns.
The sites on which these landfills operate are rarely seen by the general public. They represent the idea of a magical place called “away” where things can be sent and forgotten. What we as a society discard becomes a manifestation of our Shadow Self. It shows us our excess. With examination, these places may help us to heal from our obsession to consume at all costs.