Music, food and rubbish

Garbage (aka 'rubbish') is not something that the developed world thinks about much. Out of site, out of mind. However, when we were traveling through Central America we thought about it often because it was in front of us everyday; in the sidewalk, on the bus, in the street, in the river, at the bus station, everywhere. But since we’ve been in New Zealand we haven’t thought about it much because it’s kept in bins that are emptied on a regular, reliable schedule. Things down here are orderly and clean. 

This weekend was different. We thought about rubbish all day, every day. The three of us (Erica, too) volunteered at a festival called WOMAD (World of music, art and dance). WOMAD festivals are international; taking place in Chile, UK, Spain, and Australia, too. The New Zealand WOMAD festival has put a special focus in recent years on managing the staggering amount of waste that is generated by a large festival like this. We were placed on the Zero Waste volunteer crew, which worked to support their mission of diverting as much waste as possible from the landfill. We were guarding the waste stations around the camping area, helping people sort their rubbish (recyclables, compost, glass, etc.) into the proper bins. Then we sorted the contents of literally every bag of garbage back at the Zero Waste HQ, ensuring that recyclables and compost didn’t get mixed in with the landfill rubbish. 

It was a really fun and educational experience, not to mention the delicious international foods and music that we enjoyed (free weekend passes for volunteers). We left Erica this morning in New Plymouth and we are now in Wellington to catch an early flight tomorrow for the Philippines. The Southeast Asian adventure begins!

Huddling for warmth and love watching some live music. (A stranger next to us wanted to take this picture because she said we looked cute).

The three of us spent the entire weekend plus a day on either end in this tent!

Rubbish and recycling sorted on Monday afternoon.

The campground rubbish team!

Erica and Jenn stoked to be finished sorting rubbish.