Gone+Tomorrow+-+The+Hidden+Life+of+Garbage+-+JRH

Jacob Houser, Annotation #1 Gone Tomorrow: The Hidden Life of Garbage

The film Gone Tomorrow: The Hidden Life of Garbage, directed by Heather Rogers, was released in 2005 and deals with the way in which we dispose of our trash, specifically recycling. Its main focus is on how the current recycling system is not working as well as how we have reached this point. It is a very powerful film that employs a lot of shock value in order to gain the audience’s attention.

The problem of garbage disposal is a huge issue that runs very deep in our culture. As the title of the film suggests, many people seem to think that their trash simply disappears overnight. The film points this out as a major problem because it leads to apathy. Many people don’t realize that garbage and recycling are problems because it is out of sight, and as they say, out of sight, out of mind. It also discusses in depth the misperceptions about recycling. It details how it is inefficient, underutilized, and too complex of a process. There is simply too much garbage that is not recycled or unrecycleable, and the garbage that is recycled is difficult and energy intensive to break down, plastics specifically. A lot of this problem of too much trash can be traced back to built in obsolescence. People have been conditioned to think that they need newer and better products all the time, leading to consumerism and overconsumption. Advertising and packaging based marketing has also contributed to this problem. The film also delves into the history of this system and how we’ve reached this point.

There were many compelling points that were made in this film. Among the most persuasive of these was the modern day matrix that the film presented. Delving into how the system worked and was sustained was very intriguing as well as functioning as a very effective way to make an argument. The portion about public perception was in my opinion especially crucial as it points the finger at the audience instead of the corporation to some degree. This allows the audience to become involved with the film rather than just being a viewer of the film. The expert interviews and specifics were also very well used. These are another important part of a film because it supplies cold hard facts for the audience to latch on to. Facts that are based on concrete research help to convince skeptics, specifically those in the scientific fields that a problem exists.

The less compelling parts of this film were almost as abundant as the compelling ones, however. The lengthy history of the way corporations brainwashed the public was unnecessary in my opinion. Such a departure from the present and the main problem broke up the film and could cause the audience to lose interest. Some of the aspects of the historical part of the presentation struck me as a bit cheesy as well, including the example advertisements that were shown. This aspect of the movie simply did not engage a modern day audience. Another issue the film has is with its call to action. It spends a lot of time getting the viewer riled up about this problem, but then concludes by saying that most of our garbage is generated by industry, not individuals. This leaves the audience feeling helpless and like there isn’t anything they can do by making the part of the problem they can affect insignificant. The film furthers this sense of hopelessness by presenting very few ways that average people would be able to fix the problem.

The target audience for this movie was clearly the average middle class American consumer. This is evident in the fact that it deals with the American system of consumerism and garbage collection. It also deals with the consumption and brainwashing aspect of the problem a lot which suggest the middle to upper middle class that is prone to this sort of behavior. The movie is very conceptual which also suggests an educated and thinking audience.

As far as educating people about the problem goes the film does an excellent job describing why garbage and recycling is an issue. It also does an excellent job describing the matrix that enables this problem to persist. The data and theory provided do an excellent job supporting and giving the audience information on the problem. The alternatives presented in the film were limited. The film basically told viewers to try to break free of consumerism, to recycle more and to use more renewable and recyclable materials instead of plastics. The film also implores companies to stop planning obsolescence into their products and to employ better sustainability practices in marketing and packaging.

This made me decide to see some more of the problems with recycling and I found quite a bit of good information at Center for Sustainability at Aquinas College’s website. They specifically had a lot of information about downcycling which is the fact that recycled goods are usually of lesser quality than original goods, another problem which plastics face. Another site that had plenty of great information was Packaging – No Problem. This website has plenty of information about the sustainability cost of excessive packaging as well as advertising.

"Problems with Current Recycling Methods - Center for Sustainability at Aquinas College." //Center for Sustainability at Aquinas College - Grand Rapids, Michigan//. Steelcase Foundation of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Web. 1 Nov. 2010. .

"Sustainability | Packaging No Problem." //Packaging Filling No Problem Capping Orienting Processes//. Web. 1 Nov. 2010. .