Running head: TURNING TRASH INTO DREAMS: THE SWILLFONIETTA VISION

Turning Trash into Dreams: The Swillfonietta Vision

Ryan Oliver and Tyler Bailey
AP Environmental Science
Tallwood High School

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Explanation of Position .3
History of Problem 3
Cause of Problem ...4
Consequences of Problem...5
Present.................................5
Future...5
Proposed Solution to Problem ....5
Rebuttals......6
Gallery.7
References9

TURNING TRASH INTO DREAMS: THE SWILLFONIETTA VISION

Explanation of Position
We are tied together by the common thread of music, leading to our inspiration to
research the Landfillharmonic. Collectively moved by their organization, we decided to dedicate
our project to their cause on a much smaller scale, of course. We feel that in a culmination of
diverting waste from landfills, as well as expanding musical influence, not only will the horizons
of individuals be expanding- but alongside it will be the promotion of a cleaner environment.
Waterway runoff, air pollution, and Greenhouse Gas emissions, just to name a few, are greatly
reduced when items are diverted from inefficient means of waste disposal. Through repurposing
waste into instruments, many benefits arise both environmentally and socially.

History of Problem

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In early stages of human history, waste was mainly composed of ash from fires, wood,
bones, and vegetable waste. It was used to feed animals and the remains were left to decompose.
Population began to grow in the Middle Ages yet, even so, trash build-up remained of lower
concern. However, trash began piling up as cities grew. This accumulation led to persistent
stench as well as unsanitary living conditions as management was inadequate. Waste
management developed in these years, mostly to combat the problems associated with improper
disposal. During the Industrial Revolution, advances were stimulated by the availability of raw
materials and growing ranks of laborers. This time of growth also created significantly greater
amounts of waste. The Age of Sanitation began as a consequence of unmanaged waste
throughout the world. In more recent years especially, legislation and regulations have been
imposed to help combat the sanitation of urban areas. In 1910, nearly 80 percent of American
cities maintained an organized waste collection system. As technology advanced, the means of
collecting, as well as the means of managing, waste greatly improved. Dumps and landfills alike
became common methods of handling municipal waste. Modern landfills especially maintain a
conscience sense of maintaining the surrounding environment, engineered to mitigate odors and
runoff into local waterways. Although advancements have been made in more developed regions
of the world, many communities still utilize open landfills despite their adverse environmental
effects.
Cause of Problem
Landfills offer a cheaper, and easier, alternative to other methods of waste management,
including composting and recycling. Despite the adverse effects that landfills may pose to the

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environment, they still persist as the most common form of waste disposal in the modern world.
The common thought is that sorting and repurposing trash is much more time consuming and
expensive when compared to simply placing waste into an insulated pit. In other words, the
concept of out of sight, out of mind is a large factor in contributing to the problem.
Although they provide a convenient service, landfills are typically correlated with
detrimental environmental issues because they are usually located in places of low income, and
where communities of color are prevalent. The waste these communities produced came from
other sources, usually outside of the communities where the facilities were located. This resulted
in negative impacts like the degradation of environmental and health conditions, and foiled
progressive movement within the community.

Consequences of Problem
Present
Improper waste management has wider array of problems associated with it than one
might think. Deteriorating soil quality and decrease in vegetation abundance are grave
consequences of open waste dumping which have resulted in growing public concern. Hazardous
chemicals are leached by the root of plants, greatly altering, or even destroying the plants
completely. When such events happen, this disturbs local food chains and can ultimately cause
health defects in humans. Also, when waste contamination is exposed to bodies of water, the
chemical composition of said bodies are greatly affected. In turn, this affects many different sorts

TURNING TRASH INTO DREAMS: THE SWILLFONIETTA VISION

of aquatic communities negatively and disturbs the cycle of life. Lastly, settings exposed to

landfills and abundant trash equate to poor living conditions and correlate to lower standards of
living.
Future
Landfills may bring large benefits to communities but have coupling issues. While the
ease of producing landfills is attractive to most, they disturb the environment greatly and harm
the ecosystem. Landfills cause pollution to the local environment by contaminating the
groundwater and aquifers, contaminating the soil, and producing methane. The problems
previously mentioned will only amplify in the future if not properly addressed in the present.

Proposed Solution to Problem

Resiliency- to bounce back after a disturbing event- is not something we are born with; it
must be learned and sometimes that takes many years. There is no vehicle more joyful and
playful for providing such training than early childhood music and movement. (Early
Childhood, 2016.) Resiliency is key. This unbelievably destructive habit, whether one is aware or
not, needs to be addressed. Educating youth on the importance of repurposing waste is nothing
less than vital. This project was created out of inspiration from a small movement, based in
Cateura, Paraguay, that has literally transformed pounds and pounds of trash into usable musical
instruments. Music evokes movement, transmits culture, engages the brain (associated with such
higher forms of intelligence as abstract thinking, empathy, and mathematics), and ultimately is an
entire language. In saying this, music serves as a bridge to the beginning of a solution. Making
the collection of municipal waste an enjoyable resource is the first step. Every community retains

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their own values; while some might value music, others may value art. What matters is that this
waste is repurposed into something not only useful, but meaningful, to the community.

Rebuttals
This practice is a fairly new solution to repurposing waste in landfills. The practice
proves to be inefficient in terms of time and plausibility. Landfills offer a cheap solution to waste
management and repurposing is only a waste of time and effort; trash will always be trash. In
addition, repurposing dons the thought of a secondhand thought or resource. When given a
repurposed item, one might not see the value of it as it is undermined, and, in addition, new items
are generally higher quality and much easier to access.

Gallery

TURNING TRASH INTO DREAMS: THE SWILLFONIETTA VISION

TURNING TRASH INTO DREAMS: THE SWILLFONIETTA VISION

Works Cited

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1. Advancing Sustainable Materials Management: Facts and Figures. (n.d.). Retrieved June 05,
2016, from https://www.epa.gov/smm/advancing-sustainable-materials-management
-facts-and-figures
2. Early childhood music education, music and movement - Musikgarten. (n.d.). Retrieved June
05, 2016, from http://www.musikgarten.org/
3. Landfills And The Environmental Effects. (2009, August 6). Retrieved June 05, 2016, from
http://livelifegreen.com/landfills-and-th-environmental-effects/
4. Look Ahead Search. (n.d.). Retrieved June 05, 2016, from
http://www.cmap.illinois.gov/about/2040/supporting-materials/process-archive/strategypapers/waste-disposal/impacts
5. US Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). Retrieved June 05, 2016, from
https://www.epa.gov/
6. Waste Management: Fact Sheet. (n.d.). Retrieved June 05, 2016, from
http://www.gdrc.org/uem/waste/waste-factsheet.html