WASTED

BY SEAN BREITHAUPT

UNITED KINGDOM 2019

WHAT MAKES IT TO LANDFILL?

At the end of a country road in Louth, there are three massive steel sheds the size of aircraft hangars. They are filled with steam and rotting food waste. Wasted is a series of photographs taken inside an industrial composting facility. The centre specialises in turning food waste into high-grade compost, providing society with a practical, environmentally sound way to deal with waste that would otherwise be destined for landfill.

Huge diggers move the food waste into gigantic steaming piles where it is mixed with wood chips. Microbes take over and the piles are taken to a series of bays in a dark central corridor where the breakdown process is managed. After it has dried out, the newly formed material goes through a sorting machine to look for contaminants.

Unfortunately, this food waste is often contaminated with plastic, and cannot be composted. Instead, it is sent to landfill sites. By showing the inner workings of this facility in such a dystopian light the artist hopes to draw attention to the scale of waste in our society, the role composting can play but also our reliance on plastic has long-lasting consequences.

What is the reality of our waste disposal infrastructures? Is the halo effect of composting without proper support damaging our recycling efforts?

ABOUT

Sean Breithaupt is a photographer based in Dublin who has worked on commissioned projects since 2007. He works predominantly in the design, advertising and editorial realm. He is an accredited member of the AOP and his work has been recognised both in the advertising and fine art worlds. He has been published in the Communication Arts Annual, received an IDI award for best use of photography in design and has been selected twice to exhibit at the RHA annual show.

CONNECT

Website: www.seanbreithaupt.com

Instagram: @seanbreithaupt

Image credits:Sean Breithaupt