Meet the “Trash Walker” who is combing through NYC’s garbage and exposing its waste issue
New York City may be the “city that never sleeps,” but with the non-stop hustle and bustle also comes an immense amount of waste, much of which is in perfectly fine condition and can still be used.
In this episode of Extreme Minimalists, meet Anna Sacks, aka The Trash Walker (@thetrashwalker), who despite her comic book villain-esque nickname, is leading a heroic effort in exposing NYC’s trash and waste problem, while constantly rescuing useable items from the city’s garbages.
When Anna first started going on walks around her neighborhood, pulling out useful items from residential and corporate waste, her social media handle felt like a natural fit. “I couldn’t think of a better term,” says Anna of her “Trash Walker” nickname. “It was the most straightforward way I could describe it.”
Anna is on a constant hunt for reusable trash, sifting through New York City’s garbage bags for anything useful that can be salvaged.
“The waste hierarchy shows that reusing is always the better option than recycling,” says The Trash Walker. “People think what they’re putting into the bin is recyclable and it’s not, and that can do more harm. And also people are just not recycling to begin with.”
Anna notes that New York City has a 17% recycling rate, so there’s plenty of room for improvement when it comes to NYC’s trash problem. “There’s a big gap between what we’re doing and what we can do,” she says. But Anna is certainly doing her part, and has picked up plenty of “trash walking” strategies along the way.
“I go on trash walks after 4pm. That’s when anyone can legally put waste out on the curb in New York City,” Anna tells In The Know. She also notes that the end of the month is the best time to find reusable waste, because it’s when a lot of people are moving out. Move-outs often lead to valuable items like toys, books, clothing, and sheets.
To Anna, the American tendency to have too many possessions is drawn from a lack of perspective. “One of the reasons why we’re able to overproduce and overconsume the way that we do is because we’re not accounting for all of the damage that our stuff causes,” says the activist. “We’re in debt. We’re taking way more than we’re giving back, and [not] allowing the earth to regenerate.”
Anna is clearly passionate about NYC’s waste problem, but she tries to remember that the burden doesn’t fall solely on her.
“I used to be very upset and I still am upset,” she says. “But one thing I did realize is that it’s not up to me. I am not allowed to abstain from this work but I’m also not the one responsible for completing this work. It needs to be a collective decision, and it needs to be systemic change, because no individual can fix this problem.”
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