This week, Washingtonian is reporting on one of the least-noticed but most important aspects of urban life: garbage. Read about why we’re doing this.
The last week of summer is garbage time, and everything feels like a task. So here at Washingtonian we’re going to spend August’s waning days reporting on one of the least-discussed but most important aspects of urban life: trash. Not only is the swift disposition of refuse essential to living around lots of other people, the bin (or Dumpster, or Supercan) is where almost everything around you will end up someday.
If you’re looking for earnest stories about banning plastic straws, we’re probably going to disappoint you. But we will cover lots of aspects of saying goodbye to stuff that we hope you won’t expect, from runners who pick up rubbish to the politics of dog poop to the surprising way Virginia makes getting hit by a garbage truck even worse than it sounds. We’re interested in the ways getting rid of things defines life in this region, even (or especially) if we usually don’t give them much thought.
So cast off your doubts and join us on this journey of reclamation. Let’s get ready to rubble.
Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. He lives in Del Ray.
