This Photographer Refused To Throw Trash Away For 4 Years To Create This Powerful Series

Over a four-year period, he collected 1,600 milk bottles, 4,800 toilet rolls, and 800 kg (~1,750 lb) of newspapers to create this powerful photo series.

Credit: Antoine Repessé

Every day, all around the world, billions of people use disposable goods then toss them into the trash without a second thought. Not only is this incredibly wasteful, it is detrimental to the ecosystem as it clutters up the environment and results in items, such as plastic, leaching chemicals into the environment as they decompose over hundreds of years.

Though this spiel has been shared thousands — if not millions — of times, very few have taken heed and adopted sustainable habits to prevent climate change from worsening — as well as to preserve the Earth for future generations. It’s because of this that photographer Antoine Repessé stopped throwing away trash in 2011.

Demilked reports that Repessé first stopped discarding items such as milk bottles, toilet rolls, and other odds and end to make a point about humanity’s wastefulness. Eventually, he started collecting everything he used to create a powerful photo series called #365 Unpacked. His goal? Inspire people to re-think their role as consumers.

Over the past four years, the Lille-based artist has collected over 70 cubic meters of trash: 1,600 milk bottles, 4,800 toilet rolls, and 800 kg (~1,750 lb) of newspapers. He then separated them for a strong visual impact.

“I wanted to give an aesthetic dimension to my work,” explained Repessé. “The choice of sorting the garbage gives a graphic effect. I tried to produce a perfect picture which evokes something disturbing.”

The series seeks to convey that little things add up and play a big role in the development of climate change.  “We’re often told about the quantity of waste we produce, but I think the impact of a picture can be more powerful than a ton of words,” said Repessé. “I hope my project can inspire change.”

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Credit: Antoine Repessé

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