Gannat Elabed

LBST 2301-337
Professor Tina Katsanos
November 21, 2018

​Fieldwork Write Up

The field site I chose to explore was Mecklenburg County Solid Waste (MCSW) on

November 14th at 2PM. This site is located at 1007 Amble Dr, Charlotte NC. The site seemed to

be in an economically challenged neighborhood, although there weren’t too many houses around.

Ironically, from my perspective the area didn’t seem so clean only because it was mostly vacant

therefore people cared less about it. There was some trash on the ground a few feet from the site,

which I found to be also ironic because there shouldn’t be trash near an area where there is a

dumpster close by. The area surrounding the site is slightly vacant primarily because there are

lots of waste and the site needs all the available space to function successfully. However, there

are similar environments around such as a junkyard and multiple construction sites. When I first

entered the building, I smelled a strong whiff of unpleasant trash but I got used to it within the

next five minutes. The individuals who I personally had the grand pleasure to meet, Henry and

Sabrina, seemed to be well over their forties, but I’m sure the other employees who worked with

the waste and construction ranged from ages 25-50. I observed that the population was diverse, a

mix of African Americans, Caucasians, and Hispanics working together to achieve the same goal

or mission. My question worthy of investigation was if the efforts of MCSW in meeting

sustainability has been impactful enough to make a difference. This site's goal is to prevent

pollution and provide environmental assistance to various areas in Mecklenburg County, and in

my perspective they have definitely achieved their goal and it is an endless mission.
Mecklenburg County Solid Waste aims to wipe out waste and recycle items the right way so that

they can be reused and distributed to local companies without any contamination.

I have only ever been to this site once, and my experience was insightful and

comprehensive. My ethnographic method at this location was an observer and an interviewer. I

chose this method because I always have questions about everything and curiosity is my

strongest personality. I also enjoy observing and watching how things work to function as a

whole. I had the opportunity to interview both Henry and Sabrina about the recycling process

and how MCSW operates. I learned that individuals at home who are trying to recycle should not

compact any soda cans or bottles because they will fall into the trash section rather than the

recycling section at the dump site.The machine will specifically compact what needs to be

compacted, therefore it is better to simply not crush your bottles when put them in the recycling

bin. One of the questions I asked was what happens to the collected trash once it enters the waste

site. The response to this question is that the trucks are first weighed when they come to the site

so that Mecklenburg County can keep track of how much waste they are bringing in. Each truck

averages to about 3 tons, or 6,000 pounds. Then, front loaders pick up the trash and place them

on conveyors, where they are later separated by category (paper, cardboard, glass, metal, etc),

and are finally bailed for selling so that other companies can reuse the material. Another one of

my more interesting questions was which material is most often found in recycling bins, but does

not belong in the recycling category. Surprisingly enough, that material is styrofoam and it was

surprising because I almost always recycle anything styrofoam that I own although I’ve had

friends argue that styrofoam is not a recyclable item. However, Sabrina reassured me that when
you’re in doubt about whether something is recyclable, throw the item in the trash. I definitely

learned so much useful information from my trip to MCSW.

I asked Sabrina for a few tips on how recycling is done best, and she informed me that

individuals should empty, clean and dry items before recycling anything. Personally, I have no

problem doing these tasks before I recycle anything because I know it will benefit the

environment but not everyone would be so patient with the recycling process. Sadly, not a lot of

people take the time or even have the knowledge that this needs to be done before recycling,

which results in contamination. Interestingly enough, Sabrina told me that China and the United

States used to work together in terms of recycling but China eventually stopped accepting our

recyclables because most of what we offer is contaminated and can’t be used. Another tip

Sabrina informed me about was that recyclables should not be placed in a plastic bag because

that will cause the recyclable items to get caught up in the plastic. Additionally, if an item is

made up of more than one product (metal and plastic) it can not be recycled. I asked Henry what

MCSW’s highest recycling demand is and he told me that aluminum is their top product,

followed by plastic because they are the easiest to reuse and are versatile materials.

On the back or bottom of most recyclable items, there is a triangle that symbolizes

recycling. The triangle is made of three arrows, or the 3 R’s, which are reduce, reuse, and

recycle. Henry shared his thoughts with me about the triangle, and he hopes that one day there

will be a modified symbol with more than 3 arrows so that recycling can be made better than it

already is. However, while touring with Sabrina in the auditorium hall, she showed me different

items that had numbers inside of the triangle on the bottom. The numbers typically ranged from

numbers 1-7, and the numbers represented the quality of the plastic. 7 would mean a lower
density, such as a thin cardboard box or an item that’s very easy to bend. 1 would mean high

density, such as tide detergent and soap bottles. 5 is the average density, and Henry carefully

explained the differences to me. For instance, an item with a 1in the triangle can be made into a

5, but a 5 can not be made into a 1. Items that are labeled with a 5 are not accepted by MCSW

because they are made of cheap containers which causes residue, and that destroys everything.

Additionally, no number on an item would mean it is undoubtedly trash.

In conclusion, my research methods were successful as is MCSW’s attempt to wipe out

waste and recycle items the right way. MCSW definitely meets if goals because they take the

appropriate measures to ensure that those who live in Mecklenburg County are living and

recycling well. At the site, I was welcomed with friendliness and positive energy. Henry and

Sabrina were open to any questions and observations I had, they were professional and laid back

because they wanted to assure me that any questions or concerns I had would be taken care of. In

the ​Sustainable World Sourcebook​, there is a variety of suggestions about things that can be done

to deepen sustainability efforts. Indeed, MCSW employs a few of these strategies from the

Sourcebook. For instance, one of the challenges to overcome in order to achieve ecological

sustainability is to “resource pollution and waste by using clean energy sources” (65). MCSW

does a great job at this by balancing the way we recycle and how we reuse our items. Moreover,

the “Sustainable Communities Network is guided by four principles: environmental stewardship,

economic prosperity, community empowerment, and social equity” (108). Mecklenburg County

Solid Waste meets all these principles, and achieves their goal every time they wipe out waste

and recycle items the right way so that they can be reused and distributed to local companies

without any contamination.

References:

● Hawked, Paul. ​Sustainable World Sourcebook: Critical Issues, Inspiring Solutions,

Resources for Action​. 4th ed., Sustainable World Coalition, 2014.