garbage talks I

Çöp Sohbetleri I (Garbage Talks I) event took place on Friday, 8 March, 2019. We gathered around a potluck dinner of foods - made with waste-less-ness in mind - including left-over sourdough crackers and pizzas, chocolate-dipped orange rinds, and cheese made from whey.

For this first event, we were brought together by the questions:
- How often do you think about waste?
- How do you manage your waste while living in a megacity like Istanbul?
- And, what are your biggest questions and challenges when dealing with garbage, recycling, or composting?

In answering these questions, we sought to gather ideas about how we might adapt our waste systems at Nadas to be more approachable, the role of community spaces in encouraging more sustainable waste-behaviour, and what people need to manage their waste more efficiently in their own homes.

We also invited people to bring something to share: to save a day’s waste from being thrown away and to discuss how it might be recycled; or to bring along an object or idea that could help people to produce less. Some of our most memorable objects brought to the table included homemade recycled paper embedded with seeds, a wooden tool for turning toilet paper rolls into seedlings containers, and compost bread (still light and fluffy!) One attendee came with a delicate package of razor blades, which sparked interesting discussion about where and how best to dispose of them (if you have any ideas, we are still looking for answers). 

Once each person had introduced themselves and any objects or questions they'd brought along, the evening was left to move between small and big group conversation. The event ended with exchanging feedback and suggestions for future çöp (garbage) events.