Being in the US (nothing against the US) during the holidays always makes me think of waste. I think of the over-consumption and the loads of rubbish the days after Thanksgiving and Christmas. In the past, and more so recently, I have developed an acute fascination with the concept of Waste. Where does it go? How much do we produce? How can we reduce it? And, How can we reuse it? Between a few of my favourite contemporary mixed media artists and several documentarians this fascination warranted a few posts. Hence, this will be the beginning of a series of posts I wish to blog about on the notion of "Waste" and how this has not only consumed us, but has changed the lives of many--for the better and the worse. 

A few months ago, I blogged about my UN assignment in Suriname (a small South American country to the east of my Homeland). In particular I eluded to the waste management system in the small Maroon transmigration town of Klaaskreek in Brokopondo, where I was greeted by two young men at the back of a white pick-up truck who came to collect our rubbish. Moving forward a few months ahead, there seems to be more and more Waste-related seminars and documentaries that are begging for my attention. Not to mention the multitude of publications, such as the World Bank's recent publication (released March 2012) entitled What a Waste: A Global Review of Solid Waste Management, which highlights the growth of municipal solid waste--one of the most important by-products of an urban lifestyle--which, at 1.3 billion tonnes today, is expected to increase to 2.2 billion tonnes per annum in 2025. That’s enough garbage to fill the Roman Coliseum 730 times, or a line of garbage trucks 900,000 km long, 23 times around the world. And this is just solid waste alone.

Cool winds appear from the east, as I near the town of Klaaskreek. The dust has settled, and the road behind appears to have just begun. I've been traveling for a week now, and have found myself in the Brokopondo District. Immediately before, I was in an area called Abadokondre, east of the capital city, where I interviewed a host of Aukan Maroons.

In Brokopondo things were different. The water was larger, more still, and riddled in mystery. It differed from Abadokondre as there was an emphasis placed on industry--an industry that was meant to generate jobs for both men and women in this transmigration "town". This industry is ecotourism--fueled by the presence of a beach which was once haunted by ghosts of unknown origins, and is now charged my the influx of outsiders taking advantage of the serenity of Klaaskreek's Bena Strand (Beach) [started my Marlene Rantwyk of STOK].