Reading the World by Pondering the Lives of Everyday Objects

When taking a close look at my garbage bin, there were mainly two types of objects: leftover food and wrapping paper. Leftover food involved the outer layers of various vegetables and fruits that I ate such as onion, potato, apple, pear and kiwi. They all had come from the fields, where they will finally go again. On the other hand, wrapping paper contained plastic bags, plastic wraps and Styrofoam used for food packaging; you might be able to think of a piece of meat in Styrofoam trays sealed with plastic wraps or that is vacuum-packed for its freshness, for example. They – plastic bags, plastic wraps and Styrofoam – turned out to be plastics at best and were produced in factories through the process of heating up and mixing. However, we should recognize that because of their non-biodegradability, they will keep haunting us like a ghost for a long, long time.

Many plastic bags and wraps used for food packaging show “supermarketized” realities. They were selected as packing material of vegetables, fish and fruits for sale due to their several properties. First, their durability facilitated safe food transportation. Second, their transparency enabled consumers to check if there is any flaw on the products and it also made it possible for the products to appeal their freshness and flawlessness to the consumers.