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Wasted is a series of images commissioned by The Science Gallery Dublin for use in their exhibition “Plastic: Can’t Live With It Can’t Live WIthout It”. The exhibition took place in late 2019 and the Images were displayed in the exhibition as three 1.2m framed prints.

I was approached by the Science Gallery and asked to explore the dystopian side of Plastic by producing a photo essay of the inside of an Industrial Composting Facility in Co. Meath. The centre provides a specific form of waste management that turns food waste into high-grade compost. It is part of the new circular economy and provides society with a practical, environmentally sound method of dealing with large amounts of waste that would otherwise be destined for landfills. Unfortunately, plastic often arrives at this site and contaminates the compost waste. This contaminated waste cannot biodegrade so is sent to landfill sites around the country.

By showing the inner workings of this facility in such a dystopian light I aimed to engage the viewer by drawing attention to the scale of waste in society. How solutions to problems are being implemented but our reliance on plastic is having long-lasting consequences.