Qinglin Wang

My Plastic Planet (myplasticplanet.com) is my 16-week self-tracking challenge and exploration in which I kept track of my plastic consumption after realizing my addiction to single-use plastic. The challenge began on January 18, 2020, and ended on May 8, 2020. In the process, I tried to develop a low-waste lifestyle and challenge myself to reach the minimal use of single-use plastic in the final week. In the age of plastic and consumerism, it seems impossible for consumers to avoid plastic. However, we can make more conscious decisions. By adopting a more sustainable lifestyle and rethinking my relationship with plastic, waste, and sustainability, I questioned myself (and by extension, other consumers like me) through my project, which asked, What does it take to refuse single-use plastics and change our consumptive habits? What is the role and responsibility of consumers and manufacturers in facilitating sustainable consumption to thereby lower our impact on the environment? By presenting my trash in a gallery view, I aim to guide my audience to think of single-use plastics as objects that have a complete lifecycle and with back stories in every stage rather than trash that is born simply to be thrown out.