Furniture Waste Surges Amid Mounting Crises

My bike has been in purgatory since March with the exception of one bike protest. Last week I untangled it from the pile of cobwebs and leaves under which it was hidden. I pumped up the tires and everything.

It was so awesome to be moving around again swiftly, in such a familiar, happy way, even with a mask. But, my enthusiasm for renewed mobility and a change of scene was soon exchanged for despair. I wasn’t emotionally prepared for the heaps and heaps of furniture sitting outside of so many apartment complexes. There were also (many) single pieces strewn about, per usual, which is crazy in its own right, but it was the piles that caught me off guard.

As I pedaled home, I twisted and turned through one of Berkeley’s stately neighborhoods. I reflected on the massive amount of street furniture I passed that day and how it differed by quantity, quality, presentation, and neighborhood. No single image can capture how insidious it was. I took so many photos, it was such a short bike ride.

Are we paying attention to how crises magnify other crises?

Bearing witness: Reflections while out biking during social isolation August 1, 2020.