Ambassador Report
Recycling waste expedition reflection

By Sara Milazzo. So we entered the recycling center to be welcomed with coffee and buns. First we were introduced to the history of the company, tracking back to the beginning of 19th century, and then onwards to nowdays with service packages and global networking trends. The global aspect of big recycling companies doesn´t seem to be a easy and clear picture. Due to cultural, regulation and law differences it´s hard to global consensus, while problems should be dealt with locally. On one hand it is pure business, but on the other hand it´s very crucial for how life on earth will continue making it a common issue. By Sara Milazzo. So we entered the Kuusakoski recycling center in Heinola, Southern Finland, to be welcomed with coffee and buns. First we were introduced to the history of the company, tracking back to the beginning of 19th century, and then onwards to nowdays with service packages and global networking trends. The global aspect of big recycling companies doesn´t seem to be a easy and clear picture. Due to cultural, regulation and law differences it´s hard to global consensus, while problems should be dealt with locally. On one hand it is pure business, but on the other hand it´s very crucial for how life on earth will continue making it a common issue. After hearing the good news of the recycling business, we were ready to head to the recycling halls and to see some junk and machines in action. After being given security vests and helmets, we exited through the back door to enter a Soviet sci-fi movie (With us being the aliens). The grey sky dripping small water drops just made the melancholic butcher-house atmosphere perfect. We were staring at a surprisingly small amount of different metal junk piles. What striked me, was the harshness and raw power that the scene includes. It takes less than a minute to crush a car, pile tons of metal, with just elaborated energy peaks. A catepiller whipping with a huge sponge-like steelwool brush. If keeping in mind what industralization makes to humans, then it´s a tool using a tool using a tool. Fascinating. Of course the whole show was a very aesthetic experience for me. The fire-breathing nest of the dragon. The very core of the black ancient sunpower demon, a.k.a. oil. Or so I could fantasize, but the daydream had a nasty twist, when we entered the electronic recycling section. The movie turned out to be a psychological horror movie. We encountered buckets of mobile 4-G modems, that are two new for me to use, or a pile of surveillance cameras with displays still in plastic wrappings. The evil is not some outside demon, it´s us, consumers, in a tango with the salesmen. It´s everyday and banal. How sad. It is really hard to decide, is the recycling industry in general really trying to solve the world waste problem, or are they encouraging resource exploitation, keeping people calm and shopping? I guess none of either, and both at the same time. After hearing the good news of the recycling business, we were ready to head to the recycling halls and to see some junk and machines in action. After being given security vests and helmets, we exited through the back door to enter a Soviet sci-fi movie (With us being the aliens). The grey sky dripping small water drops just made the melancholic butcher-house atmosphere perfect. We were staring at a surprisingly small amount of different metal junk piles. What striked me, was the harshness and raw power that the scene includes. It takes less than a minute to crush a car, pile tons of metal, with just elaborated energy peaks. A catepiller whipping with a huge sponge-like steelwool brush. If keeping in mind what industralization makes to humans, then it´s a tool using a tool using a tool. Fascinating. Of course the whole show was a very aesthetic experience for me. The fire-breathing nest of the dragon. The very core of the black ancient sunpower demon, a.k.a. oil. Or so I could fantasize, but the daydream had a nasty twist, when we entered the electronic recycling section. The movie turned out to be a psychological horror movie. We encountered buckets of mobile 4-G modems, that are two new for me to use, or a pile of surveillance cameras with displays still in plastic wrappings. The evil is not some outside demon, it´s us, consumers, in a tango with the salesmen. It´s everyday and banal. How sad. It is really hard to decide, is the recycling industry in general really trying to solve the world waste problem, or are they encouraging resource exploitation, keeping people calm and shopping? I guess none of either, and both at the same time.