We are all aware of the global pollution problem, but hardly anyone realizes just how much trash we produce daily – from uneaten food to plastic packaging, the amounts of garbage are huge. Gregg Segal, a photographer from California, aims to show this problem through a powerful photoshoot idea, photographing people lying in their weekly load of trash. His ongoing project cleverly called “7 Days of Garbage” tries to portray people from different social backgrounds to reach the largest audience possible, encouraging people going green.

Segal decided to photograph the participants in front of naturalistic backgrounds in his photo idea to show that the plastic waste produced by us is affecting it directly. “Obviously, the series is guiding people toward a confrontation with the excess that’s part of their lives. I’m hoping they recognize a lot of the garbage they produce is unnecessary”, he said to Slate.

Some of the participants were too ashamed of how much garbage they produced weekly, so they edited their garbage disposal. Others showed everything just the way it was resulting in nasty and powerful images, which you can see here. And though most of their trash could be sent for recycling, sadly the mass often finds its way to landfills.

More info: Website | Facebook (h/t: Slate)

Alfie, Kirsten, Miles, and Elly

Milt

Till and Nicholas

Dana

Elias, Jessica, Azai, and Ri-karlo

Sam and Jane

James

Michael, Jason, Annie, and Olivia

John

Lya, Whitney, and Kathrin

Marsha and Steven

Susan