Sorting + Symbiosis: An Interview with Liz Crowther

In June 2021, AnaMarie King, community organizer and Retail Specialist at Femme Fatale DC, invited Liz Crowther to complete a waste audit. We compiled a week’s worth of discards and waste and Liz, founder of Low Waste Collective, carefully assessed every ounce of our material waste. See the results of the Femme Fatale DC Waste Audit.

In this interview between Low Waste Collective Founder Liz Crowther, and Femme Rising Editor, Briget Heidmous, get into the tangible and emotional benefits of waste audits with Low Waste Collective.

Liz Crowther, Founder of Low Waste Collective. Photograph by Adriana Mendoza

Briget: Liz, tell us a little bit about yourself: 

Liz: I’m a bilingual environmentalist with 6+ years of experience in the world of waste. Earth systems have always just made sense to me. My 7th-grade science fair project was on composting. I asked what type of material would break down first within three soda-bottle biomes, and while it was an easy test, the emotional tie I felt to our earth’s sustainability has lasted my lifetime. 

I spent summers at my grandmother’s home in Panama’s rural, tropical mountains, where you can’t ever escape nature. It’s always been in me to respect and listen to ecosystems in preservation work.

I’ve paired my understanding of earth systems with waste management, making the symbiosis an integral part of my collegiate, graduate, and professional experiences. 

B: What is Low Waste Collective? What’s the story here? 

L: The Low Waste Collective is a project that’s years in the making – after speaking to thousands of residents, business owners and environmentalists about proper waste disposal methods, I kept running into the same questions – “is this recyclable? Where does it end up? Why is there so much plastic?” I observe that tips like: “go green” and initiatives like “skip the straw” weren’t doing it for me nor the public. I identified the need to de-mystify the daunting, vast world of waste.  The Low Waste Collective is about thought leadership, cultural inclusion and the intersectionality of environmentalism. The decades-long urgency surrounding global resource degradation and its tie to habits and the corporations we support are conversations we’re here for. 

B: How is your collective structured?  

L: We have a two-part structure: the first is providing waste audit services, waste consultations and education. Secondly, we are building community through education. Low Waste Collective believes an enriched understanding of sustainability garners excitement and momentum for action. For that reason, we are hyper-locally focused on education, bringing affordable audits to those ready to lower their impact. 

The Low Waste Collective conducts waste audits for businesses and private homes.

B: What is a waste audit? In what ways might we learn about our habits and contribution to the plight of global waste through waste audits? 

L: A waste audit is a physical, detailed analysis of waste composition. Waste audits are one of the first legitimate steps an organization can take to become more sustainable. For residential waste audits, we pick up your trash and recycling; conduct an inspection; share our findings with the audit recipient and create catered plans to lower the waste footprint. The audit includes discussing goals and the ability for change. A waste expert provides a program that may be acted upon by the audit recipient. 

A waste audit from Low Waste Collective offers opportunities to recognize the issue, then be thoughtful and intentional with our limited time and energy to work toward solutions. 

B: Many of us have heard these types of audits referred to as trash audits. I notice your organization uses the word “waste” intentionally: can you tell us more about that? 

L: That’s a great question. I created the Low Waste Collective because the waste world is SO complex – is this trash, or is it worth a re-purposing project?

I say “trash” is anything destined for disposal in a landfill. It is an item that’s come to the end of its usable energy output, with no more monetary, nutritional or physical value. Basically, anything spent. However, waste is an umbrella term for anything ready for disposal. It’s difficult to know where to begin and the impact our waste has on the planet—the Low Waste Collective loops in the unglamorous and oft-forgot items destined for landfills and starts THAT conversation.  

Also, I would prefer if “trash” receptacles were labeled “Landfill,” reminding us all that items do not simply vanish… it always ends up somewhere on Planet Earth. 

B: In what way does a waste audit support a healthier home, lifestyle and planet? 

L: The data from an audit reveals potential and realistic changes we can make toward consumption and disposal. Health-wise, audits serve as a checklist for the ecosystem of our home or workspace. Indoor air quality and well-thought-out storage systems improve the experience of living as a consumer. The audit is the blueprint of what we consume. Conducting an audit also puts parameters around the stress and anxiety some feel around their footprint on the planet. Planetary health depends on local health. Activism, policy change and low-waste practices are integral to preserving nature and amplifying environmental agendas.

B: I watched my to-go container from the week before being accounted for during the waste audit you conducted for us at Femme Fatale DC; I had a severe pang of guilt. I felt simultaneously faced with my detritus and the consequences of waste as a whole.

What strategies do you have in place to support waste audit participants as we reconcile the emotional components of the experience? 

L: I appreciate this question and feel your pain. A guide of what to expect with a trigger warning should come along with every audit! Seeing our waste and realizing it doesn’t enter the abyss creates a necessary, evidence-driven emotional connection. While consumption is a part of living, statistics show that we make 4.5 lbs. of waste daily here in the US, compared to the global average of 1.6 lbs. That’s important to know. Consumption and producing waste are a natural part of existing but, we have gone overboard. 

I encourage waste audit participants to take a step back and give gratitude for the work they’re doing. About 20 organizations are responsible for more than half of solid waste produced globally. Your eco-friendly lifestyle is a journey. Rome (nor the Incan Empire), neither was built in a day.

B: Tell us about your most memorable waste audit: 

L: Once, when I was hours deep into an audit, sorting hundreds of pounds of stranger’s diapers, rotisserie chickens, used tissues and poop bags, it hit me how luxurious it all is to toss things out and forget. It motivated me to change the narrative of waste from recycling to involving consumers in an accessible way.   

I audited a street block cleanup where I live. It was one of my first solo audits. While the benefit was immediate (street beautification, data sent to local organizations), it showed me the potential of collaborating with my neighbors to better our habits on the street. I’m excited to have the Low Waste Collective as an avenue to make that happen.   

B: Is there anything we have not touched on that is important for us to know or better understand? 

L: Make sure to tie your trash bags tight. Otherwise, small things end up on the street! Ew! Also, you’re doing great, and I’d love to work with you! 

B: Okay, we’re inspired.  We want to do a waste audit right away: what can we do to get started? 

L: I have a guide on how to conduct small-scale DIY audits on my Instagram page, @low.waste.collective. DIY audits are great for seeing what kind of waste you generate. Waste audits conducted for specific reasons (lowering purchasing costs, right-sizing dumpsters, or seeking more sustainable disposal methods) should involve a pro; we know what to look for and, more importantly, can analyze the data we collect! I’m reachable at lowwastecollective.hq@gmail.com for inquiries.