Home Sweet Dumpster: How to Transform a Trash Bin Into a Sustainable Living Space

[FSogol]

Wilson is living in the Dumpster by choice. He came up with the idea to transform a Dumpster into a residence two years ago to explore the idea of sustainable living in smaller spaces, and to understand what a human being really needs at home to feel comfortable, he told Design News. “It really came out of really wanting to spice up the conversation both in the classroom and general society about not only living on less but sustainability, education, and small houses,” Wilson, in a slight southern drawl, told us in an interview.

Wilson said he has “a lot better life” since moving out of that house and into his Dumpster palace. “You think about all the things that happen when you compress your stuff,” he said. “Right now with consumerism we’re all ‘stufficated’ (with) all the time spent organizing, washing, moving that stuff around. That’s all gone away.”

Having a smaller house also forces people outside to interact with their community and nature, inspiring more potential for collaboration or creativity. It also reduces time spent on practicalities like cleaning and maintenance. “I can paint my entire interior faster than most people can clean their house,” Wilson said.

Moreover, since the Dumpster is on the university campus, no longer does Wilson need to commute to campus in a car, saving time, money, and vehicle emissions. “My commute time has gone from 35 minutes to one minute and 35 seconds,” he said.

Whole article by Elizabeth Montalbano, of Design News here: http://www.designnews.com/author.asp?section_id=1386&doc_id=276112&page_number=1