The Newest Gadget: New York City Garbage

How to make something out of nothing? According to NYC-based artist Justin Gignac, “one man’s garbage is another man’s treasure. But New York City’s garbage, well, that’s art.”

Gignac began selling garbage in 2001, with the purpose to sell something online that no single rational individual would ever buy: transparant cubes filled with garbage. Over the last eight years he received more than 1,200 (!) orders. People from almost all US states and from more than 25 countries have a unique cube of original Big Apple garbage on their mantels and desktops.

Gignac just walks the busy city streets to collect the widely available (free) trash. He repackages the garbage in plastic cubes he designed himself, and sells them online for 50 dollars each. He also offers ‘special edition’ boxes for 100 dollars, containing garbage collected on, for instance, the opening day of the new Yankee stadium and the Republican National Convention. New York City seems to be considered so cool that people are willing to pay for a small box of garbage coming right from its streets. Pretty ‘Age of Experience’ though. “Own your piece of the city, before they clean up this town.” Visit the NYC Garbage Flickr page for a collection of project images.