An artist’s thoughts on the journey of Ottawa’s garbage

What happens to your garbage after it leaves the curb? 

For most of us, the journey ends the moment the truck pulls away, never thinking about the complex work keeping our city clean, safe and moving. But for a full year, artist Jordan Danger went behind the scenes with Solid Waste Services to find out. What she discovered has been transformed into an engaging art exhibition that invites residents to rethink their everyday choices when it comes to reuse, renewal and recycling, to divert unnecessary waste from the landfill.

From August 2024 to August 2025, Jordan served as the City’s second Artist‑in‑Residence in Government (AIRG), working directly with Solid Waste Services. A partnership between the City of Ottawa Public Art Program, Arts Network Ottawa and Third Way Creative, the AIRG pilot project program embeds artists within municipal teams, giving them a chance to experience the work up close and translate it into creative storytelling. For Solid Waste Services it offered something rare: the chance to share their day‑to‑day work with residents in a new and engaging way.

Over her residency, Jordan joined collection crews on ride-alongs and toured the Trail Road Waste Facility and active landfill tipping face. These experiences shaped 15 original artworks that reflect a year spent inside the world of waste management.

Jordan’s work reflects lessons learned during her residency, a major theme being the need to keep items out of the landfill through waste diversion. Through her work, she confronts the common misconception that items can be salvaged once they reach the landfill. In reality, waste is compacted tightly in collection trucks, leaving nothing recoverable once it arrives. She also draws attention to the concept of landfill “airspace,” referring to the amount of vertical space left before the landfill is full, serving as a reminder that space is limited and the most meaningful diversion happens before items hit the curb.

These insights support the City’s vision of a Zero Waste Ottawa, guided by the Solid Waste Master Plan. Jordan’s artwork helps make these complex concepts relatable, showing how individual choices shape the city’s environmental future.

You can see the results of Jordan’s experience firsthand at the atrium of Ben Franklin Place from February 19 to March 17.  The public is also invited to the opening event on Thursday, February 26, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. The exhibition invites everyone to reflect on what we throw away, learn about Ottawa’s waste journey, and see our waste in a new way.