Critic of consumption talks trash, then saves it

He's employed an army of worms to chew through the compost in his basement, and the little crawlers have their own blender to puree their meals after his wife discovered him mashing worm chow in the family blender.

"I think Dave thinks trash isn't trash anymore," his wife said.

Explaining his experiment has been awkward at times. When one of his daughters vomited at a friend's house, he was handed a fistful of paper towels. Chameides momentarily considered asking for a cloth towel before deciding to save his daughter the embarrassment.

On a romantic getaway to Mexico, the couple were stopped by airport screeners who appeared baffled by the extra duffel bag of Mexican trash that went through the X-ray machine.

Screeners: Que es esto? (What is this?)

Chameides: Es basura. (It's trash.)

Screeners: Basura? (Trash?)

Chameides: Si, mi basura. (Yes, my trash.)

Hair clippings go into bag
Most people are supportive once he explains. Chameides' barber agreed to put his hair clippings in a bag, and doctors packed up materials they used to check Chameides' infected ear after a trip to the emergency room.

"If I had totally thought it through, I might not have done it," he admits.

At work, his crusade has inspired changes: Assignments are e-mailed instead of printed on paper, and they come with environmental tips. Writers for the television show no longer use plastic water bottles, and others have adopted composting or installed energy-efficient light bulbs.

"He truly believes in what he's doing," said David Harp, director of photography. "I never feel like I was being preached to with Dave. It's like learn by example."

Now that the half-year mark has passed, Chameides has thought about the day when he will be able to haul his refuse to a landfill. He expects to "feel guilty and remorseful."

His wife is less ambivalent about finally throwing the trash away.

"He'd better," she said.

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