Single Stream

This wordless documentary by Pawel Wojtasik, Toby Lee, and Ernst Karel serves up an immersive audio-visual experience highlighting the operation of the massive Casella materials recovery facility in Charlestown, MA. In the “single stream” or “zero-sort” model, various types of recyclable refuse—cans, bottles, paper—are not pre-separated, but instead arrive at the plant commingled, after which they are divided up for processing on site. The film shows massive amounts of material being trucked in and dumped onto a seemingly endless loop of conveyer belts, as workers separate items into proper piles, which are in turn crushed into clumps and piled atop one another, creating virtual tunnels that the employees will go through on their way home. The documentary's sound acts as a carefully modulated complement to the visuals, with the constant hum and grinding of machines and the murmuring of the workers combining to form a kind of symphony of waste disposal. Single Stream wonderfully captures the ambience of the huge recycling facility, while also inviting viewers to reflect on the nature of our consumer society. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)