Trash Museum
Discovering the History of American Waste
The Trash Museum is a non-profit history museum that is dedicated to showcasing the discarded material goods that were produced in America over the years. We aim to document, preserve, and exhibit these items in order to promote conversations about waste production and management. Our exhibits are designed to showcase the impact that American consumption has had on the environment and to encourage visitors to rethink their own consumption habits.
Our Origins
Established in 2005, the Trash Museum has been preserving the past, present, and future of waste management with its unique exhibits and educational programs. The museum is the brainchild of our founder, Dr. Baeuden Clampitt, a visionary and environmental historian with a background in waste management. As a pioneering environmental historian, he wanted to inspire people to see the world around them in a new and thought-provoking way. Through his unique approach to American history, he created the museum with the aim to inspire visitors to analyze their environment, both past and present, on a deeper level. Our museum aims to bridge the gap between the past and present by showcasing waste left behind by previous generations, and bringing attention to the impact human consumption has had on our environment. We are proud to be the only museum of our kind, offering a unique perspective on American history and the environment.
Our Mission and Vision
The Trash Museum’s mission is to acquire, document, preserve, and exhibit discardable material goods that uniquely reflect the history of American consumption while promoting insightful conversations on waste production and management.
The Trash Museum aims to be an active platform that engages the public with a unique outlook on American history. By encouraging the public to analyze the environment around them on a deeper level, we strive to be a resource for scholars, historians, and educators as a focal point in the history of advancing how waste is managed in the U.S.
Our Values
We believe that history matters; a strong sense of our place in time inspires everything we do. We are committed to preserving both our cultural and environmental resources for present and future generations.
We commit to being truthful, ethical, accountable, and transparent in all we do. When we make mistakes, we will acknowledge and learn from them.
We seek to attain excellence in all areas of endeavor, including exhibitions, educational programs, collections care, and research. We strive for full professionalism in all our activities.
We are a resource for the diverse communities of the region. The museum dedicates itself to serving these communities through meaningful exhibitions and programs, proper care and management of the natural and cultural heritage under its stewardship, and dedication to providing learning opportunities for children and adults. We promote access to the Museum's resources and information.
Our Goals and Strategic Plan
The museum engaged in a strategic planning process over the course of a year to engage stakeholders, identify community needs that can be met by the museum, and create new initiatives to explore issues of diversity, accessibility, inclusion, and equity. The result is a five-year strategic plan with plans to revisit and revise as needed every 2 years. As we embark on this community-directed work, we welcome and invite all people, organizations, and partners to join us in making an impact on the future.
Some of the forthcoming goals in this plan are as follows:
To expand educational and public outreach and impact in the surrounding communities and beyond by coordinating tours, workshops, lectures, classes, etc.
To expand advertising of the museum for a wider audience beyond the local community.
To raise dedicated funds through various means with the intent to expand the museum’s exhibition and collections storage space.
To learn more about our museum's history and mission or strategic plan, click one of the following buttons!