HARTFORD, Conn. -- Sustainable Dave saved all his trash for a year to see the affect one person can have on the environment.

Dave Chameides is from Los Angeles but grew up in Glastonbury. He said he wanted to see what a year’s worth of trash would look like.

Man Saves Trash To See Impact On Environment

After he reached the one-year mark, he said he sifted through the trash to recycle what he could and brought the rest to the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority’s Trash Museum in Hartford.

The CRRA processes tons of trash every day. Out of a year’s worth of trash, Chameides said he ended up with 30 pounds of non-recyclable items to add to the lot.

"I was able to do this because I saved all my trash and recycling in my basement for a year, and I was able to look at everything," he said.

Chameides said he started a Web site last year to chronicle his collection and keep people posted on his progress and offer tips and advice.

"Look at something like buying plastic water bottles," he said. "There are so many reasons not to do this. It's coming out of a pipe in my house and I can drink it. Open your eyes and say, 'Does this make sense?'"

So far, he said, his Web site has received about a quarter of a million hits.

"I think what it shows is there are a lot of people concerned with this and there are a lot of people who realize that we can do a lot better than we are doing," Chameides said.

The items that couldn’t be recycled were on display Tuesday at the CRRA’s Trash Museum.

"This is plastic-coated and cardboard on the back. ... This is two different resources, so this is not recyclable," Chameides said.

Students from the Silas Deane Middle School said they learned a lot from a trip to see the display.

"I'm not out there telling people what they should do," Chameides said. "What I'm trying to do is say, 'This is what I did. Look at the results. Doesn't this make sense?'"

The average American generates about four-and-a-half pounds of trash a day, which is about 1,600 pounds per year.

To visit Chameides' Web site, click here.