WATCH: Taiwanese Green Activist Gets Her Wedding Photoshoot In Front Of Garbage Mount
Greenpeace campaigner Iris Hsueh and her fiance got their pre-wedding photoshoot done in front of a garbage mount with an aim to discourage their guests from generating unnecessary garbage.
A Taiwanese couple donned their bridal gown and tux and drove to the most unusual place for their wedding photoshoot that made headlines days later. Greenpeace campaigner Iris Hsueh and her fiance are having their "environmentally friendly wedding" in January and for their pre-wedding photoshoot, they posed in front of a hug garbage mount hoping that will discourage her guests from generating unnecessary garbage.
The couple has asked their guests to bring their own containers for taking home leftovers, as per an AFP report.
Believing that showing — not telling — is a more effective method to communicate, the Taipei-based couple travelled three hours south for a photo shoot in Nantou county's Puli township, where the amount of trash brought to a local dump has steadily risen over the years.
VIDEO: 'Til trash do us part': Taiwan couple embraces garbage wedding shoot.
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) October 23, 2023
A Taiwanese couple decked out in a tux and gown embrace in front of a mountain of trash in an unorthodox wedding photo -- one the environment-conscious bride hopes will discourage her guests from… pic.twitter.com/nsYyJ5YjS5
"If any guests are not willing to bring along a container, I would show them the photograph and say, 'would you reconsider?" the 33-year-old told AFP, who said that the photos have ended up drawing local media attention.
"I didn't think it would create such a big sensation."
The island nation, with a population of 23 million people, has had a recycling programme since 1987, with over 50 per cent of household trash processed through the system - among the highest rates in the world.
But Puli township’s sanitation crew head Chen Chun-hung said that the amount of garbage has increased from 20 tonnes a day to 50 tonnes since 1980.
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"Our population is actually decreasing, but the amount of garbage is increasing every year," he told AFP.
Appreciating the couple’s effort as “meaningful” Chen said, “"The young are very creative compared to us older folks.”
Hsueh said she was happy that her photos have started a conversation.
"If possible, we should bring our own reusable utensils, mugs and containers. Cut down on your consumption and avoid single-use plastics."
And for the big day? "I hope to see everyone with a container on my wedding day," she added.
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