Twice a year in Budapest, the streets explode into a curious and colorful profusion of unwanted stuff.  Once tidy and quiet boulevards are are suddenly flooded with broken furniture, obsolete appliances, cracked mirrors, defunct computers, and countless other forms of “waste”, all piled together in clumsy heaps on virtually every street and corner by the inhabitants of the surrounding apartment blocks.   Known locally as the Lomtalanítás (translated roughly to “un-garbaging” or “stock removal”), this week long event marks the only public opportunity to rid one’s life of the bulky domestic detritus that won’t easily fit in the trash bin. This collective purging sets into motion a complex socio-ecological process that is worthy of highlighting as a distinct urban phenomenon.  What follows is a brief photo essay exploring the Lomtalanítás as it occurred in the 8th district of Budapest from March 6-11, 2016.

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