Souvenirs as Trash?

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Trash Case

Souvenirs are subjective in nature. The very qualities that are often wanted in a souvenir, especially travel souvenirs—small, not too fragile, decorative and inexpensive—are the same qualities that souvenirs are also criticized for being—small, cheap, gaudy.

Why are Souvenirs at times seen as trash? Using examples from the City of Edmonton Heritage Collection, let’s explore souvenirs as trash.

Jump to: Souvenirs Are Worthless | Environmental Concerns and Costs | Misrepresentation and Appropriation

Souvenirs are Worthless/Useless

A souvenir pin to mark “100 Days to Go” until the start of the 2001 World Championships in Athletics. One has to ask why? What purpose does this pin serve? Was there a pin for 99 days? [ 1992-44-268]

For some people, objects in general do not act as touchstones for invoking memory. These people do not collect things and nor do they attach personal value and attributes to objects. Souvenirs in particular are seen as kitschy, dust collectors, soulless knickknacks or useless pieces of garbage. Why waste your good money on a trinket that is going to sit on a shelf just to collect dust and then eventually be thrown away!

As British humorist Alan Coren notes: “The word 'souvenir' has, of course, slightly extended itself in meaning until it now denotes almost anything either breakable or useless; but even today, ninety per cent of the items covered by the word are forgettable objects in which cigarettes can be left to go stale.”

“My Parents Went to Edmonton and All I Got Was This Lousy T-shirt (or Souvenir Teacup)!”

City Hall Teacup
This souvenir teacup and saucer might not have much meaning if one does not remember the 1957 Edmonton City Hall building, torn down in 1989–90 [1991-87-37AB]

When ownership of a souvenir changes, sometimes the meaning does too. A souvenir given as a gift might not have any meaning for the recipient and for them, the souvenir is considered to be trash.

Environmental Concerns and Costs

Souvenirs can contribute to a wide variety of environmental problems.

Waste of Resources

Universiade 1983 souvenirs in the COE Heritage Collection

Event and tourist souvenirs are often mass produced in numbers that exceed the demand or need. The souvenir becomes outdated quickly and the souvenir’s immediate use becomes obsolete.

So what happens to all the extras? If they don’t end up in a museum collection or second hand store, they often end up in our landfills. As the majority of souvenirs are made from plastic or other unsustainable materials, the majority of them are not recyclable and considered as waste. This has become a huge concern as the Government of Canada in April 2023 has noted that “Canadians throw away over 3 million tonnes of plastic waste every year,” and by 2050 plastic production is expected to almost quadruple.

Please note: this discussion is saying the overproduction of souvenirs makes them trash — the event or place that the souvenir is commemorating is NOT trash.

The environmental impact of souvenir production intensifies when it is considered that very often mass-produced souvenirs are made in low wage countries and flown and shipped around the world to be sold. These types of souvenirs end up having a bigger transport carbon footprint than the tourists themselves, not to mention the carbon emissions caused during their manufacture.

Animal, Flora, and Fauna Extinction

Souvenir Shells and Rocks

Many of the animals on the endangered species list have connections to the production of souvenirs. Ivory from elephant tusks, tortoise shells from sea turtles, and teeth from tigers are just some of the examples of animals threatened because of the tourist trade and the production of souvenirs.

Collecting shells, rocks, sand, or petrified wood might seem like a harmless souvenir option. However the collecting of natural objects can have high ecological consequences. For instance, marine life and coastal ecosystems in some areas, especially those with high tourist traffic, are affected negatively from the over collection of shells and the grooming of sandy beaches.

Misrepresentation and Cultural Appropriation

Misrepresentation

Klondike Mike souvenirs
A selection of Klondike Days souvenirs from the COE Heritage Collection

When souvenirs cater to the demands and misconceptions of the tourists, they can often misrepresent a place or culture. Klondike Days, a popular summer event in Edmonton, is an example of how history can be misrepresented and the issues that arise from that.

Klondike Days ran in the city from 1964 until 2006 (it was then renamed to Capital Ex and again in 2012 to its present name K-Days). The theme of the event was loosely based on the time when Edmonton was a stopping place for a handful of prospectors heading to the Yukon during the gold rush. Stereotypical images of Klondike Kate (saloon girls) and Klondike Mike (prospector) grew and developed over the years with little to no attempt to explore the real history of Edmonton and its connection to the gold rush and its people at this time. Unfortunately, souvenirs were generated in abundance, all serving to perpetuate the historical fallacies and stereotypes that had been embraced by many Edmontonians.

This misrepresentation also occurs in cultural representation. In Edmonton and other places, there is a damaging history of representing Indigenous people as simplistic caricatures or Hollywoodesque stereotypes in souvenirs. The souvenir’s depiction is an exoticized and racialized narrative that is often degrading and hurtful to the people being represented. This stereotype image has been generated as it is catering to the interests and demands of the souvenir seekers and ultimately for the tourist industry to sell more products.

Cultural Appropriation

Muk-Luk Mardis Gras figure
A souvenir produced for Muk-Luk Mardi Gras, a winter carnival that ran from 1963–1969. This festival was not created by Inuit, and included stereotypical, misrepresentative, and inappropriate depictions of Inuit people and culture [2021-25-1 ]

Examples of these souvenirs are beyond trash as they are offensive in their depictions. We will not perpetuate their circulation.

The difference between cultural appreciation and appropriation can be tricky at times. As a souvenir collector, perhaps the intentions are based on appreciation, but purchasing a souvenir that is representative of a culture that has not been made by that community itself is indeed a form of appropriation. Many of the souvenirs which represent Indigenous cultures are mass produced and made in factories elsewhere. They have become a commodity that provides no support to the Indigenous communities, while at the same time profiteering off of them.

In an interview with CBC News, Cree-Métis artist Dawn Marie Marchand stated “people often buy inexpensive rip-offs of Indigenous work because they don't know where it comes from, that hurts people who make authentic pieces.” She says, "When you're hand-making everything, you can't do the same inventory as somebody who's ordering something out of a catalog that's coming out of China. We can't match that cost, and we can't match that production.”