The creator of a futuristic liquid meal replacement could face charges for his abandoned shipping container home
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Soylent CEO Robert Rhinehart's "experiment in sustainable living" may be in trouble.
Rhinehart, who founded the futuristic meal-replacement company, owns a shipping container (which Rhinehart calls an "eco home") that sits on a hill called the Flat Top in Los Angeles.
Not only are local residents unhappy with the state of the shipping container, but Rhinehart might now be facing criminal charges from the city.
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According to Curbed Los Angeles writer Elijah Chiland:
"Alexander Moffat, a senior inspector in the city's department of building, says Rhinehart has refused to comply with an order to remove the container. (In June, the department cited Rhinehart for having an 'abandoned or vacant building open to the public.') Now his department is asking the city attorney's office to file criminal charges."
The container is clearly in rough shape — the windows have been smashed in, and, according to recent photos, it's covered in tags and graffiti — and it doesn't appear to be an "eco home" at all. In fact, one local resident speculated that the container isn't secured, so it could roll down the hill in the event of an earthquake, according to Curbed.
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Rhinehart told Curbed that he plans to move the container at some point but hasn't given a definite date yet and might even buy more plots of land on the hill.
When reached for comment, Soylent said it doesn't comment on employees' personal affairs and did not respond to a request to make Rhinehart available for comment.
Head over to Curbed for more on the dispute, plus photos of Rhinehart's Fourth of July party at the container, which featured an entire roasted pig.