Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of TrashA “fascinating [and] downright entertaining” look at what we throw away—and where it all goes (Booklist, starred review). Out of sight, out of mind? Into our trash cans go dead batteries, dirty diapers, bygone burritos, broken toys, tattered socks, eight-track cassettes, scratched CDs, banana peels.... But where do these things go next? In a country that consumes and then casts off more and more, what actually happens to the things we throw away? In Garbage Land, science writer Elizabeth Royte leads us on a wild adventure to answer that question. Along the way, we meet an odor chemist who explains why trash smells so bad; garbage fairies and recycling gurus; neighbors of massive waste dumps; CEOs making fortunes by encouraging waste or encouraging recycling—often both at the same time; scientists trying to revive our most polluted places; fertilizer fanatics and adventurers who kayak amid sewage; paper people, steel people, aluminum people, plastic people, and even a guy who swears by recycling human waste. With a wink and a nod and a tightly clasped nose, Royte takes us on a bizarre cultural tour through slime, stench, and heat—in other words, through the back end of our ever-more supersized lifestyles. By showing us what happens to the things we’ve “disposed of,” Royte reminds us that our decisions about consumption and waste have a very real impact—and that unless we undertake radical change, the garbage we create will always be with us: in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we consume. Garbage Land is a brilliant exploration into the soiled heart of the American trash can. “The author’s adventures in waste management provide a riveting travelog punctuated by a scathing indictment of American consumption.” —Wired “A thorough, perceptive, graceful, and often witty writer.” —Washington Monthly |
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LibraryThing Review
User Review - roses7184 - LibraryThingGranted this is a little outdated in its stats in today's world, but that doesn't change the fact that this is an extremely powerful read! I am so fascinated about where our garbage goes, and how the ... Read full review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - satyridae - LibraryThingIt's rare for me to finish a book and carry it straightaway to my computer to order all the books in its bibliography, but in this case, that's exactly what I did. It's one of those books that helps ... Read full review
Contents
Dark Angels of Detritus | |
Amphibious Assault | |
Stalking the Active Face | |
The Spectacle of Waste | |
Behold This Compost | |
Forward into the Flexo | |
Hammer of the Gods | |
Mercury Rising | |
Satans Resin | |
Downstream | |
In the Realm of Taboo | |
Its Coming on Christmas | |
The Dream of Zero Waste | |
The Ecological Citizen | |
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Common terms and phrases
According American asked bags bottles building buried called chemicals city’s clean closed collected compost consumers containers continued Department didn’t disposal dropped dump environmental feet five floor four Fresh Kills garbage glass Gowanus green ground half hand head household hundred incinerators industry inside Island It’s keep kitchen knew landfill less live load looked Management manufacturers material metal million months natural once operation organic Park percent picked pile pipes plant plastic pounds recycling residents sanitation saved scrap seemed sewage sludge smell started station steel street stuff things thousand tipping told tons took transfer trash treatment trees truck turned waste week weight workers yard York
Bibliographic information
| Title | Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash |
| Author | Elizabeth Royte |
| Publisher | Hachette+ORM, 2007 |
| ISBN | 0316030732, 9780316030731 |
| Length | 334 pages |
| Subjects | › › Nature / Environmental Conservation & Protection Technology & Engineering / Environmental / Waste Management |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |