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On Garbage is the first book to examine the detritus of Western culture in full range—not only material waste and ruin, but also residual or "broken" knowledge and the lingering remainders of cultural thought systems.
As recently as the 1880s, most American cities had no effective means of collecting and removing the mountains of garbage, refuse, and manure-over a thousand tons a day in New York City alone-that clogged streets and overwhelmed the senses of residents. In his landmark study, Garbage in the Cities, Martin Melosi offered the first history of efforts begun in the Progressive Era to clean up this mess. Since it was first published, Garbage in the Cities has remained one of the best historical treatments of the subject. This thoroughly revised and updated edition includes two new chapters that expand the discussion of developments since World War I. It also offers a discussion of the reception of the first edition, and an examination of the ways solid waste management has become more federally regulated in the last quarter of the twentieth century. Melosi traces the rise of sanitation engineering, accurately describes the scope and changing nature of the refuse problem in U.S. cities, reveals the sometimes hidden connections between industrialization and pollution, and discusses the social agendas behind many early cleanliness programs. Absolutely essential reading for historians, policy analysts, and sociologists, Garbage in the Cities offers a vibrant and insightful analysis of this fascinating topic.
Explains in question-and-answer format how old glass bottles turn into new ones, what the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is, why we throw garbage away, and other interesting facts about trash and recycling.
Resisting Garbage presents a new approach to understanding practices of waste removal and recycling in American cities, one that is grounded in the close observation of case studies while being broadly applicable to many American cities today. Most current waste practices in the United States, Lily Baum Pollans argues, prioritize sanitation and efficiency while allowing limited post-consumer recycling as a way to quell consumers’ environmental anxiety. After setting out the contours of this “weak recycling waste regime,” Pollans zooms in on the very different waste management stories of Seattle and Boston over the last forty years. While Boston’s local politics resulted in a waste-export program with minimal recycling, Seattle created new frameworks for thinking about consumption, disposal, and the roles that local governments and ordinary people can play as partners in a project of resource stewardship. By exploring how these two approaches have played out at the national level, Resisting Garbage provides new avenues for evaluating municipal action and fostering practices that will create environmentally meaningful change.
It is from the discards of former civilizations that archaeologists have reconstructed most of what we know about the past, and it is through their examination of today's garbage that William Rathje and Cullen Murphy inform us of our present. Rubbish! is their witty and erudite investigation into all aspects of the phenomenon of garbage. Rathje and Murphy show what the study of garbage tells us about a population's demographics and buying habits. Along the way, they dispel the common myths about our "garbage crisis"—about fast-food packaging and disposable diapers, about biodegradable garbage and the acceleration of the average family's garbage output. They also suggest methods for dealing with the garbage we do have.
This New York Times Best Illustrated Book is a mostly true and completely stinky story that is sure to make you say, “Pee-yew!” Teaching environmental awareness has become a national priority, and this hilarious book (subtly) drives home the message that we can’t produce unlimited trash without consequences. Before everyone recycled . . . There was a town that had 3,168 tons of garbage and nowhere to put it. What did they do? Enter the Garbage Barge! Amazing art built out of junk, toys, and found objects by Red Nose Studio makes this the perfect book for Earth Day or any day, and photos on the back side of the jacket show how the art was created. Here Comes the Garbage Barge was a New York Times Best Illustrated book of 2010, a Huffington Post Best Picture Book of the Year, and a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year. The Washington Post said, “Cautionary? Yes. Hilarious? You betcha!” and the New York Times Book Review raved, “[A] glorious visual treat.”
"Get up close and personal with our world of waste! From the ins and outs of recycling, to the nitty-gritty of landfills and dumps, to how creative people find new ways to reuse rubbish, this book is everything you ever wanted to know--and everything you need to know--about trash on land, in our oceans, and even in outer space!"--Page [4] of cover.
Ever-expanding landfills, ocean gyres filled with floating plastic mush, endangered wildlife. Our garbage has become a massive and exponentially growing problem in modern society. Eco-entrepreneur Tom Szaky explores why this crisis exists and explains how can we solve it by eliminating the very idea of garbage. To outsmart waste, he says, we first have to understand it, then change how we create it, and finally rethink what we do with it. By mimicking nature and focusing on the value inherent in our by-products, we can transform the waste we can't avoid creating from useless trash to a useful resource. Szaky demonstrates that there is value in every kind of garbage, from used chewing gum to juice pouches to cigarette butts. After reading this mind-expanding book, you will never think about garbage the same way again.
This fascinating reference offers a unique take on recycling and trash, tracing the role of waste in public health, climate change, and sustainability around the world. As the popularity of sustainability grows and climate change becomes an accepted reality, experts point to trash and waste as the link between environmental and public health. This detailed reference—one of the most comprehensive resources available on the subject—examines garbage disposal on a global level, from the history of waste management, to the rise of green movements and recycling programs, to the environmental problems caused by incineration and overflowing landfills. According to urban planning scholar Robert William Collin, accounting for waste will improve the chances for environmental protection, public health, and sustainability. This country-by-country guide studies waste management practices and related topics from around the world, including garbage strikes in Italy, successful recycling programs in Switzerland, trash in the streets of India, and the garbage patch floating in the Pacific Ocean. Country entries cover a brief history of garbage disposal, current methods of removal, recycling, and waste management problems specific to the region. Additional content addresses air and water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, E-waste, and hazardous and nuclear wastes.
