Found in 1 comment on Hacker News
rabboRubble · 2017-12-06 · Original thread
For anybody interested in the totality of their garbage output, I can't recommend this book enough:

https://www.amazon.com/Garbage-Land-Secret-Trail-Trash/dp/03...?

I had my book club read this book, and so many times, for so many other books this books came up in conversation.

Interesting facts:

* Glass is recycled in order to grind it up and spread it over landfills to keep down dust. In this way the glass is counted as recycled and not garbage despite it ended up being in the dump.

* Roman era landfills are still leaking effluant.

* Plastics might be marked and marketed as recyclable but many plastics are better off as garbage. Better yet, never created and used in the first place.

* Whenever a natural compost toilet has a problem, more sawdust is almost always the answer to fixing whatever ails it. (Not really in the book, one of our bookclub members had hippie parents).

I would follow up this book with another set in Mumbai:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400067553/ref=as_li_ss_tl

Somehow we need to do a better job at reducing poverty and imroving consumer recycling habits. No miracle solutions in this book. Just griding, abject poverty, living in the garbage of Mumbai.

Fresh book recommendations delivered straight to your inbox every Thursday.