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Vertedero
Un galardonado periodista de investigación se sumerge de lleno en la crisis mundial de los residuos, saca a la luz el mundo oculto que sustenta nuestra economía moderna y descubre la sucia verdad que se esconde tras una simple pregunta: ¿qué ocurre realmente con lo que tiramos? Franklin-Wallis nos adentra en un estremecedor viaje por el interior de la industria de los residuos, el hermético mundo multimillonario que sustenta la economía moderna y se beneficia silenciosamente de lo que abandonamos. En la India conoce a los recicladores que están en primera línea de la crisis del plástico. En el Reino Unido viaja por las alcantarillas para enfrentarse a nuestra crisis de residuos más antigua y a la vez más reciente y se encuentra cara a cara con los residuos nucleares. En Ghana sigue la vida posterior de nuestra tecnología y explora la red mundial de exportación que obstruye los vertederos africanos. Desde una incineradora hasta un pueblo fantasma de Oklahoma, Franklin-Wallis viaja en busca de las personas y empresas que realmente se ocupan de los residuos y, por el camino, conoce a los innovadores y activistas que luchan por un futuro más limpio y menos dilapidador.
392 pages, Paperback
First published July 18, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 413 reviews
October 16, 2023
When I was a kid, there was a garbage dump in the fields behind our house. I'm not sure who all dumped their garbage there but it was great fun to dig among the rubbish in search of treasures.
My sister and I were upcycling before it was cool, turning garbage into toys.
I don't recall any specific finds but one - a box full of girlie magazines. Little lesbian in the making that I was, I was enrapt. It probably was nothing sexual at that age but I still remember the thrill of seeing all those naked women.
My sister, being both older and a tattle-tale, threatened to tell if I didn't stop looking at those disgusting pictures.
I didn't want to get into trouble, or worse, have someone come and throw them in the burn barrel, so I nudged the box down under some broken machinery. Later, leaving my sister behind, I returned to the dump and fed my new-found appreciation of porn.
I've been fascinated by what people throw away ever since and when I saw this book, I immediately added it.
I found it so interesting and full of fun facts. The author talks some about the people he meets in the garbage business, but thankfully that didn't ruin the book for me. There were enough non-people facts that it's still getting 5 stars.
Here are a few:
•In 2016, we produced "2.01 billion metric tons of solid waste" worldwide.
•Americans, the world's most wasteful people, generate an average of 4.4 pounds (2 kg) of waste every day.
•"More than 480 billion plastic bottles are sold worldwide every year—approximately 20,000 every second" and "four trillion plastic cigarette filters".
•1/3 of what we throw away each year was produced that same year.
•Much of the plastic we think we're recycling ends up in landfills or dumped in developing countries. Generally only plastics 1-4 are recycled. Maybe.
•There are 27 US states that ban the ban of plastic bags.
•"It’s thought that 25 percent of all clothing made is never sold" but instead thrown away by the companies. Likewise, about 1/3 of food grown in California is not sold but left to rot in the fields so a surplus does not lower the price.
The author travels around the world, visiting landfills, wastewater treatment facilities, recycling centers of all kinds, and mountains of garbage in Southeast Asia and several African countries (most of it from Western countries shipping our garbage there).
I loved learning where all our trash ends up, be it textiles, food, industrial waste, chemical waste, electronics, packaging, and more.
At the same time, it's depressing to think of all our waste and how little of it is reused. It makes me want to buy even less stuff.
It also made think more about things I can reuse or try to repair and it made me glad I started composting this last year. Food scraps anyway..... there's a guy in the book who composts his and his wife's shit. I ain't going that far.
Speaking of sewage, please stop flushing wet wipes: They snag "on surfaces or get caught in grates. Fats and oils then stick to the fibers, slowly building up in layers." They can snowball into “fatbergs,” immense fat-white plugs of decomposing putrescence that block entire sewers and cause the system to burst and flood the streets above."
It was interesting, though heartbreaking, to learn of the waste pickers around the world, especially in developing countries who sort through our trash, finding things to use and sell.
I felt an affinity with them, remembering my old love of that garbage dump though unlike me, these people, including children, have no choice but to climb these massive mountains of shifting garbage in search of reusables. It is dangerous work but it's how many survive.
The author doesn't mention any nudie magazines, but I'm sure I'm not the only one to have been thrilled by such a find.
![Residents say conditions at the site are so bad that their health is affected [Nasir Kachroo/Al Jazeera]](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1697476826i/34828016._SX540_.jpg)
(Image: Ghazipur Landfill - India's tallest garbage dump. It is 213 feet (73 meters) high.
My sister and I were upcycling before it was cool, turning garbage into toys.
I don't recall any specific finds but one - a box full of girlie magazines. Little lesbian in the making that I was, I was enrapt. It probably was nothing sexual at that age but I still remember the thrill of seeing all those naked women.
My sister, being both older and a tattle-tale, threatened to tell if I didn't stop looking at those disgusting pictures.
I didn't want to get into trouble, or worse, have someone come and throw them in the burn barrel, so I nudged the box down under some broken machinery. Later, leaving my sister behind, I returned to the dump and fed my new-found appreciation of porn.
I've been fascinated by what people throw away ever since and when I saw this book, I immediately added it.
I found it so interesting and full of fun facts. The author talks some about the people he meets in the garbage business, but thankfully that didn't ruin the book for me. There were enough non-people facts that it's still getting 5 stars.
Here are a few:
•In 2016, we produced "2.01 billion metric tons of solid waste" worldwide.
•Americans, the world's most wasteful people, generate an average of 4.4 pounds (2 kg) of waste every day.
•"More than 480 billion plastic bottles are sold worldwide every year—approximately 20,000 every second" and "four trillion plastic cigarette filters".
•1/3 of what we throw away each year was produced that same year.
•Much of the plastic we think we're recycling ends up in landfills or dumped in developing countries. Generally only plastics 1-4 are recycled. Maybe.
•There are 27 US states that ban the ban of plastic bags.
•"It’s thought that 25 percent of all clothing made is never sold" but instead thrown away by the companies. Likewise, about 1/3 of food grown in California is not sold but left to rot in the fields so a surplus does not lower the price.
The author travels around the world, visiting landfills, wastewater treatment facilities, recycling centers of all kinds, and mountains of garbage in Southeast Asia and several African countries (most of it from Western countries shipping our garbage there).
I loved learning where all our trash ends up, be it textiles, food, industrial waste, chemical waste, electronics, packaging, and more.
At the same time, it's depressing to think of all our waste and how little of it is reused. It makes me want to buy even less stuff.
It also made think more about things I can reuse or try to repair and it made me glad I started composting this last year. Food scraps anyway..... there's a guy in the book who composts his and his wife's shit. I ain't going that far.
Speaking of sewage, please stop flushing wet wipes: They snag "on surfaces or get caught in grates. Fats and oils then stick to the fibers, slowly building up in layers." They can snowball into “fatbergs,” immense fat-white plugs of decomposing putrescence that block entire sewers and cause the system to burst and flood the streets above."
It was interesting, though heartbreaking, to learn of the waste pickers around the world, especially in developing countries who sort through our trash, finding things to use and sell.
I felt an affinity with them, remembering my old love of that garbage dump though unlike me, these people, including children, have no choice but to climb these massive mountains of shifting garbage in search of reusables. It is dangerous work but it's how many survive.
The author doesn't mention any nudie magazines, but I'm sure I'm not the only one to have been thrilled by such a find.
(Image: Ghazipur Landfill - India's tallest garbage dump. It is 213 feet (73 meters) high.
Read
April 5, 2024Fascinating and depressing non-fic about waste: how much we create, how it's disposed of, the awful extent of greenwashing, and the toxic colonialism that allows the weathy West to ship our rubbish to the poorest counties and pretend we're somehow being responsible. It's comprehensive and heartfelt, and wow do you start noticing the sheer extent of what we waste. Everything about plastic in particular is awful, fast fashion should be banned, and FFS just stop buying shit you don't need.
February 3, 2024
Reading this book my thoughts went back to waste disposal in my early childhood in the backwaters of northern Thailand. There was no garbage collection. We had a pit in the backyard where garbage was thrown and regularly burned. Everyone did the same.
In Norway now, despite a lot of recycling efforts, a lot of garbage is still being burned, except it’s being done on an industrial scale rather than in the backyard.
Going back to Thailand in the early 1980’s, there was a lot less of a garbage problem then. Plastic bottles weren’t a thing. Industrialization wasn’t a thing. The fields were plowed by water buffalos and there were no tourists. The beaches of Huahin had no skyscrapers, they were pristine, with flowers stretching down towards the water, across the burning white sand - cooling it, and keeping it in place. The Thailand of my childhood is gone and much of it is buried and clogged by plastic bottles.
This is not to say that garbage is a problem of places far away, oh no, it’s everywhere. The rich west is just better at hiding it and exporting it, in continued colonization.
This is a book on how we are destroying our planet. In the rich world, we export our trash to be sifted through and sorted in poorer countries, polluting their communities instead of our own. Trash is slow to disappear. The landfills of the 50’s are still there. The problem had been significantly exacerbated by our throw away culture, fast fashion and engineered obsolescence. Things are not built to last anymore and almost everything comes in plastic. “Plastics” is a misnomer because the only thing the materials have in common is their plasticity and being almost indestructible.
The author takes us on a journey through nuclear waste, clothe industry waste, chemical waste, human waste, food waste, to name a few. It’s horribly fascinating and deeply personal.
A few years ago I started to become deeply troubled by plastic shampoo bottles. I switched to shampoo bars - something I didn’t know existed! Recently I discovered period pants. We compost out food waste and have so much garden that all of it is used on a yearly basis. I grow some food every season, just to appreciate it better. Food waste is a tremendous problem. We can’t fix the world, but if all of us tweaked our habits just a bit, it would make a difference. Repair, reuse, compost, and don’t shop so much.
In Norway now, despite a lot of recycling efforts, a lot of garbage is still being burned, except it’s being done on an industrial scale rather than in the backyard.
Going back to Thailand in the early 1980’s, there was a lot less of a garbage problem then. Plastic bottles weren’t a thing. Industrialization wasn’t a thing. The fields were plowed by water buffalos and there were no tourists. The beaches of Huahin had no skyscrapers, they were pristine, with flowers stretching down towards the water, across the burning white sand - cooling it, and keeping it in place. The Thailand of my childhood is gone and much of it is buried and clogged by plastic bottles.
This is not to say that garbage is a problem of places far away, oh no, it’s everywhere. The rich west is just better at hiding it and exporting it, in continued colonization.
This is a book on how we are destroying our planet. In the rich world, we export our trash to be sifted through and sorted in poorer countries, polluting their communities instead of our own. Trash is slow to disappear. The landfills of the 50’s are still there. The problem had been significantly exacerbated by our throw away culture, fast fashion and engineered obsolescence. Things are not built to last anymore and almost everything comes in plastic. “Plastics” is a misnomer because the only thing the materials have in common is their plasticity and being almost indestructible.
The author takes us on a journey through nuclear waste, clothe industry waste, chemical waste, human waste, food waste, to name a few. It’s horribly fascinating and deeply personal.
A few years ago I started to become deeply troubled by plastic shampoo bottles. I switched to shampoo bars - something I didn’t know existed! Recently I discovered period pants. We compost out food waste and have so much garden that all of it is used on a yearly basis. I grow some food every season, just to appreciate it better. Food waste is a tremendous problem. We can’t fix the world, but if all of us tweaked our habits just a bit, it would make a difference. Repair, reuse, compost, and don’t shop so much.
![Profile Image for laurel [the suspected bibliophile].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1645808644i%2F7494844._UX200_CR0%2C6%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
January 30, 2024
Rethinking all of my life choices and the life choices of humanity as a whole.
READ THIS BOOK.
READ THIS BOOK.
July 7, 2024
‘Wasteland: The Secret World of Waste and the Urgent Search for a Cleaner Future’ by Oliver Franklin-Wallis is eye-opening and depressing. Franklin-Wallis has pulled together seemingly everything that has been discovered, researched and analyzed about many types of waste from multiple sources: scientific studies, journalists’ articles, engineer/scientist interviews, and relevant historical records. He also traveled all over the world to make personal visits to see for himself the city dumps, plastic/paper/electronics recycling factories, sewers, tanneries, water treatment plants, mine tailings lakes/dams and nuclear waste processing facilities.
He writes of solutions to reduce waste every modern household can try, as well as what governments around the world are doing, as well as not doing, to fix their waste problems. When I read the sections involving how Western governments ‘solve’ some of the textile waste problems by, for example, baling and shipping used or fast-fashion clothing to poor countries, or ‘solving’ the electronic waste problem by shipping used or old (sometimes not really old and still works great but tech companies refuse to continue updating the software - planned obsolescence in both clothing and electronics), to poor countries needing to give their people jobs, or to countries willing to accept used electronic parts and devices for a fee, I understood for the first time how politically that the concept of doing/not doing recycling can be done at the same time.
The number one thing each of us can do to reduce waste: buy less stuff.
I have copied the book blurb:
”NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023 BY THE NEW YORKER, THE GUARDIAN, and KIRKUS REVIEWS
An award-winning investigative journalist takes a deep dive into the global waste crisis, exposing the hidden world that enables our modern economy—and finds out the dirty truth behind a simple what really happens to what we throw away?
In Wasteland, journalist Oliver Franklin-Wallis takes us on a shocking journey inside the waste industry—the secretive multi-billion dollar world that underpins the modern economy, quietly profiting from what we leave behind. In India, he meets the waste-pickers on the front line of the plastic crisis. In the UK, he journeys down sewers to confront our oldest—and newest—waste crisis, and comes face-to-face with nuclear waste. In Ghana, he follows the after-life of our technology and explores the global export network that results in goodwill donations clogging African landfills. From an incinerator to an Oklahoma ghost-town, Franklin-Wallis travels in search of the people and companies that really handle waste—and on the way, meets the innovators and campaigners pushing for a cleaner and less wasteful future.
With this mesmerizing, thought-provoking, and occasionally terrifying investigation, Oliver Franklin-Wallis tells a new story of humanity based on what we leave behind, and along the way, he shares a blueprint for building a healthier, more sustainable world—before we’re all buried in trash.”
I was unaware of most of what is included in ‘Wasteland’. Most governments are now on board with acknowledging there are world-wide waste problems which need solving. But the book shows most governments are doing nothing except media PR proclamations of changing corporate and individual behaviors or of temporarily forcing polluters to comply with new environment laws regarding cleaning up areas made toxic by wastes - and that only happens when a journalist exposes some horrific human abuses/losses are occurring because of toxic waste. For-profit and non-profit recycling businesses apparently must contend with technology that doesn’t live up to the promises made or an overabundance of waste overwhelming the business, and a boom/bust of buyers for their recycled products. Poor countries cannot properly provide any or have only a few showcase technological facilities that recycle waste. Recycling facilities are expensive to build and expensive to maintain. But it appears to me that even if governments made it a top priority (which they aren’t) to encourage recycling and to provide financing for recycling projects of all kinds necessary to process all of the different kinds of waste, there is so much of some types of waste that nothing can be done to stay ahead of it in most countries, for example, poop and plastic and clothes. Instead, as the author suggests, societies need to completely change their shopping and eating habits, and completely redesign all businesses, factories, plants, packaging, etc., and completely do away with the cultures of throw-away mindsets, replacing it with fix it, sew-it and patch-it repairs. Of course, entire businesses, such as clothing manufacturers, would suffer tremendous financial losses, or facilities that provide power for electricity, or manufacturers of new cars, etc. would crash down into oblivion, taking the jobs of billions of people down with them.
The book adds more details and specifics, especially more incidents in more locations, than the Youtube videos I decided to link to in my review. The videos provide general visuals to the same subjects the author writes about in depth.
Here are youtube links -
How MRF’s (Material Recovery Facility) work:
https://youtu.be/cNPEH0GOhRw?si=ha9sO...
This one to a quick overview of municipal garbage dumps:
https://youtu.be/pWPalHH_6wE?si=3HadR...
This link to recycling facilities:
https://youtu.be/ja7QaANH62Q?si=NCFlZ...
Human waste treatment plants:
https://youtu.be/-jmyGxb2JCc?si=HL8b3...
https://youtu.be/328bJkcemHo?si=x0Q1w...
This link to Kantamanto, the largest secondhand clothes market in Ghana:
https://youtu.be/bB3kuuBPVys?si=L9A-S...
Paper recycling:
https://youtu.be/7cI8fT-9Koo?si=oKhPT...
Plastic recycling:
https://youtu.be/hmGrI_BVlnc?si=jJwtY...
Mine tailings dams keep failing, poisoning water supplies for drinking, agriculture and wild life:
https://youtu.be/GH6hd5wKVRY?si=01qeg...
How tanneries work:
https://youtu.be/S4E465h9CAc?si=ep2bY...
Nuclear waste issues:
https://youtu.be/YgVyPwhkoJs?si=4h8tA...
Everything above requires toxic, and often forever, chemicals to process whatever products are being manufactured, mined or broken down, and lots of water, which in many places in the world, the used liquids are simply emptied into the nearby stream or lake without being treated.
The book has an extensive Notes section.
He writes of solutions to reduce waste every modern household can try, as well as what governments around the world are doing, as well as not doing, to fix their waste problems. When I read the sections involving how Western governments ‘solve’ some of the textile waste problems by, for example, baling and shipping used or fast-fashion clothing to poor countries, or ‘solving’ the electronic waste problem by shipping used or old (sometimes not really old and still works great but tech companies refuse to continue updating the software - planned obsolescence in both clothing and electronics), to poor countries needing to give their people jobs, or to countries willing to accept used electronic parts and devices for a fee, I understood for the first time how politically that the concept of doing/not doing recycling can be done at the same time.
The number one thing each of us can do to reduce waste: buy less stuff.
I have copied the book blurb:
”NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023 BY THE NEW YORKER, THE GUARDIAN, and KIRKUS REVIEWS
An award-winning investigative journalist takes a deep dive into the global waste crisis, exposing the hidden world that enables our modern economy—and finds out the dirty truth behind a simple what really happens to what we throw away?
In Wasteland, journalist Oliver Franklin-Wallis takes us on a shocking journey inside the waste industry—the secretive multi-billion dollar world that underpins the modern economy, quietly profiting from what we leave behind. In India, he meets the waste-pickers on the front line of the plastic crisis. In the UK, he journeys down sewers to confront our oldest—and newest—waste crisis, and comes face-to-face with nuclear waste. In Ghana, he follows the after-life of our technology and explores the global export network that results in goodwill donations clogging African landfills. From an incinerator to an Oklahoma ghost-town, Franklin-Wallis travels in search of the people and companies that really handle waste—and on the way, meets the innovators and campaigners pushing for a cleaner and less wasteful future.
With this mesmerizing, thought-provoking, and occasionally terrifying investigation, Oliver Franklin-Wallis tells a new story of humanity based on what we leave behind, and along the way, he shares a blueprint for building a healthier, more sustainable world—before we’re all buried in trash.”
I was unaware of most of what is included in ‘Wasteland’. Most governments are now on board with acknowledging there are world-wide waste problems which need solving. But the book shows most governments are doing nothing except media PR proclamations of changing corporate and individual behaviors or of temporarily forcing polluters to comply with new environment laws regarding cleaning up areas made toxic by wastes - and that only happens when a journalist exposes some horrific human abuses/losses are occurring because of toxic waste. For-profit and non-profit recycling businesses apparently must contend with technology that doesn’t live up to the promises made or an overabundance of waste overwhelming the business, and a boom/bust of buyers for their recycled products. Poor countries cannot properly provide any or have only a few showcase technological facilities that recycle waste. Recycling facilities are expensive to build and expensive to maintain. But it appears to me that even if governments made it a top priority (which they aren’t) to encourage recycling and to provide financing for recycling projects of all kinds necessary to process all of the different kinds of waste, there is so much of some types of waste that nothing can be done to stay ahead of it in most countries, for example, poop and plastic and clothes. Instead, as the author suggests, societies need to completely change their shopping and eating habits, and completely redesign all businesses, factories, plants, packaging, etc., and completely do away with the cultures of throw-away mindsets, replacing it with fix it, sew-it and patch-it repairs. Of course, entire businesses, such as clothing manufacturers, would suffer tremendous financial losses, or facilities that provide power for electricity, or manufacturers of new cars, etc. would crash down into oblivion, taking the jobs of billions of people down with them.
The book adds more details and specifics, especially more incidents in more locations, than the Youtube videos I decided to link to in my review. The videos provide general visuals to the same subjects the author writes about in depth.
Here are youtube links -
How MRF’s (Material Recovery Facility) work:
https://youtu.be/cNPEH0GOhRw?si=ha9sO...
This one to a quick overview of municipal garbage dumps:
https://youtu.be/pWPalHH_6wE?si=3HadR...
This link to recycling facilities:
https://youtu.be/ja7QaANH62Q?si=NCFlZ...
Human waste treatment plants:
https://youtu.be/-jmyGxb2JCc?si=HL8b3...
https://youtu.be/328bJkcemHo?si=x0Q1w...
This link to Kantamanto, the largest secondhand clothes market in Ghana:
https://youtu.be/bB3kuuBPVys?si=L9A-S...
Paper recycling:
https://youtu.be/7cI8fT-9Koo?si=oKhPT...
Plastic recycling:
https://youtu.be/hmGrI_BVlnc?si=jJwtY...
Mine tailings dams keep failing, poisoning water supplies for drinking, agriculture and wild life:
https://youtu.be/GH6hd5wKVRY?si=01qeg...
How tanneries work:
https://youtu.be/S4E465h9CAc?si=ep2bY...
Nuclear waste issues:
https://youtu.be/YgVyPwhkoJs?si=4h8tA...
Everything above requires toxic, and often forever, chemicals to process whatever products are being manufactured, mined or broken down, and lots of water, which in many places in the world, the used liquids are simply emptied into the nearby stream or lake without being treated.
The book has an extensive Notes section.
November 27, 2023
I suspect that I am like most people, I try to recycle as much as I can, I have general recycling, a box for batteries and defunct electronics, bags for scrunchy and soft plastic and we have one of the hot bins that makes vegetable peelings into fine compost. But I still have to throw stuff in the regular bin, not everything can be recycled as yet sadly.
But what happens to that stuff that the council collects every other week? I suspect that I am like most people and think out of sight out of mind and move on to the next thing in my life. One man who wondered just what happened to the rubbish he and his family were creating was Oliver Franklin-Wallis, who decided to follow his nose for a story.
In this book he goes to the municipal waste sites in the UK, to see what the waste industry does with the tonnes of stuff we throw away. But this isn’t just a UK issue, the 8 billion of us in the world generate millions of tonnes of waste and a lot of this is shipped around the world to countries that have ended up dealing with it, so he heads out to Africa to see where the ultra-cheap clothes end up after people have worn them a handful of times and onto India to see the enormous landfill sites there and the people picking through the rubbish with the hope of scraping a living.
As well as following the rubbish trail, he looks at how companies are twisting some of the recycling that we think is doing good to their own ends and profit margins. It makes for quite shocking reading, but a little part of me isn’t surprised in some ways. He also makes a visit to Sellafield, passing the armed guards at the entrance to see what we are doing with the waste from nuclear plants. This deadly radioactive material still has the possibility of harming 300 generations later so what we do with it has to take into account a changing world. Terrifying stuff.
This is a really important book, even though it isn’t the most pleasant of reading material. Franklin-Wallis is a tenacious researcher, prepared to go where most won’t and isn’t afraid of asking difficult questions to those that he meets. He doesn’t always get the answers he is looking for, which in its own way speaks volumes. Well worth reading and I am so glad that this book doesn’t come with a scratch and sniff card…
But what happens to that stuff that the council collects every other week? I suspect that I am like most people and think out of sight out of mind and move on to the next thing in my life. One man who wondered just what happened to the rubbish he and his family were creating was Oliver Franklin-Wallis, who decided to follow his nose for a story.
In this book he goes to the municipal waste sites in the UK, to see what the waste industry does with the tonnes of stuff we throw away. But this isn’t just a UK issue, the 8 billion of us in the world generate millions of tonnes of waste and a lot of this is shipped around the world to countries that have ended up dealing with it, so he heads out to Africa to see where the ultra-cheap clothes end up after people have worn them a handful of times and onto India to see the enormous landfill sites there and the people picking through the rubbish with the hope of scraping a living.
As well as following the rubbish trail, he looks at how companies are twisting some of the recycling that we think is doing good to their own ends and profit margins. It makes for quite shocking reading, but a little part of me isn’t surprised in some ways. He also makes a visit to Sellafield, passing the armed guards at the entrance to see what we are doing with the waste from nuclear plants. This deadly radioactive material still has the possibility of harming 300 generations later so what we do with it has to take into account a changing world. Terrifying stuff.
This is a really important book, even though it isn’t the most pleasant of reading material. Franklin-Wallis is a tenacious researcher, prepared to go where most won’t and isn’t afraid of asking difficult questions to those that he meets. He doesn’t always get the answers he is looking for, which in its own way speaks volumes. Well worth reading and I am so glad that this book doesn’t come with a scratch and sniff card…
February 11, 2024
A fascinating and eye-opening look at what happens to various items after we discard them -- recycled items (particularly plastics), clothing, electronics, food, excrement, and others. It was both fascinating and dismaying to learn that an estimated 1/4 of clothing produced is never worn, and 1/3 of food produced is never eaten. It was also disappointing but not entirely surprising to learn that much of what we put in our recycling bins isn't actually recycled, and how global factors (i.e., China's waste import ban in 2018) have lasting repercussions. I tend to agree with the author that the best way for individuals to help this issue is to reduce their own consumption as much as possible, by buying less and taking care of their belongings.
Further reading:
Ninety Percent of Everything: Inside Shipping, the Invisible Industry That Puts Clothes on Your Back, Gas in Your Car, and Food on Your Plate by Rose George
Arriving Today: From Factory to Front Door-Why Everything Has Changed About How and What We Buy
Material World: The Six Raw Materials That Shape Modern Civilization by Ed Conway
Further reading:
Ninety Percent of Everything: Inside Shipping, the Invisible Industry That Puts Clothes on Your Back, Gas in Your Car, and Food on Your Plate by Rose George
Arriving Today: From Factory to Front Door-Why Everything Has Changed About How and What We Buy
Material World: The Six Raw Materials That Shape Modern Civilization by Ed Conway
June 29, 2024
[28 June 2024]
It took me a while to read this book, not because it was boring or badly written, but because it was depressing. Franklin-Wallis spent most of the years of the pandemic investigating our waste. What is it? What happens to it? What is the future of waste generation and handling? What are the risks for us and the planet? Along the way he introduces us to many of the people involved in the waste industry (and it is a huge industry), both the supervisors and the little people who are involved.
It's actually quite well written. Lots of human interest. Lots of facts. Lots of analysis and speculation. Without getting bogged down in any one aspect. But it's not a very hopeful book. He doesn't seem to believe that the few movements trying to deal with this overwhelming problem will have much success any time soon. And his solution -- buy less stuff -- is rather underwhelming.
But it's a very interesting book and I recommend it.
It took me a while to read this book, not because it was boring or badly written, but because it was depressing. Franklin-Wallis spent most of the years of the pandemic investigating our waste. What is it? What happens to it? What is the future of waste generation and handling? What are the risks for us and the planet? Along the way he introduces us to many of the people involved in the waste industry (and it is a huge industry), both the supervisors and the little people who are involved.
It's actually quite well written. Lots of human interest. Lots of facts. Lots of analysis and speculation. Without getting bogged down in any one aspect. But it's not a very hopeful book. He doesn't seem to believe that the few movements trying to deal with this overwhelming problem will have much success any time soon. And his solution -- buy less stuff -- is rather underwhelming.
But it's a very interesting book and I recommend it.
January 11, 2024
am I a garbage girlie now? I think so 🦅🦅
This was fascinating, but covered a broad spectrum of topics (food waste, plastic waste, ocean pollution, nuclear waste, and more!!)
This was fascinating, but covered a broad spectrum of topics (food waste, plastic waste, ocean pollution, nuclear waste, and more!!)
December 2, 2024
Wasteland dives deep into the issue of waste and what it says about our society, offering a lot to think about. One of the main points is how we try to keep waste out of sight and out of mind, but that just means we’re passing the problem onto someone else—often people who are already marginalized or struggling. It’s like a “hot potato” game, but with trash, and no one really wins.
There’s a lot of focus on recycling, and it’s illuminating while simultaneously frustrating to learn how broken and ineffective these systems are in many countries. Much of the things labelled for recycling, or that make it into your recycling been never actually fulfills that purpose due to flawed waste management practices. The sections about landfills are equally fascinating—and disturbing—especially the shady ownerships and environmental damage tied to them. It felt a bit like a self-fulfilling cycle where even when you try to recycle, you’re not actually helping the environment that much.
The author also discusses the unsettling trend of waste as a modern form of colonialism. Wealthier Western countries ship their waste off to poorer nations, leaving them to deal with the mess. This forces other countries to face financial, political, and social problems related to handling the rest of the world’s waste. There’s a rather enlightening quote in the book regarding this "We dump our waste on the margins and on the marginalized.” But it’s not all doom and gloom. The book also highlights how some countries are coming up with creative and sustainable ways to manage waste, which is inspiring. Still, the author makes it clear that it’s unfair for these nations to carry the weight of fixing a problem they didn’t create.
Another particularly interesting section that really surprised me was the part examining human waste. The author discusses how cities around the world built sanitation systems to prevent diseases and to improve the quality of life for people. It really drives home the point: if we know how dangerous waste from our own bodies can be, why do we act like overconsumption and toxic trash won’t harm us too? The book explains that methods like burning trash or burying it in landfills just spread harmful chemicals and toxins, yet progress is slow because fixing it would be outrageously expensive—and there’s no guarantee it would even work. However, something has to be done because much like water contaminated with cholera, waste in all forms can be a threat to the health of all living things.
While the book is packed with research and interviews that give a full picture of the waste crisis, it does get a bit repetitive at times. And honestly, the ending felt a little underwhelming. The author admits that even though he’s trying to reduce his carbon footprint, it’s tough to be perfect. He points out that governments and corporations are responsible for most of the waste, and while individuals can make changes — like learning new skills or changing family traditions to promote sustainability —it’s not enough to solve the problem. Maybe that’s the point: there’s no quick fix for this, no magic wand to make all the waste disappear.
Overall, this book is a thought-provoking and sometimes frustrating look at how we handle waste. It’s not the easiest read emotionally, but it’s packed with insights and raises important questions about how we live and what we leave behind. If you care about the environment or global inequality, it’s definitely worth checking out. Yet, be aware this doesn’t tell us how to solve this problem, but rather how individuals can make more informed choices in managing it.
There’s a lot of focus on recycling, and it’s illuminating while simultaneously frustrating to learn how broken and ineffective these systems are in many countries. Much of the things labelled for recycling, or that make it into your recycling been never actually fulfills that purpose due to flawed waste management practices. The sections about landfills are equally fascinating—and disturbing—especially the shady ownerships and environmental damage tied to them. It felt a bit like a self-fulfilling cycle where even when you try to recycle, you’re not actually helping the environment that much.
The author also discusses the unsettling trend of waste as a modern form of colonialism. Wealthier Western countries ship their waste off to poorer nations, leaving them to deal with the mess. This forces other countries to face financial, political, and social problems related to handling the rest of the world’s waste. There’s a rather enlightening quote in the book regarding this "We dump our waste on the margins and on the marginalized.” But it’s not all doom and gloom. The book also highlights how some countries are coming up with creative and sustainable ways to manage waste, which is inspiring. Still, the author makes it clear that it’s unfair for these nations to carry the weight of fixing a problem they didn’t create.
Another particularly interesting section that really surprised me was the part examining human waste. The author discusses how cities around the world built sanitation systems to prevent diseases and to improve the quality of life for people. It really drives home the point: if we know how dangerous waste from our own bodies can be, why do we act like overconsumption and toxic trash won’t harm us too? The book explains that methods like burning trash or burying it in landfills just spread harmful chemicals and toxins, yet progress is slow because fixing it would be outrageously expensive—and there’s no guarantee it would even work. However, something has to be done because much like water contaminated with cholera, waste in all forms can be a threat to the health of all living things.
While the book is packed with research and interviews that give a full picture of the waste crisis, it does get a bit repetitive at times. And honestly, the ending felt a little underwhelming. The author admits that even though he’s trying to reduce his carbon footprint, it’s tough to be perfect. He points out that governments and corporations are responsible for most of the waste, and while individuals can make changes — like learning new skills or changing family traditions to promote sustainability —it’s not enough to solve the problem. Maybe that’s the point: there’s no quick fix for this, no magic wand to make all the waste disappear.
Overall, this book is a thought-provoking and sometimes frustrating look at how we handle waste. It’s not the easiest read emotionally, but it’s packed with insights and raises important questions about how we live and what we leave behind. If you care about the environment or global inequality, it’s definitely worth checking out. Yet, be aware this doesn’t tell us how to solve this problem, but rather how individuals can make more informed choices in managing it.
September 16, 2023
Die Müll-Wahrheit. Ein grandioses Buch, wo man viel über den menschlich verursachten Müll lernt. Was passiert mit den Ausscheidungen des Menschen? Was passiert wirklich mit elektronischen Müll, dass zb nach Ghana verfrachtet wird? Wieso wird radioaktiver Müll noch nicht unterirdisch gelagert? Wieso ist die Bekleidungsindustrie so dreckig? Was passiert mit den Essensresten? Warum sind Müllhalden so gefährlich? Wer profitiert vom Müll?
All diese Fragen werden vom Autor erklärt und eindrücklich kommentiert. Am Ende habe ich wieder meine eigene Müllproduktion hinterfragt? Und damit ultimativ mein Kaufverhalten.
All diese Fragen werden vom Autor erklärt und eindrücklich kommentiert. Am Ende habe ich wieder meine eigene Müllproduktion hinterfragt? Und damit ultimativ mein Kaufverhalten.
April 29, 2023
"Waste is not the most appealing subject for a book," admits Oliver Franklin-Wallis in the introduction. But don't let appearances fool you. From the very first pages you will realise that this is not only an important topic, but a fascinating one. After all, our 'modern economy is built on trash', as the author convincingly demonstrates in each chapter. Waste management plays an important role in modern capitalism, global inequality, post-colonialism and, of course, environmental degradation.
For me, the most interesting (and infuriating) chapters were the ones on plastics and the illusion of recycling, which is mostly about clearing our consciences and generating more sales for multinational corporations. But I enjoyed the whole book, written with journalistic flair, combining on-the-ground reporting with fascinating data and a crash course in the history of waste, which is really the history of mankind.
Highly recommended to anyone interested in the workings of the modern world and concerned about its future.
Thanks to the publisher, Hachette Books, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.
For me, the most interesting (and infuriating) chapters were the ones on plastics and the illusion of recycling, which is mostly about clearing our consciences and generating more sales for multinational corporations. But I enjoyed the whole book, written with journalistic flair, combining on-the-ground reporting with fascinating data and a crash course in the history of waste, which is really the history of mankind.
Highly recommended to anyone interested in the workings of the modern world and concerned about its future.
Thanks to the publisher, Hachette Books, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.
July 12, 2023
I never thought I’d love a book as much as Junkyard Planet by Adam Minter but this is like a much needed update. And guess what? Things are far, far worse than they were in 2014. The ways in which we have trashed the earth are just incredible. Read it and weep.
June 7, 2024
this just broke my heart.
September 19, 2025
(4,5)
Al leer este libro no solamente se cae en la cuenta de muchos aspectos relacionados con el consumo que permanecen ocultos en el día a día, sino que también es posible apreciar el gran trabajo de investigación de su autor. Franklin-Wallis consigue transmitir, mediante la narración de sus viajes y entrevistas para abordar de una forma global el problema de los residuos, no solamente los hechos sino también sus sentimientos al respecto, y lo hace de una forma amena pese a la abundante cantidad de material que se recoge en el libro. Me ha parecido muy interesante y me ha hecho pensar.
Al leer este libro no solamente se cae en la cuenta de muchos aspectos relacionados con el consumo que permanecen ocultos en el día a día, sino que también es posible apreciar el gran trabajo de investigación de su autor. Franklin-Wallis consigue transmitir, mediante la narración de sus viajes y entrevistas para abordar de una forma global el problema de los residuos, no solamente los hechos sino también sus sentimientos al respecto, y lo hace de una forma amena pese a la abundante cantidad de material que se recoge en el libro. Me ha parecido muy interesante y me ha hecho pensar.
November 9, 2023
What do we do with our waste?
Well, as we have for pretty much all of human history, we still largely bury or burn it - at least the bits that aren't just left by the proverbial wayside. This book is the author's effort of maybe, just maybe, inspiring change.
And "Wasteland" is worth a read, it's one of the best books I've read on waste and our broken, often non-existent, systems to deal with it. However, a fair warning is warranted, this book will almost guaranteed make you feel like a total shit. Because, frankly, we are the problem - admittedly to varying degrees, but we are undeniably it.
Franklin-Wallis does a bang-up job of highlighting the good, the bad, and the ugly of the waste "management" across the world. It's mostly bad; disturbingly, frequently, and sometimes ironically ugly; but with enough good in there to keep hope alive for a better world. He seamlessly marries macro and micro, global and local, and if this book doesn't make you itching to delve into search-engine rabbit holes, I do not know what will.
Even though I'm withholding the last star because the author didn't quite succeed in this (and when he didn't, he stumbled pretty hard), I particularly appreciated the mostly nuanced takes on good and bad practices, and the repercussions of policy and strategy changes that are almost never thoroughly thought through (yeah, sorry about that, I couldn't help myself...). The downstream problems are plentiful, both the metaphoric and literal ones.
I highly recommend picking this one up!
But for now, well, I have about million highlighted and bookmarked parts to follow up on.
Wish me luck!
Well, as we have for pretty much all of human history, we still largely bury or burn it - at least the bits that aren't just left by the proverbial wayside. This book is the author's effort of maybe, just maybe, inspiring change.
And "Wasteland" is worth a read, it's one of the best books I've read on waste and our broken, often non-existent, systems to deal with it. However, a fair warning is warranted, this book will almost guaranteed make you feel like a total shit. Because, frankly, we are the problem - admittedly to varying degrees, but we are undeniably it.
Franklin-Wallis does a bang-up job of highlighting the good, the bad, and the ugly of the waste "management" across the world. It's mostly bad; disturbingly, frequently, and sometimes ironically ugly; but with enough good in there to keep hope alive for a better world. He seamlessly marries macro and micro, global and local, and if this book doesn't make you itching to delve into search-engine rabbit holes, I do not know what will.
Even though I'm withholding the last star because the author didn't quite succeed in this (and when he didn't, he stumbled pretty hard), I particularly appreciated the mostly nuanced takes on good and bad practices, and the repercussions of policy and strategy changes that are almost never thoroughly thought through (yeah, sorry about that, I couldn't help myself...). The downstream problems are plentiful, both the metaphoric and literal ones.
I highly recommend picking this one up!
But for now, well, I have about million highlighted and bookmarked parts to follow up on.
Wish me luck!
November 18, 2023
What a comprehensive look at the recycling and trash industries! This book made me feel bleak, but it did end on a note that did convince me that while our current recycling practices are highly flawed, it’s still the best we got. Also, this book drives home the point of how the ever growing problem of trash is derived from overconsumption. A must read for everyone, since waste is an issue that has been abstracted for most and is one that we ignore to our peril.
September 24, 2024
A profound read.
It challenged my lifestyle, my daily habits, my nihilism and my attitude towards the future. I am as far as I could be from being a fan of capitalism, but this book made me tread farther and farther away from capitalism and its little sister, consumerism.
I will now think twice before buying a new shirt for Deepavali or wasting that last portion of rice just because I am not feeling it.
This read is going to stay with me for a while.
It challenged my lifestyle, my daily habits, my nihilism and my attitude towards the future. I am as far as I could be from being a fan of capitalism, but this book made me tread farther and farther away from capitalism and its little sister, consumerism.
I will now think twice before buying a new shirt for Deepavali or wasting that last portion of rice just because I am not feeling it.
This read is going to stay with me for a while.
March 10, 2023
“Donating isn’t a salvation. For most of us, it’s a simple case of making our very modern problem – having far too much stuff – someone else’s.”
I’ve been trying to live more intentionally in regards to the things I purchase, get rid of, and waste. Recycling my yogurt containers and milk jugs didn’t feel like enough, I’ve been trying to find a balance so I don’t have to live as a minimalist but also aren’t contributing to fast fashion waste or more plastic ending up in landfills or oceans.
Wasteland was an excellent read. I found the author’s tone very readable, humorous at times, and relevant. Even though he’s a UK author and many of the examples are from his end of the world, there were still enough general issues mentioned that affect all of us as humans on earth. The author clearly did his research, even amidst the pandemic. I found his sources and examples to be well-researched, thorough, and fair.
“Waste is monstrous to look at because it is a mirror.”
I learned some new terminology and ideas: freeganism, wishcycling amongst others.
I enjoyed this book partially because the author didn’t write from a place of condescension and complete judgment—he acknowledges that he isn’t perfect either, uses disposable diapers, etc. He also presented ideas that I hadn’t considered before. For example, I always believed that using cloth bags vs plastic at stores was being virtuous, saving the earth… The author writes how cotton bags actually require more resources to produce, thereby eliminating much of their green benefits over time.
“Cotton tote bags, for example, must be used 7,100 times before they are more environmentally friendly than using the single-use plastic bag they replace, according to a 2018 study by Denmark’s Ministry of Environment and Food.”
I’d recommend this book to anyone concerned about our planet, and who wants to dive deeper into specific green issues such as. fast fashion, e-waste, food waste, plastics, water, and most if all, how richer countries dump so much upon poorer nations and all the repercussions that follow.
Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Book Group for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I’ve been trying to live more intentionally in regards to the things I purchase, get rid of, and waste. Recycling my yogurt containers and milk jugs didn’t feel like enough, I’ve been trying to find a balance so I don’t have to live as a minimalist but also aren’t contributing to fast fashion waste or more plastic ending up in landfills or oceans.
Wasteland was an excellent read. I found the author’s tone very readable, humorous at times, and relevant. Even though he’s a UK author and many of the examples are from his end of the world, there were still enough general issues mentioned that affect all of us as humans on earth. The author clearly did his research, even amidst the pandemic. I found his sources and examples to be well-researched, thorough, and fair.
“Waste is monstrous to look at because it is a mirror.”
I learned some new terminology and ideas: freeganism, wishcycling amongst others.
I enjoyed this book partially because the author didn’t write from a place of condescension and complete judgment—he acknowledges that he isn’t perfect either, uses disposable diapers, etc. He also presented ideas that I hadn’t considered before. For example, I always believed that using cloth bags vs plastic at stores was being virtuous, saving the earth… The author writes how cotton bags actually require more resources to produce, thereby eliminating much of their green benefits over time.
“Cotton tote bags, for example, must be used 7,100 times before they are more environmentally friendly than using the single-use plastic bag they replace, according to a 2018 study by Denmark’s Ministry of Environment and Food.”
I’d recommend this book to anyone concerned about our planet, and who wants to dive deeper into specific green issues such as. fast fashion, e-waste, food waste, plastics, water, and most if all, how richer countries dump so much upon poorer nations and all the repercussions that follow.
Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Book Group for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
June 3, 2024
This could've worked out as an excellent book on a par with other 'synthetic' works; books that draw on multiple research disciplines from the natural sciences and the humanities to construct a sense-making narrative on a relevant subject (for example; Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, Underland: A Deep Time Journey or Scale: The Universal Laws of Growth, Innovation, Sustainability, and the Pace of Life in Organisms, Cities, Economies, and Companies); but it failed; started out fine laying out the problem and its history but halfway the story got bogged down in one-damn-statistic-or-factoid-after-another-mode; in addition the author employed a pretty distant, almost dispassionate voice throughout which is fine from an accuracy standpoint, but does not work out well in the end given the gravity and global importance of the chosen subject.
December 31, 2023
I don't think the author at all intended for this book to be a gloomy outlook on how we are all f**ked. But that's the predominant feeling that I am walking away with. Learnt a lot about how the myriad different forms of waste will live on long after we are gone, and no, it's just not plastics we are talking about here. While reducing our consumption seems to be the most effective personal tool at our disposal, there will always be a trade-off between sustainability and convenience given the post industrial revolution society that we are all used to. Organisations and corporates need to take more ownership of their supply chain and the way they manufacture products. Else our waste is going to continue creating toxic gargantuan dumps around the developing world.
May 30, 2024
This book addresses broad sweeping waste issues- from global recycling efforts and landfills to fast fashion, food and mining waste.
I really enjoy this style of journalism for books about serious issues like climate change, poverty, etc, where the author travels across the world collecting stories and data. The author does a fantastic job at bringing to light the fundamental issues with “waste solutions” like second-hand stores and demonstrates those solutions are often in place to combat individual consumer guilt, as opposed to addressing the larger issues in our global economy. Highly recommend this book- required reading #3 this year
I really enjoy this style of journalism for books about serious issues like climate change, poverty, etc, where the author travels across the world collecting stories and data. The author does a fantastic job at bringing to light the fundamental issues with “waste solutions” like second-hand stores and demonstrates those solutions are often in place to combat individual consumer guilt, as opposed to addressing the larger issues in our global economy. Highly recommend this book- required reading #3 this year
December 3, 2024
this should be required reading for all!!!!
A really well done book on the different facets of waste and an excellent reflection on personal vs corporate responsibility and impact. Super engaging and also depressing lol
A really well done book on the different facets of waste and an excellent reflection on personal vs corporate responsibility and impact. Super engaging and also depressing lol
December 13, 2023
I think that I'm very probably like most people in the UK and when it comes to rubbish I recycle and try not to buy things using un-necessary plastics etc. but for the rest of my rubbish I tend to think that out of sight is out of mind. Oliver Franklin-Wallis wondered what exactly happens to both our rubbish and our recycled rubbish and this is a book of his discoveries. This book is really well done and has certainly told me so much I didn't know.
August 15, 2024
[PL] Człowiek myśli, że wie jak jest źle dopóki nie dowie się jak źle jest naprawdę.
[EN] You think you know how bad it is until you find out how bad it actually is.
[EN] You think you know how bad it is until you find out how bad it actually is.
July 2, 2024
Life changing book. I value items exponentially more and am inspired to buy less stuff.
July 14, 2024
4.7
Super informative and interesting. Important information for everyone!
Super informative and interesting. Important information for everyone!
March 26, 2025
Furious note taking throughout. Essential reading!
October 4, 2025
So this book is very good!! Very well written, very accessible! There is an ungodly amount of information that there is no way to totally absorb but like I think very necessary. A bit repetitive in some parts but like he can’t help when tidbits are relevant to different stories he’s telling. So I felt it was necessary repetition. I think what I liked most is this guy is never like, “this is all your fault!!!” I never felt blamed. I def felt a part of it, but I never felt it was all on me. He does very well contextualizing waste and why we waste and how very often the world is set up to force us to be wasteful. I usually tell people who talk about recycling and all that stuff like bruh, nothing we do is gonna make a difference. It’s too big, it’s out of our hands. And the author does make that clear but for the first time I feel like hey maybe I should be more adamant about being less wasteful. Like the way he presents the info actually makes me want to try in a way I never have wanted to before. And I think i will likely try to read this book over and over again as a reminder to myself. Bc let me tell you…SO depressing lololol such a depressing book but worth the read!
October 30, 2023
Honestly there’s not a lot of “new” information about waste in this book. Most of it you’ve probably already seen through documentaries, the news or other sources. At least, I have and I’m not even actively looking for it. But I liked the structure of the book. Every chapter the author writes about a different kind of waste and describes his experience of visiting different countries, where these wastes are being processed. He also describes the impact is has on the environment and how polluting and toxic it all is. Since I deal with the transfer and treatment of waste daily because of my job, I personally found it an interesting and informative read.
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