What a Waste: Where Does Garbage Go?

by Claire Eamer, Bambi Edlund (Illustrator)

What a Waste! answers the when we throw something away, where is “away”? Ever since cave people cracked open seafood shells for dinner, humans have produced garbage, and we’ve had to figure out what to do with it. What a Waste! explores the history of garbage from earliest times to today, covering subjects including dumps, human waste, water pollution, “problem” garbage, and modern “throwaway” culture. From islands made out of 5,000-year-old garbage in the Florida Everglades and sophisticated waste-disposal systems in ancient Pakistan to “fatbergs” the size of a city bus in sewers today, What a Waste! delves into the fascinating, weird, and often disgusting world of garbage, and shows why it’s a growing problem. Creative solutions are showcased, like Repair Cafés to fix broken items, grocery stores that specialize in “imperfect” fruits and vegetables, and filtration systems in Kenya made from discarded water bottles. With an inviting presentation including hand-lettering and humorous illustrations, this book will both educate and entertain young readers.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Picture Books, Middle Grade

96 pages, Paperback

First published March 14, 2017

About the author

I'm a writer of non-fiction for kids, mainly science and a little history. My books are published by Annick Press and available through all the usual commercial distributors, including major online bookstores. I also write children's magazine articles, popular science articles for adults, and do a variety of contract writing, mostly related to science. "

Reviews

[Mischenko · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a Waste: Where Does Garbage Go? is a book that teaches everything you want or need to know about garbage.

I'm really amazed at how thorough this book is. There are so many facts even adults can learn here. The reading is probably best for older children as the book is jam-packed full of information. It covers:

-Where garbage goes
-How it's stored
-Recycling
-Composting
-Statistics
-Smart people with smart ideas
-What we put down the drain including sewer information
-Garbage we create in the growing of crops and manufacturing process
-Problems with plastic and another big one we don't think about-electronics
-Future plans including turning waste into energy
-Other countries and how they deal with garbage
-Greenhouse gases from trash

The book helps children understand that foods aren't necessarily bad because of the date on the packaging. I think this is so important because best by/sell by dates and expiration dates mean different things kids might not understand. The fact that a third of our food is tossed out yearly is alarming!



This is a book I want to keep on my shelf. Every school should have this available for their students. I could easily see this in a classroom setting spanned out over a 4-week course. It's just an amazing book...

5*****

Thanks to Netgalley for sharing a copy with me.

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

'What a Waste: Where Does Garbage Go?' by Claire Eamer with illustrations by Bambi Edlund is a book for young readers about garbage and the problems it creates.

As long as humans have been around, there has been garbage. A history of garbage is given as well as the current problems, from large greasy clots in sewers to plastic islands. There is plenty of gross out science and lots of awareness of the problems we face. Along with the problem are innovative people who are finding solutions, like the person who started a restaurant making meals out of food that others had thrown out, or places where electronics can get repaired rather than tossed. There is also a further reading list and a good sized bibliography.

The art is fun, which might seem strange considering how serious the topic is, but I think that approach keeps the subject hopeful. I liked the history of garbage and the frank message of where we are. The book would make a good read for a young person who likes gross out science books, or wants to learn how they can change the world.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Annick Press Ltd. and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

[Beyond the Pages with Eva K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't think it strange that I loved this book. I did! It was informative, entertaining, illuminating, and quite frankly brilliant. Who knew that waste could be explored so creatively? I certainly didn't. I'm so glad that I was given a chance to review this title. This is the type of book that I would add to my keeper shelf in my home library. I see so many ways of using it with my family for educational purposes. I think anyone who reads this will raise their level of consciousness about waste and waste management. Bravo!
Rating: 4.5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: All
Status: Non-fiction, Environmental Awarenss, Education
Keeper: Yes
Other: Not everyone will appreciate the genius of this book. Still, there is so much value in this little treasure.
Hard copy or e-copy: Hard copy preferred
Source: NetGalley

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read. It is very comprehensive but still fun. Plus the little info,bits are great. I will forever remember what “pure” is. I love that the book is based on two questions: what is garbage, and what is “away”. The this books sets out to answer those questions. A great book for all library collections.

[Carolyn Woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

Garbage has always been produced by humans - though the amount of it is defnitely going up in modern times! Archaeologists look at the garbage left by prehistoric civilizations to better understand how the lived, and some day the same may be done by future scientists trying to understand more about our generation.

Different sources of garbage are discussed in detail - including food waste, industrial waste, plastic waste, and the issue of old electronics. Issues with landfills and dumps are discussed, and also alternatives such as recycling and repairing.

The book is engaging, with interesting stories and examples given. The illustrations are colorful and add a lot to the story.

I'd recommend this to elementary and middle-school aged students, as a way to raise their awareness of the impact of trash on the planet. This would also be a great support book for a class project on reducing waste.

[Ana Calabresi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally someone wrote a book about a question that I had for a long time! The language is super accessible and easy for kids. The amount of research involved is amazing! The illustrations are beautiful. I particularly like that each chapter is divided into small "articles", it makes it for a lighter read, not too heavy on the scientific aspects. It also presents day-to-day examples of how garbage surrounds us all.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy of this book.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so informational and well written. Where our garbage goes, however, is a very deep issue to think about. We recycle and are thoughtful about reducing our footprint but I ultimately had to stop reading the book, it was making me dwell on the issue and have a grim outlook on my children's future and their potential children.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was SUPER informative for the size - only 77 pages. I learned so much and it really opened up my eyes to the scary amount of waste in this world - but it also offered a lot of solutions or ways to greatly reduce or greatly reuse waste.

[Rachel]

Can you define the following terms: gullyfluff (pocket lint), nurdles (plastic pellets used to make plastic packaging), mudlark (a 19th century child who waded through garbage looking for things that are worth money), midden (garbage pile). They are all words related to trash, and you'll find mounds of fascinating garbage information inside this book. The number of people on planet Earth is growing and with that growth is coming massive piles of trash. Garbage can have surprising uses, but it can also be a colossal problem

Read "Attack of the Fatberg" on page 44.

Explore the ins and outs of managing the things we throw away, and some of the ideas that have been developed to help keep waste from ruining things for everybody.

[Moon Shine Art Spot ~ Lisa]

An absolutely awesome way to educate on where waste goes, and how to help everyone dispose of their waste responsibility in the future to help prevent pollution. Educating about renewable resources and pollution issues can save the future many struggles.

I was given this book free for review purposes.

[Simon Shapiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliantly researched with fascinating "who knew?" information. Simply and clearly written. Although it's aimed at kids, it's readable, enjoyable and educational for adults, too.

[Maria Caplin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chapters NF text features nice compliment to the 3 R’s

[Wylaina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting read on garbage.

[Katlyn Armstrong · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great for younger students to learn about trash and where it goes after we make it.

[Askia Chalich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative book on how to keep the Earth a cleaner and safer place for all.

[Josh Vaculik · Rating 2 out of 5]

This informational book combines fun illustrations with the fats about garbage. The book goes over what happens to garbage once you put it in the trash can. The book shows the bad things that happen but then goes into the good things being done to fix this and what you can do with garbage instead of feeding it to the dump.