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Rubbish!: The Archaeology of Garbage [Paperback]

William Rathje , Cullen Murphy
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)

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Book Description

March 1, 2001
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.

Frequently Bought Together

Rubbish!: The Archaeology of Garbage + Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash + Gone Tomorrow: The Hidden Life of Garbage
Price for all three: $41.48

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

One of the central tenets of the University of Arizona's Garbage Project is that "what people have owned--and thrown away--can speak more eloquently, informatively, and truthfully about the lives they lead than they themselves ever may." Project garbologists have alchemized more than 250,000 pounds of refuse--from landfills and from trash cans in selected neighborhoods--into a treasure trove for experts in marketing and consumer research, census studies and environmentalism. Garbologists have determined that people waste three times more beef when the meat is in short supply than when it is plentiful; that many women use birth-control pills incorrectly; and that lower-income families consistently buy small-size, brand-name products rather than cheaper generic ones. Erudite and witty cultural tour guides, Rathje, an archeologist and anthropologist who directs the Project, and Atlantic managing editor Murphy claim that our garbage problems are solvable; that, with proper safeguards, incineration may be a viable option in some communities; and that paper--not disposable diapers or fast-food packaging--is a chief culprit in overloading landfills. Illustrated. First serial to Smithsonian; BOMC and QPB alternates; author tour.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA-- "Truth in garbage" might well be an appropriate subtitle for this in-depth examination of how garbage reflects the society that tosses it. Based on the findings of the Garbage Project at the University of Arizona, Rathje and Murphy's book seeks to dispel current myths while enlightening readers about American society from this unique perspective. They give a historical overview of what the human species has been doing with its refuse since hunter-gatherer times: dumping, burning, recycling, or reducing the amount of potentially discardable stuff. Subsequent sections explain how we unconsciously tell the truth about our lifestyles by what we throw away. Interesting information abounds. The last chapter urges readers to observe a "Ten Commandments" of consumption and disposal, which is based not on what "we think we know" but on what data from studies like this one reveal.
- Carolyn E. Gecan, Thomas Jefferson Sci-Tech, Fairfax County, VA
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 263 pages
  • Publisher: University of Arizona Press; First Edition edition (March 1, 2001)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0816521433
  • ISBN-13: 978-0816521432
  • Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #214,492 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
(19)
4.7 out of 5 stars
In all, this is a fascinating book. Glenn  |  1 reviewer made a similar statement
Just think, your garbage tells us a lot about who you are. Glenn Gallagher  |  1 reviewer made a similar statement
Landfills are good for disposing of that stuff. M. Heiss  |  3 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
31 of 32 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books I�ve read this year February 6, 2004
Format:Paperback
This is a fascinating overview of the world of garbology, the science of garbage. The authors begin by describing how the Garbage Project came to be, when students in a 1971 anthropology class at the University of Arizona hit upon studying garbage as a way to study people and culture. The Garbage Project has grown to become one of the leading scientific explorations into garbage, where it comes from, where it goes, and what it does when it gets there. Published results from the Garbage Project have covered such varied topics as changing patterns of meat consumption, using garbage volume to estimate population, and the relative quantities of diapers, newspapers, and plastics in landfills.

One of the most valuable contributions of the book is that it provides historical data to put garbage in perspective. Contrary to many people's beliefs, the authors argue that garbage and where to put it is not a new problem at all. They point out that one of the characteristics that make us human is that we create garbage, and we always have, back to the very first time a humanoid discovered how to create tools by chipping flint. To those who worry about our non-biodegradable trash, the authors remind us that the pottery shards of ancient archeological sites are nothing more than the indestructible refuse of yesteryear. And yet others worry about burying our trash in landfills which doesn't allow normal biodegradation to occur, but the authors point out that this also isn't new, describing an archeological dig of a putrid 2,000-year-old buried dump in Italy. Of course, the main message that the authors express is not that garbage is benign, but that the problem isn't new, and that garbage issues have been a concern since the dawn of civilization. They also point out that sanitation issues are even getting better. They give an overview of the history of garbage treatment in the US, from burying it under the kitchen floor, to building dumps, incinerators, and sanitary landfills. They point out that cities in the past weren't as clean as they are now. Cities used to produce mountains of coal dust and horse manure, and garbage would often simply sit on the corner, waiting to be dispersed by scavengers or pigs. They point out that "...ever since governments began facing up to their responsibilities, the story of the garbage problem in the industrialized world has been one of steady amelioration, of bad giving way to less bad and eventually to not quite so bad."

Scientists as well as ordinary people have very inaccurate ideas of what's in landfills today and how landfills work. Until the Garbage Project actually studied landfills, many landfill planners believed that trash would biodegrade somehow once it went into the landfill, and that the trash would eventually settle, producing large quantities of methane gas. By drilling into landfills and studying their contents, Garbage Project scientists have found that very little biodegradation actually occurs in landfills at all- -basically, only food scraps and perhaps a few lawn clippings break down. Since food scraps make up only a small portion of landfill volume, then settling and methane gas production is much less than expected.

If you think garbage is a problem, then an obvious way to address the problem is to reduce garbage volume. So what items take up the most space in our landfills? Many environmentalists would guess disposable diapers and plastics. But by meticulously analyzing landfill samples, Garbage Project scientists have determined that diapers comprise less than 2% of landfill volume and all plastics less than 20%. Paper, on the other hand, especially newspaper, doesn't compress well, doesn't biodegrade in landfill any better than plastic, and takes up 40% of landfill volume on average. Think of that next time you need to answer "Paper or plastic?" at the supermarket. By studying what's in our landfills and what actually happens to the stuff once it's been down there for a few decades, we can get better ideas about what the real garbage problems are and how to address them.

The authors suggest that the best solutions to garbage problems may be to ensure that there are economic incentives to garbage reduction. They point out that the weight and volume of packaging plastics has decreased dramatically since the 1960s- - plastic beverage bottles now weigh much less than they used to- -because it's cheaper for companies to pack and ship their items in lighter weight packaging. One of the persistent problems for garbage reduction is cities that charge a flat rate for garbage removal, rather than a per-can rate. In localities where residents pay a nominal fee for each bag of garbage to be disposed of, recycling participation rates are much higher, and garbage volume is less. The worst thing a city can do is to adopt uniform large containers for mechanized garbage collection, since garbage production magically increases to fill the space allotted to it.

After reading this book, I have a new-found respect for the Styrofoam cup and disposable diapers. I better understand why newspapers are so hard to get rid of, even through recycling. But there is one fishy result that leaves me a little suspicious- -at one point the authors argue that processed food creates less garbage than fresh food. The basis for this claim is a cross-cultural study they did in Mexico City and Arizona. They found that Mexican households produce a lot more garbage than American households, and that the larger volume is mostly attributable to the fact that Americans use processed foods where Mexicans use fresh foods. But wait, didn't the authors find in a different study that it was precisely food wastes that biodegrade in landfills, so in the end, isn't it better to produce more food scrap waste than packaging waste? This odd loose end leaves a bit of doubt in my mind that the book is entirely unbiased. But overall, I found the book incredibly informative and quite well written.

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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars This book should never have gone out of print. March 20, 1998
Format:Hardcover
It isn't common to find a good-for-you book on an important ho-hum subject that reads as deliciously as a mystery novel. Rubbish has it all. The principal author, an archeologist by training and founding advisor of the 20 year old Garbage Project at the University of Arizona, knows it all-- how to use poptops to data strata in landfill cores, where people REALLY get their major appliances and what becomes of them, how things stand in the rag and bone trade, what socioeconomic group is most likely to use the giant economy size, why people throw out MORE of a product during a scarcity scare-- and he writes it right. His style is smooth and anecdotal; his attitudes are calm and practical. Dealing with garbage is a (yuck) touchy subject; we need this book to inform our practices.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Facts about Garbage June 26, 1999
Format:Paperback
Many of the policy decisions about the waste our societies generate are not based on facts. The author and his team took the challenging ( and disgusting) task of going to the actual source, our domestic dumpsters and municipal landfills to do quantitative analysis. Something everybody else has avoided. Many of the assumptions that ecologically concerned people use about things like plastic have no grounds. In our landfills not even carrots decompose! I agree with the previous reviewer, this book should not be out of print.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars class
This book was required for a class at Eastern Oregon University and I ordered it for use in the class.
Published 4 months ago by Elainelynnley
5.0 out of 5 stars Ooh, book, you dirrrrty.
Well-written, not condescending but not unapproachable, great studies, entertaining, gives some ideas as to what to do with knowledge received. Definitely recommended.
Published 7 months ago by mosbey
5.0 out of 5 stars Good Book Pretty Interesting
This book debunks a lot of environmental myths having to do with landfills etc. I strongly recommend this book for anyone trying to get more at the truth of the current... Read more
Published 14 months ago by kittyrina
4.0 out of 5 stars Extra Text for my Archaeology class.
EVerything you ever wanted to know about garbage in america and more. Acutally this is an interesting book. Read more
Published on February 20, 2011 by glendalee2585
5.0 out of 5 stars Bravo!
The book was in excellent condition and was delivered promptly. Thank you for the great book!
Published on October 24, 2010 by junebug
4.0 out of 5 stars Enlightening. Needs an updated edition
This book is great for exploding the myths about garbage that people carry around. It is especially good at proving wrong the idea that the United States is a particularly... Read more
Published on May 15, 2010 by M. Heiss
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Resource
I've owned this book for many years, but I had lent it out to a friend and it was lost to me. While conducting research for a recycling project in the Chicago condominium building... Read more
Published on February 14, 2010 by Nigel Rowe
5.0 out of 5 stars No Rubbish!
Rathje's and Murphy's RUBBISH! is insightful and engaging. Their anecdotes about the ironies of environmental movements rallying behind particular causes (like McDonald's... Read more
Published on June 15, 2008 by M. Zavala
5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic
Great book. Rathje is a engaging figure that delivers a good story - the story of our garbage.

Highly recommended.
Published on May 26, 2008 by D. Mains
5.0 out of 5 stars Garbage Holds Its Treasures
I never thought reading about garbage would be interesting - well, okay, actually I did, otherwise I would have never read this book. Read more
Published on February 29, 2008 by Glenn Gallagher
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