America’s love affair with garbage: An Interview with Edward Humes

Americans are missing out on proven, commonsense solutions to waste management. That’s one of the takeaways from Edward Humes’ book “Garbology: Out Dirty Love Affair With Trash” (Avery), which examines why America produces so much trash, where we dispose of it, and how we might be able to mend our ways. To be sure, America’s waste management system is remarkably adept at handling waste, but that capacity is a double-edged sword, because it enables Americans to produce massive amounts of trash with little regard for the costs and consequences. In the following interview, I question Humes about this success-failure paradox, touching on everything from junk mail to plastic grocery bags.

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Book: Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash