Wasteland: The Dirty Truth About What We Throw Away, Where It Goes, and Why It Matters

By: Oliver Franklin-Wallis

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Synopsis: &‘A gripping read that will anger as much as it fascinates&’ Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall&‘An incredible journey into the world of rubbish, full of fascinating characters and mind-bending facts&’ Oliver Bullough, author of Moneyland &‘Urgent, probing and endlessly interesting&’ Cal Flyn, author of Islands of Abandonment'There are stories in all our discarded things: who made them, what they meant to a person before they were thrown away. In the end, it all ends up in the same place – the endless ingenuity of humanity in one filthy, fascinating mass.' When we throw things &‘away&’, what does that actually mean? Where does it go, and who deals with it when it gets there? In Wasteland, award-winning journalist Oliver Franklin-Wallis takes us on an eye-opening journey through the global waste industry. From the mountainous landfills of New Delhi to Britain&’s overflowing sewers, from hollowed-out mining towns in the USA to Ghana&’s flooded second-hand markets, we meet the people on the frontline of our waste crisis – both those being exploited, and those determined to make a difference. On the way, we discover the corporate greenwashing that started the recycling movement; the dark truth behind our second-hand donations; and come face to face with the 10,000-year legacy of our nuclear waste. Both shocking and hopeful, Wasteland is the timely and ultimately human story at the heart of an urgent global issue.