Trash Talk - by Iris Gottlieb (Paperback)

About the Book

"In a world of mass consumption and busy schedules, taking the time to understand our own trash habits can be daunting. In Talking Trash, the ever-curious and talented Iris Gottlieb pulls back the curtain on the intricacies of the global trash production system and its contribution to climate change . From the history of the mafia's rule of the New York sanitation system to orbital debris (space trash) to the myth of recycling, Gottlieb will help readers see trash in a whole new way. Complete with beautiful illustrations and several landfills' worth of research, Talking Trash shines a much-needed light on a system that has been broken for far too long, providing readers with surprising, disgusting, and insightful information to better understand how we affect garbage and how it affects us"--

Book Synopsis

An eye-opening, illustrated look at something we often take for granted--our trash, and the systems in place that make it disappear (or not)

In a world of mass consumption and busy schedules, taking the time to understand our own trash habits can be daunting. In Trash Talk, the ever-curious and talented Iris Gottlieb pulls back the curtain on the intricacies of the global trash production system and its contribution to climate change. From the history of the mafia's rule of the New York sanitation system to orbital debris (space trash) to the myth of recycling, Gottlieb will help readers see trash in a whole new way.
Complete with beautiful illustrations and several landfills' worth of research, Trash Talk shines a much-needed light on a system that has been broken for far too long, providing readers with surprising, disgusting, and insightful information to better understand how we affect garbage and how it affects us.

Review Quotes

"A must-read for anyone who cares about understanding how the Earth got 'trashed.'"
--Kirkus

"Gottlieb's candor and willing­ness to call out these painful truths make Trash Talk a book readers will remember and share."
--BookPage

"As this sprightly book makes clear, it's hard to throw something 'away' because a finite planet doesn't really have an away--not even in orbit, where space junk is piling up. So we better start thinking through some new approaches!"
--Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature

"Trash Talk is a brilliant, revelatory delight to read. It is an anthropological whodunit that thoroughly describes how much we extract from the living world and transform it into the dead world. Who thought a book on trash could be a page-turner. Think again!"
--Paul Hawken, author of Drawdown and Regeneration

"Like all of Iris Gottlieb's books, Trash Talk is a marvel of fascinating information, relatable insights, and laugh-out-loud hilarious illustrations and commentary. You'll be engrossed, entertained, and horrified by all the waste-related facts packed into the book, along with genuinely useful details about the world of trash that most of us know so little about. Everyone should read this book!"
--Margaret (Mei) and Irene Li, authors of Perfectly Good Food: A Totally Achievable Zero Waste Approach to Home Cooking

About the Author

Iris Gottlieb is an illustrator and author who works to make information more accessible through her content. They have illustrated for the New York Times, Smithsonian magazine, NPR, and Good Company, among others, and they have collaborated with museums around the country. Their previous books include Seeing Science, Seeing Gender, Natural Attraction, and Everything Is Temporary.