Junkyard Planet: Travels In The Billion-Dollar Trash Trade (2013) - Plot & Excerpts
Human ingenuity is both amazing and appalling. What happens to the things we recycle here in the US is absolutely astonishing. This book is extremely detailed, containing more facts than the average person might care to know. But it is quite thoroughly researched. I particularly enjoyed the description of how "single stream" recyclables are sorted in a warehouse size operation that sounds as though Rube Goldberg would have been right at home - and then some! A little background...In the late 70s/early 80's, I was a young girl. I helped a family member strip wires (which were, at the time, simply discarded by the building company they worked for). We would go to a local scrapyard to get some money for this discarded stuff, which would have gone to landfill.What a change in the 2000's when copper skyrocketed. There is no way that copper would be discarded! My Review:This interesting book follows the scrap metal, plastics and e-waste trade from the cast-offs of the West to the shipping trade to the scrapyards and re-cycling plants/areas of China (and, to a lesser extent, India). The author weaves in the history of scrap collection and re-cycling in North America as well (including examples from his own families small scrapyard in the US).I found the writing intelligent and personable. I liked Minter's non-judgmental attitude toward the players in the field (this would be expected, as many of the characters are friends and/or business colleagues of friends). He showed both the good and the bad aspects of the industry.A little more background..I have been more and more interested in a "cheapskate" lifestyle (read "frugal" and "non-consumerism"). Interestingly, the author pointed out (quite clearly) that the ONLY way to reduce the negative impact on the environment (both overseas and in North America) was to concentrate more on the 1st of the three R's of "REDUCE, re-use and recycle" He readily admits that Americans and the growing middle class of Asia are unlikely to do this en-mass though.It is sort of a call to arms. Cheapskates/frugal types and non-consumers of the developed world unite. Stop buying all the crap, make conscious choices to avoid excess packaging and learn to live more like our forebears of the Great Generation did (that is, people of the Depression who didn't have a friggin choice and just had to make do and re-use, re-purpose what they had). Back to my review:It was an interesting read and an eye opener of the global nature of the recycling trade.
What do You think about Junkyard Planet: Travels In The Billion-Dollar Trash Trade (2013)?
Interesting topic, but I would prefer an overview of the industry rather than the personal stories.
—Billy
Good book. Very informative about how the recycling industry works.
—moeali
One of the most insightful books I've read in the last year.
—shahla
Fascinating look at the recycling industry from an insider.
—Misha
Didn't finish. Interesting but too much of the same thing.
—nisqualitygurl
