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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
Interesting, fact filled account of the flow of recyclable goods around the world. A tad repetitive but perhaps he was merely recycling the words.
This is one of the most fascinating books I have ever read. It really opens up my worldview about the global industry of recycling in a way I didn't think possible. I came from always thinking that recycling was a philanthropic act of local governments to knowing that it is in fact, a multi-billion-dollar global business. And that shifts my perspectives on a lot of things.
Where did your old electronics go after you put them in your recycling bin? Well, they might have traveled from your home in California to a small town in China where they can be hand-sorted for useable and recyclable materials. If the electronics were still good enough, they might be repaired and resold in the Chinese market. If not, the recycled materials could be turned into new products that might eventually end up back in your home as you purchase more products from overseas.
The book touches on a lot more than just the cycle I described above. Adam Minter really did a good job of making the point that recycling isn't as simple a concept as most of us think it is. Industries and governments should make it clear to consumers what recycling can and cannot do, so that consumers don't end up consuming more just because recycling is an option, a "green" option even. And for everyday consumers like you and me, it's important to keep in mind that Recycle comes third, after Reduce and Reuse. Follow that order.
Where did your old electronics go after you put them in your recycling bin? Well, they might have traveled from your home in California to a small town in China where they can be hand-sorted for useable and recyclable materials. If the electronics were still good enough, they might be repaired and resold in the Chinese market. If not, the recycled materials could be turned into new products that might eventually end up back in your home as you purchase more products from overseas.
The book touches on a lot more than just the cycle I described above. Adam Minter really did a good job of making the point that recycling isn't as simple a concept as most of us think it is. Industries and governments should make it clear to consumers what recycling can and cannot do, so that consumers don't end up consuming more just because recycling is an option, a "green" option even. And for everyday consumers like you and me, it's important to keep in mind that Recycle comes third, after Reduce and Reuse. Follow that order.
When it comes to environmental sustainability in America the three tenants taught in school are: reduce, reuse, recycle. The last of the three is the most visible and most used option because the culture we live in does not really move toward reducing or reusing. We are a single-use society that loves new things.
As someone who has worked in sustainability I appreciate Adam Minter's Junkyard Planet for laying out the journey of scrap metal. In some ways you could say he plots an ethnography of an object. We follow metal from the yards of America to the sheds and scrappers of Asia and then back to the brokers who make the shipment deals and flit around in the world of metal supply and demand. There is also a fantastic briefing on recycling in America (or "grubbing").
What is so vitally important, and what I think Minter does a good job of highlighting, is that there are high levels of materials that must be managed in some way. While some of the striping practices are not the most eco-friendly (or just plain safe) there is some solace in knowing that the items are not merely being piled in a landfill. (Some solace, not a lot.)
He circles in on the more important issue of consumption. Recycling is the last of the steps toward waste reduction, because in the end that recycling bin is still going to produce some waste. What is more crucial is changing buying habits. The author ends the book with the message that we should "demand" companies be responsible for making products that embrace the three "r"s, especially when it comes to repairability and reusability.
I think anyone who works in sustainability can always benefit from understanding the cycles around certain waste streams.
As someone who has worked in sustainability I appreciate Adam Minter's Junkyard Planet for laying out the journey of scrap metal. In some ways you could say he plots an ethnography of an object. We follow metal from the yards of America to the sheds and scrappers of Asia and then back to the brokers who make the shipment deals and flit around in the world of metal supply and demand. There is also a fantastic briefing on recycling in America (or "grubbing").
What is so vitally important, and what I think Minter does a good job of highlighting, is that there are high levels of materials that must be managed in some way. While some of the striping practices are not the most eco-friendly (or just plain safe) there is some solace in knowing that the items are not merely being piled in a landfill. (Some solace, not a lot.)
He circles in on the more important issue of consumption. Recycling is the last of the steps toward waste reduction, because in the end that recycling bin is still going to produce some waste. What is more crucial is changing buying habits. The author ends the book with the message that we should "demand" companies be responsible for making products that embrace the three "r"s, especially when it comes to repairability and reusability.
I think anyone who works in sustainability can always benefit from understanding the cycles around certain waste streams.
I received a copy of this book for free as part of the First Reads program.
I always like a book to teach me something about a subject, and 'Junkyard Planet' never fails in that regard! This was an amazing read, full of information about the global business of garbage. And here I thought it all ended up in a landfill: garbage apparently travels more than I have. The book is also filled with the human side of the business, with the people who depend on a steady supply of trash.
I always like a book to teach me something about a subject, and 'Junkyard Planet' never fails in that regard! This was an amazing read, full of information about the global business of garbage. And here I thought it all ended up in a landfill: garbage apparently travels more than I have. The book is also filled with the human side of the business, with the people who depend on a steady supply of trash.
I started this book with high hopes: scrap is a serious component of globalization. After all, one man's junk is another man's opportunity. Minter's folksy, i was there narrative is a little unexpected. And for a while, quite frankly, it got on my nerves. But Minter does get to see things you and I will just never see. And his reactions, even for somebody steeped in scrap from the crib, are things we can all identify with. He sees the imbalances in expectations between developed and under-developed societies. He sees wealth re-distributed. He sees innovation and imagination at work. And he sees the inexorable march of consumption. Recycling simply does't make our planet more liveable. It may put off the inevitable environmental catastrophe, but it cannot alter fate. It is a sad yet compelling look at what happens to junk: where it goes, who it enriches, and what we have to gain by consuming less. I heartily recommend this book to you.
Eye-opening and full of really interesting facts, though by the last few chapters I was ready to move on. Key take-always: reducing is MUCH more important than recycling if you want to be green, recycling happens when there’s a a market for recycled materials, and plastic recycling is pretty awful. I shouldn’t feel too good about the recycled plastic insulation in my winter coat; it was probably processed by a poorly-paid Chinese worker breathing dangerous fumes and handling caustic chemicals without protective equipment.
I don't want my low rating of this book to be a full deterrent from reading it. I rated this book relatively poorly because it needed a few more rounds of editing. It was presented in chronological order, but I think it could have been more effective in like-category order so there wouldn't have been dozens of pages of redundant information and lackluster transitions. There were (a lot of) unnecessary details that detracted from the message of the text, which I don't think was fully framed and presented until the last chapter.
I have a Master's degree in energy and sustainability and my focus for my degree work was in biological trash waste so I was so excited to learn about another side of the waste world. I think this was the right author for the task but because I felt the information wasn't organized interestingly or effectively, it took me almost 5 months to push my way through this book. The content was compelling, I did learn a lot, and I do not regret reading this for a second, BUT it had the potential to have been a lot better and I think with a different flow structure it would be reaching a much wider audience.
I have a Master's degree in energy and sustainability and my focus for my degree work was in biological trash waste so I was so excited to learn about another side of the waste world. I think this was the right author for the task but because I felt the information wasn't organized interestingly or effectively, it took me almost 5 months to push my way through this book. The content was compelling, I did learn a lot, and I do not regret reading this for a second, BUT it had the potential to have been a lot better and I think with a different flow structure it would be reaching a much wider audience.
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
This book was fascinating. I didn't know that tons of junk here gets sent to other countries to be recycled. It was very informative.
This book was eye opening and compelling and well written. The author is honest about his biases, clear in his sources. Overall the mix of history, statistics, memoir/anecdotes and analysis is really great.
Bottom line: recycling is driven by economics, not environmental concerns. The industry has problems but for the most part the alternatives are worse. There's lots of wealth to be had. End of the day recycling is the third best choice after reduce and reuse.
My main question is how this has changed in the past 8 years.
Bottom line: recycling is driven by economics, not environmental concerns. The industry has problems but for the most part the alternatives are worse. There's lots of wealth to be had. End of the day recycling is the third best choice after reduce and reuse.
My main question is how this has changed in the past 8 years.