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A review by rosepoints
Wasteland: The Secret World of Waste and the Urgent Search for a Cleaner Future by Oliver Franklin-Wallis
5.0
this is an expansive book that covers various issues with the way we dispose and treat waste, and i honestly felt like i learned so much more than i thought i would. i'm familiar with the usual plights associated with fast fashion and food waste, but i learned about things like sewage (never knew why "rag" was that big of a problem before!) and the finer details of plastics recycling and incineration. i also didn't know that there was a whole industry built on exporting and importing waste, and the story of the "ash ship" in 1986 really shook me.
unlike similar books i've read in this vein (the first one that comes to mind is "the secret life of groceries" by benjamin lorr), i really enjoyed that oliver franklin-wallis is honest about the shortcomings of the waste industries and the core problems that underlie the waste. for example, he talks about how the majority of waste workers tend to be the most marginalized and earn pittances compared to other members of society in the first chapter. however, unlike other authors who would stop there, he points out how the caste system, islamophobia, and hindu nationalism/prime minister modi's policies influence the population of waste workers in india. another instance of franklin-wallis doing something like this is when he talks about food waste, gleaners and freegans. he directly cites the privileges and resources that some people have vs others and how food banks mask other gaps in the government's social policies. that was genuinely so refreshing to see in a nonfiction book written for a mainstream audience, and it allowed me to see the intersectionality of the waste issue.
the writing style was also engaging and i feel like a lot of general readers would really enjoy reading this. franklin-wallis doesn't go overboard with any of the stories and i honestly appreciate that he allows us to see both the good and the bad in people working in or alongside the waste industry. an excellent commentary on consumerism, capitalism, and sustainability.
unlike similar books i've read in this vein (the first one that comes to mind is "the secret life of groceries" by benjamin lorr), i really enjoyed that oliver franklin-wallis is honest about the shortcomings of the waste industries and the core problems that underlie the waste. for example, he talks about how the majority of waste workers tend to be the most marginalized and earn pittances compared to other members of society in the first chapter. however, unlike other authors who would stop there, he points out how the caste system, islamophobia, and hindu nationalism/prime minister modi's policies influence the population of waste workers in india. another instance of franklin-wallis doing something like this is when he talks about food waste, gleaners and freegans. he directly cites the privileges and resources that some people have vs others and how food banks mask other gaps in the government's social policies. that was genuinely so refreshing to see in a nonfiction book written for a mainstream audience, and it allowed me to see the intersectionality of the waste issue.
the writing style was also engaging and i feel like a lot of general readers would really enjoy reading this. franklin-wallis doesn't go overboard with any of the stories and i honestly appreciate that he allows us to see both the good and the bad in people working in or alongside the waste industry. an excellent commentary on consumerism, capitalism, and sustainability.