Encyclopedia of Garbage is a comprehensive, easy-to-use reference for students and general readers to the ultimate end product of our way of life: where it comes from, where it goes, what it does to the environment, why it appears in such quantities and what it tells us about ourselves. As even the most casual browser of this unique book will come to see, waste is not just a "problem" in need of a technological fix, but an element of our way of life that cannot be understood in social isolation.

Encyclopedia of Garbage covers waste in all its forms, solid, liquid and gaseous: household trash, industrial byproducts, animal waste, chemical pollution, radioactive waste, airborne emissions and particulate matter - everything. It explains the hazards waste poses to land, air, water and animal life; existing and proposed methods of handling it; and broader social responses to it, such as the environmental movement and government regulation.

Entries include information on cultural, political, economic and public health aspects of a subject that is of supreme importance to everyone. Encyclopedia of Garbage is an invaluable research tool for students at the middle school to undergraduate level. Those researching topics in earth science, ecology or social studies will find it indispensable.