Garbology
Garbology is the study of discarded materials, allowing researchers to gain insights into human consumption habits and societal behaviors through the analysis of refuse. This interdisciplinary field, often associated with anthropology and archaeology, examines all types of waste, from household items to commercial refuse, to better understand trends in recycling, consumption, and even cultural practices. The term is most commonly linked to the pioneering work of William Rathje, who led the Tucson Garbage Project, analyzing over fifteen thousand samples of trash since 1973. His findings, chronicled in the book "Rubbish: The Archaeology of Garbage," reveal valuable consumer data, including recycling rates and changing social habits, such as liquor consumption.
Garbology also intersects with popular culture through the analysis of the refuse of celebrities, igniting debates over privacy and journalistic ethics. Additionally, law enforcement agencies have utilized garbology techniques to gather evidence from the discards of suspected criminals. The field has expanded to include diverse practices such as dumpster diving, where individuals may seek to reduce waste or find usable items, reflecting a blend of environmental concern and resourcefulness. Overall, garbology serves as a unique lens through which to explore modern society's values and behaviors, highlighting the significance of what we choose to throw away.
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Subject Terms
Garbology
DEFINITION: The study of materials discarded by humans
By studying the items that people discard, anthropologists and other scientists can learn about human consumption habits. Environmentalists are particularly interested in the reduction of waste materials through lowered consumption and recycling.
The informal term “garbology” is most commonly used in reference to the archaeological study of refuse, but it can include any activity in which refuse is closely studied. No university has an official garbology program, but many people call themselves garbologists. Despite the formal definition of as moist refuse, in practice garbology includes the study of all types of household and commercial refuse. William Rathje is recognized as the foremost expert in garbology. Combining his anthropological and archaeological expertise, Rathje created and directed the Tucson Garbage Project at the University of Arizona. From 1973 onward, he and his team of researchers analyzed more than fifteen thousand samples of household refuse from around the world. Rathje and Cullen Murphy coauthored Rubbish: The Archaeology of Garbage (1992), which describes the more interesting findings from these Garbage Project investigations.
A typical Garbage Project study uses recently collected refuse from a particular neighborhood, keeping the names of refuse generators anonymous. Garbage Project researchers then comb through this garbage, sorting it into 150 categories and recording information about individual items’ sizes, weights, and other characteristics. These garbage sorts provide a wide range of consumer information, ranging from the quantity of recyclable materials thrown away to trends in liquor consumption over time.
Other people have popularized garbology by examining the discards of famous people. In the 1970s, A. J. Weberman sifted through musician Bob Dylan’s garbage for many months and wrote magazine articles about his findings. He and his associates at the National Institute of Garbology promote their garbological investigations of luminaries such as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Spiro Agnew, and Dustin Hoffman. A 1975 National Enquirer article featuring journalist Jay Gourley’s analysis of Secretary of State Henry Kissinger’s garbage sparked widespread controversy about journalistic standards and invasion of privacy.
Likewise, law-enforcement and intelligence agents analyze the discards of suspected criminals and political figures to build evidence about the activities of their subjects. Elevating garbology to international intrigue, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) reportedly paid one thousand dollars in the 1950s for the refuse from a single Soviet airliner. Although the US Constitution protects against illegal search and seizure of private property, the Supreme Court ruled in 1988 that garbage left for collection can be searched without a warrant. Some states and municipalities have laws to prevent refuse scavenging, although such statutes may not be rigidly enforced.
The opportunity to look for useful items in refuse has led to the growing popularity of “dumpster diving,” the practitioners of which may or may not consider themselves garbologists. Some of these individuals are desperate for food and necessities, but others are environmentalists who dislike seeing usable items go to waste. Anthropologists and historians have been able to study enigmatic times in history by looking at the items thrown away by some cultures. For example, historians were able to gain information about the 1966–76 Cultural Revolution in China by examining paper waste thrown away during the period.
The term “garbology” is sometimes used to designate other refuse-related activities as well. Persons who work in the fields of refuse collection and may refer to themselves as garbologists. Garbology research has been conducted on the types of litter strewn on highways and in other public places so that antilittering programs can then target key sources of litter. Even artists who use items found in heaps or garbage dumps to make “trash art” may refer to themselves as garbologists.
Bibliography
Baraniuk, Chris. "Garbology: How to Spot Patterns in People's Waste." BBC, 2 May 2022, www.bbc.com/future/article/20220429-garbology-how-to-spot-patterns-in-peoples-waste. Accessed 17 July 2024.
Humes, Edward. Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash. New York: Avery, 2012.
Melosi, Martin V. Garbage in the Cities: Refuse, Reform, and the Environment. Rev. ed. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2005.
Mervis, Jeffrey. "Garbology 101: Getting a Grip on Waste." Science 337.6095 (2012): 668–72.
Rathje, William L., and Cullen Murphy. Rubbish! The Archaeology of Garbage. 1992. Reprint. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 2001.
Rogers, Heather. Gone Tomorrow: The Hidden Life of Garbage. New York: New Press, 2005.