Outsmart Waste: The Modern Idea of Garbage and How to Think Our Way Out of It

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(as of Sep 19, 2026 23:47:17 UTC – Details)


The power of upcycling both small-scale and large: “Szaky knows of what he speaks when it comes to trash . . . useful strategies that are available to anyone.” —Publishers Weekly
 
Ever-expanding landfills, ocean gyres filled with floating plastic mush, endangered wildlife. Our garbage has become a massive and exponentially growing problem in modern society. 
 
Eco-entrepreneur and founder of TerraCycle Tom Szaky explores why this crisis exists and explains how can we solve it by eliminating the very idea of garbage. To outsmart waste, he says, we first have to understand it, then change how we create it, and finally rethink what we do with it. By mimicking nature and focusing on the value inherent in our by-products, we can transform the waste we can’t avoid creating from useless trash to a useful resource. 
 
Szaky demonstrates that there is value in every kind of garbage, from used chewing gum to juice pouches to cigarette butts. After reading this mind-expanding book, you will never think about garbage the same way again.
 
“The waste industry is ripe for massive innovation and change. It takes creative minds and people with the courage to knock down doors and go around walls to be the spark. Tom is that.” —Ron Gonen, New York City Deputy Commissioner of Sanitation, Recycling, and Sustainability and cofounder and former CEO, RecycleBank
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00FBME6A2
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 14, 2014
Edition ‏ : ‎ 1st
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 6.3 MB
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 169 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1626560260
Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Best Sellers Rank: #1,681,605 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store) #179 in Waste Management #1,607 in Conservation #3,218 in Sustainable Living
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