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

Szaky (Revolution in a Bottle) knows of what he speaks when it comes to trash. The founder and CEO of TerraCycle combines in this brief work the well-known environmental strategies of consumption reduction and recycling with the newer concept of “upcycling.” Familiar to crafters as the new term for repurposing found or discarded items, Szaky makes upcycling a central part of his overall strategy for outsmarting waste, falling between reusing and recycling on a hierarchy of “circular solutions.” Upcycling can be done on an individual basis but is also possible on an industrial level, as his company and others like it prove. Szaky believes that we can solve our global waste problem in a way that makes both environmental and economic sense by adjusting consumption habits so that, as individuals, we buy less, buy used, and buy more durably and conscientiously. Moreover, we can ensure that items no longer wanted or needed get reused, upcycled, or recycled. While not everyone may have the DIY spirit to upcycle their own trash, it is undeniable that the Earth’s resources are limited and that human-created waste is a growing threat; Szaky’s book offers useful strategies that are available to anyone. (Feb.)