A deep dive into the global waste industry by award-winning journalist Oliver Franklin-Wallis.



LONGLISTED FOR THE 2024 WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR CONSERVATION WRITING

A BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK
A 2023 BOOK OF THE YEAR IN THE GUARDIAN AND THE NEW YORKER

‘Captivating’ Literary Review
‘Powerful’ New Scientist
‘Impressive’ Spectator
‘Important’ Financial Times

Waste is everywhere. It’s clogging our rivers and littering our streets. The Pacific Ocean contains a great garbage patch three times the size of France. Our junk is even orbiting the earth. No wonder there are microplastics in our bloodstreams.

Waste, a problem we’ve ignored for too long, is now a global crisis – and it’s getting worse.

From the landfills of New Delhi, to the second-hand clothing markets of Ghana and the overflowing sewers of Britain, join Oliver Franklin-Wallis as he reveals the dirty truth about the global waste industry.

In this eye-opening and ultimately hopeful book, he meets some of the heroic people trying to make a difference and explains precisely how we can create a better, less wasteful world.