Junkyard Planet

Adam Minter, a Shanghai-based journalist and son of a scrapyard owner, tours the world’s waste “grubbing” hot spots to provide a savvy view of the processes, triumphs and failures of the scrap industry. He focuses mainly on recycling metals, but also covers plastics and the contentious topic of “e-waste.” His research highlights the importance of profit in the chain of waste-management and recycling. Some of the worst health and environmental side-effects relate directly to recycling cheap plastics, a business with minuscule margins. In contrast, profitable metal recycling is a worldwide “green success.” getAbstract recommends this ecological travelogue to those seeking to understand the global impact – and opportunities – of booming consumption and the resulting disposal of products. The recycling picture is more complex than you might think, given the mix of materials, motives and morals involved.