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Wasteland

The Dirty Truth About What We Throw Away, Where It Goes, and Why It Matters

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Wasteland

By: Oliver Franklin-Wallis
Narrated by: Chris Harper
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About this listen

 A BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK

ONE OF THE NEW YORKER'S BEST BOOKS OF 2023

INCLUDED IN THE GUARDIAN'S BEST IDEAS BOOKS OF 2023

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2024 WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR CONSERVATION WRITING

‘A gripping read that will anger as much as it fascinates’ Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

‘An incredible journey into the world of rubbish, full of fascinating characters and mind-bending facts’ Oliver Bullough, author of Moneyland

‘Urgent, probing and endlessly interesting’ Cal Flyn, author of Islands of Abandonment

'There are stories in all our discarded things: who made them, what they meant to a person before they were thrown away. In the end, it all ends up in the same place – the endless ingenuity of humanity in one filthy, fascinating mass.'

When we throw things ‘away’, what does that actually mean? Where does it go, and who deals with it when it gets there? In Wasteland, award-winning journalist Oliver Franklin-Wallis takes us on an eye-opening journey through the global waste industry. From the mountainous landfills of New Delhi to Britain’s overflowing sewers, from hollowed-out mining towns in the USA to Ghana’s flooded second-hand markets, we meet the people on the frontline of our waste crisis – both those being exploited, and those determined to make a difference. On the way, we discover the corporate greenwashing that started the recycling movement; the dark truth behind our second-hand donations; and come face to face with the 10,000-year legacy of our nuclear waste.

Both shocking and hopeful, Wasteland is the timely and ultimately human story at the heart of an urgent global issue.
 Engineering Thought-Provoking Mining

Critic reviews

‘The book comes alive in its descriptions of people and places ... Franklin-Wallis writes stylishly about ugly things ... interesting and sobering ... His book should prompt serious discussion in boardrooms and parliaments’
‘Waste is a serious problem and also a curiously fascinating one. In this brilliant book, Franklin-Wallis goes into it up to his neck – so we don’t have to! The result is a gripping read that will anger as much as it fascinates. There’s lots we can all do to help, but he’s right to conclude that it’s government and business who really have to step up, and clean up’ (Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall)
‘This is an incredible journey into the world of rubbish, full of fascinating characters and mind-bending facts. My relationship with garbage is never going to be the same’ (Oliver Bullough, author of Moneyland and Butler to the World)
‘An urgent, probing and endlessly interesting investigation into our staggering wastefulness and the environmental crisis this is creating right under our noses. In Wasteland, Oliver Franklin-Walls offers us a behind the scenes guide to the processing plants, rubbish tips and refuse mountains that lurk in our back yards; the thundering machinery and skilled workers who strive tirelessly to relieve us of the spoils of our own profligacy. As he does so, he turns up rare treasures and unexpected beauties amid the junk and the mess. Tirelessly reported, it is a book both horrifying in its implications and gleefully hair-raising in the way it is told’ (Cal Flyn, author of Islands of Abandonment)
‘Shocking but essential reading’

(Tim Spector, author of Food for Life)
‘Superb. Oliver Franklin-Wallis’ deep dive into our wasteful ways and dirty histories turns up a story that gleams with insight and promise. An urgent and vividly told exploration of the underside of modern life, Wasteland also reveals what a better future could look like. You'll never see trash the same way again’ (David Farrier, author of Footprints)
'Just as everything we consume comes from somewhere on earth, so too everything we produce must go somewhere on earth – even if we don't want to think about it. This book compels us to. A fascinating, deeply researched and hugely important exposé of what happens to the stuff we no longer want, and the social and environmental cost of dealing with it. Revelatory, thoughtful and honest about our complex relationship with waste.' (Gaia Vince, author of Nomad Century)
All stars
Most relevant
a critical and balanced look at waste and recycling that for the most part confirms suspicions about recycling and waste but also a global view of waste as a business and what we could do

well researched and insightful

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From someone who works in the waste industry this is so on point and captivating

Brilliant

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You can’t un-learn what this book teaches you. I will never look at waste the same again. Absolutely fantastic and hugely engrossing. You just can’t look away. Beautifully written and really well read too. I found this a genuinely moving journey.

Genuinely life changing.

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This is a very interesting book but did it really have to have so much swearing in it? Unnecessary and out of place in a non-fiction audiobook - really quite jarring to be sworn at every 5 minutes. Also thought the audio production quality was poor in places. Worth listening to though as, like the book says, the waste industry is so amazingly out of sight that you're unlikely to know much about it unless you've purposely educated yourself.

Interesting but to much swearing

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A well written, well researched book that will probably cause you to think about your own waste, industrial waste, and why governments can’t seem to think long term.

A cause of reflection…

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