the.com/garbology
you are what you throw away, and science finally noticed.
means the study of modern human behavior and consumption by systematically analyzing waste and landfill contents.
from coined in the 1970s when university of arizona archaeologist william rathje realized trash is the most honest record of what people actually do, as opposed to what they say they do in surveys.
founderwilliam rathje started the garbage project in 1973
key findingpeople underreport alcohol use, trash proves it
landfill mythbiodegradable items often don't decompose for decades
methodresearchers sort, weigh, and catalog household trash by hand
for instance
the garbage project — university of arizona study running from 1973 into the 1990s
fresno landfill dig — 1987 excavation found readable newspapers from the 1950s
rathje's hot dog study — trash data revealed real beef consumption vs survey answers