garbology

In 1973, archaeologist William Rathje created The Garbage Project, an archeological and sociological study of American garbage. Rathje became a central figure in the foundation of ‘garbology,’ excavating landfills in his town of residence, Tucson, AZ, and later around the country. In his book, ‘Rubbish: The Archaeology of Garbage’ he describes his findings from digs in these contemporary tombs, the largest man-made structures on earth. Sanitary landfills, designed to reduce groundwater and air contamination, are sealed with thick layers of plastic and clay making them impermeable to water, sunlight and air—the antithesis to ideal compost conditions. In samples, his team found 40 year old hot dogs fully preserved and 50 year old legible newspapers.