Pollution is Colonialism completely shifted how I think about environmental harm—not just as a scientific issue, but as a political and colonial one. It made me question who gets to define what counts as pollution, and why. —Sam in Wilmington, NC

Waste Wars is a jaw-dropping exposé of how and why, for the last forty years, our garbage — the stuff we deem so worthless we think nothing of throwing it away — has spawned a massive, globe-spanning, multi-billion-dollar economy, one that offloads our consumption footprints onto distant continents, pristine landscapes, and unsuspecting populations. If the handling of our trash reveals deeper truths about our Western society, what does the globalized business of garbage say about our world today? And what does it say about us?
Recommended by Alex in Brattleboro, VT, Dave in Brookline, MA, Bob in Naples, FL, Patricia in Cincinnati, OH and Amanda in Viroqua, WI