![]() Of all the garbage examined, plastics constituted from 20 –24%. Even disposable diapers averaged out at only 1% by weight of the total solid waste contents (1.4% by volume). Contrary to much of public opinion, fast-food packaging made up only one-third of 1% of the total volume of trash landfilled between 19, while expanded polystyrene foam accounted for no more than 1%. Just as interesting as what they found was what they did not find. In fact, newspapers alone make up about 13% of the total volume of trash. ![]() Also, the largest proportion -40% -of landfilled garbage is paper, followed by the leftovers from building construction and demolition. For example, the accumulation of refuse has raised the City of New York 6 –30 ft (1.8 –9 m) since its founding. In Rubbish: The Archaeology of Garbage, published in 1992, Rathje and Atlantic Monthly managing editor Cullen Murphy discuss some of the data gleaned from the project. Because it requires sunlight, moisture, and oxygen, as well as organic material and bacteria, little biodegradation actually takes place in landfills, resulting in perfectly preserved heads of lettuce, 40-year-old hot dogs, and completely legible 50-year-old newspapers. ![]() Using sample analysis and assessing biodegradation, they also hoped to increase their understanding of resource depletion and environmental and landfill-related problems. The objective was to apply the techniques and tools of their science to the study of modern civilization by analyzing its garbage. The Garbage Project was founded in 1973, shortly after the first Earth Day, by William Rathje, professor of anthropology, and fellow archaeologists at the University of Arizona. ![]()
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