Innovating Our Way to Zero Waste

When we throw something away, we rarely stop to consider exactly where “away” is, much less how much room is left there. As a result, our landfills are overflowing with trash of every type. In Trash Backwards: Innovating Our Way to Zero Waste, a new electronic-only publication from the Island Press E-ssentials program, David Naylor puts the spotlight on some of the intriguing ways entrepreneurs are working to reduce the burden of our trash.

Although leading-edge conventional waste management facilities are included in Trash Backwards, these reports go beyond what you leave on the curb. From elaborately organized swap stations at trash processing centers and the transformation of a polluted factory into one of the nation’s most vibrant public parks, to solar panels made of empty soda cans and an aquaponics systems that uses fish waste to grow vegetables, Naylor shares a fresh perspective on the old saying ‘one man’s trash is another’s treasure.’ 

Trash Backwards is a quick and engaging read that offers hope that there are ways to combat our trash problem. Plenty of forward-thinking entrepreneurs are already stepping up to the challenge with innovative, profitable ways to give our stuff longer lives, reclaim brownfield sites, and shift our consumer culture to one that doesn’t need to throw so much “away” anymore.

David Naylor is an architectural historian and journalist. His most recent book, Railroad Stations, was selected as a “Noteworthy” book of 2011 by Planetizen. He has a long-standing interest in recycling techniques and trash. His previous writing has garnered attention from The New York Times, Fresh Air, and other well-known outlets.