A Garbage Review A Woman's Journey to Zero Waste A Book Review By Amy Youngsmith

Eve O Schaub, in her book ‘Year of No Garbage: Recycling Lies, Plastic Problems, and One Woman’s Trashy Journey to Zero Waste,’ set out to find out whether a person could really live without garbage and gave garbage up for a year to live the recycling dream.  She discovered very quickly that:
   • Recycling can feel like a full-time job, as finding where and how to recycle products often leads to dead ends. Most people don’t have the time for this complexity, nor should it be so difficult.
   • Avoiding plastic in food purchases severely limits options and raises concerns about malnutrition, with considerable effort required to find alternatives.
   • "Greenwashing" is rampant, where eco-friendly claims often mislead consumers about what can truly be recycled or composted.
   • Ocean garbage patches now cover 40% of the ocean's surface—larger than all the land on Earth combined.
   • Studies show we ingest a credit card’s worth of plastic each week, which is linked to health issues like endocrine disruption, neurodegenerative disorders, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.
As a mother, I've read my children numerous books about making healthy choices for our environment. One common suggestion is to recycle, which could be effective if all plastic products were recyclable.
The book explains that most plastics can't currently be recycled, which is why, despite recycling efforts, tons of plastic still end up on our shores each year. It emphasises that individual actions alone won't solve the issue and that top-down systems, like legislative changes holding companies accountable, are necessary to create realistic recycling options.
Walking along Whitsunday Island beaches filled with plastic has been confronting as a parent. The recycling solutions presented in children's books seem like fairytales, offering a circular system that doesn't yet exist efficiently.
Avoiding plastics entirely, especially with young children, feels like an insurmountable challenge in today's society.
While individual efforts matter, the book shows that without accessible recycling systems, large-scale change is unlikely. It highlights the need for legislative action, similar to how lead was phased out through regulation. Given the harm caused by plastic, similar changes are crucial to tackling the crisis.
The book is highly recommended, and a copy can be found at the Whitsunday Regional Library, Cannonvale, QLD. Here's a taste from pg 163.
Some Terrible Truths About Plastics From The Book:
   1. Plastic is not really recyclable
   2. “Single-stream” recycling is a lie.
   3. “Compostable” plastics are pretty much a total lie (with one notable exception)
   4. Forget one giant ocean garbage patch; there are five.
   5. Plastics are in our water, air, and food.  Also, our bloodstream, bodily waste, and the placenta of newborn babies.
Got it? The plastic problem is overwhelming—invading our bodies, harming the environment, and we’re surrounded by lies about recycling. Let’s break it down.
...break it down this book does.  While the issue is daunting, the real challenge is failing to make necessary changes. Shifting the public’s view of the recycling "fairytale" could be key to a better future.
Though sombre at times, the book is witty and hopeful.
Book Review by Amy Youngsmith.

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