In Garbage Wars, the sociologist David Pellow describes the politics of                  garbage in Chicago. He shows how garbage affects residents in vulnerable communities                  and poses health risks to those who dispose of it. He follows the trash, the                  pollution, the hazards, and the people who encountered them in the period 1880-2000.                  What unfolds is a tug of war among social movements, government, and industry over                  how we manage our waste, who benefits, and who pays the costs.Studies demonstrate                  that minority and low-income communities bear a disproportionate burden of                  environmental hazards. Pellow analyzes how and why environmental inequalities are                  created. He also explains how class and racial politics have influenced the waste                  industry throughout the history of Chicago and the United States. After examining                  the roles of social movements and workers in defining, resisting, and shaping                  garbage disposal in the United States, he concludes that some environmental groups                  and people of color have actually contributed to environmental inequality.By                  highlighting conflicts over waste dumping, incineration, landfills, and recycling,                  Pellow provides a historical view of the garbage industry throughout the life cycle                  of waste. Although his focus is on Chicago, he places the trends and conflicts in a                  broader context, describing how communities throughout the United States have                  resisted the waste industry's efforts to locate hazardous facilities in their                  backyards. The book closes with suggestions for how communities can work more                  effectively for environmental justice and safe, sustainable waste                  management.

Garbage wars: the struggle for environmental justice in Chicago PDF

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