During the run-up to the November 12 release of my first book, Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion Dollar Trash Trade, I’m posting photos taken during my decade of reporting on the global waste, recycling, refurbishment, and repair trade. Today’s Scene shows what many people in China (including a ranking government official whom I met today)…
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Scenes from a Junkyard Planet: the de-Bottling Line
During the run-up to the November 12 release of my first book, Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion Dollar Trash Trade, I’m posting photos taken during my decade of reporting on the global waste, recycling, refurbishment, and repair trade. Today’s Scene shows Chinese workers emptying the sacks of plastic bottles that we saw in Monday’s Scene.…
Scenes from a Junkyard Planet: Bottled Up
During the run-up to the November 12 release of my first book, Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion Dollar Trash Trade, I’m posting photos taken during my decade of reporting on the global waste, recycling, refurbishment, and repair trade. Today’s Scene shows a Chinese worker wandering among giant sacks containing thousands of plastic bottles. Click to enlarge:…
Junkyard Planet Excerpted at The Atlantic!
I’m thrilled to point readers in the direction of The Atlantic, where a new excerpt of Junkyard Planet is running. This is the third excerpt to run in advance of the November 12 release of Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion Dollar Trash Trade, and in many ways it’s the most personal one (see Bloomberg Businessweek…
Scenes from a Junkyard Planet: Loose Change Edition
Today’s Scene from a Junkyard Planet – actually two scenes – takes its cue from a story circulating in the French press (thanks to Wee Ling Soh, who tweeted the story in my direction). There are a couple of versions floating around, but here’s a concise edit of the Local’s version of events: Two Chinese…
Scenes from a Junkyard Planet: The Chinese Metal Sorters
During the run-up to the November 12 release of my first book, Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion Dollar Trash Trade, every weekday I’m posting a new photo taken during my decade of reporting on the global waste, recycling, refurbishment, and repair trade. Today’s Scene shows Chinese workers sorting the same kinds of shredded metal shown in…
Junkyard Planet Excerpted at Foreign Affairs!
I’m extremely pleased to point readers to a new excerpt from Junkyard Planet posted today at Foreign Affairs. This particular passage, renamed ‘The Reincarnation Machine,” comes from one of my favorite chapters from the book, and concerns what amounts to the single most important device in this history of the recycling industry: the metal shredder.…
Scenes from a Junkyard Planet: the Indian Metal Sorters
During the run-up to the November 12 release of my first book, Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion Dollar Trash Trade, every weekday I’m posting a new photo taken during my decade of reporting on the global waste, recycling, refurbishment, and repair trade. Today’s Scene shows an Indian factory where shredded automobiles from the US and EU…
Scenes from a Junkyard Planet: This Wheel’s Not On Fire.
During the run-up to the November 12 release of my first book, Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion Dollar Trash Trade, every weekday I’m posting a new photo taken during my decade of reporting on the global waste, recycling, refurbishment, and repair trade. Today’s Scene shows boxes of car steering wheels and electrical harnesses hand-plucked from Chinese…
Scenes from a Junkyard Planet: the Destruction Factory
During the run-up to the November 12 release of my first book, Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion Dollar Trash Trade, every weekday I’m posting a new photo taken during my decade of reporting on the global waste, recycling, refurbishment, and repair trade. Today’s Scene shows a Chinese factory where metal shredders that eat cars are manufactured.…