Modern Marvels: Garbage

This "trash talkin,'" "filthy" video is filled with more cogent information about garbage than the wastebasket of a video reviewer trying to be verbally clever. Did you know, for instance, that the windshields of the Space Shuttle have to be replaced after each voyage because of collisions with man-made debris in outer space? Back on Earth, Americans (the people who invented the individually wrapped cheese slice) throw away more stuff than any other nation--six times more trash per capita than India. In one New York ticker tape parade alone, 44 tons of waste paper is swept up. Where does it all go? As this program demonstrates, methods for handling garbage have evolved over the millennia, ever since Eve tossed away the first apple core and started this whole fine mess. The Chinese cleaned up waste for aesthetic reasons, while in Europe, trash was tossed out the window (indirectly setting the stage for the Black Plague). Modern options about what to do with garbage, both conventional (burn, recycle, bury?) and toxic (as in nuclear waste), are discussed and debated, and the program spotlights famous personalities who've changed our world's environment for the better. From the dawn of humankind to Modern (Hu)Man (in the guise of Ed Begley Jr. who, through responsible living, produces only a shoe box of rubbish per week), Garbage wastes nothing to unearth a problem we've battled throughout history and which will continue to accumulate in the future. Highly recommended. Aud: J, H, C, P. (R. Ray)