Solid Solutions: Rural America Confronts the Waste Crisis

You might think that solid waste management is not the kind of thing that weighs on people's minds, but I've been giving the matter some thought lately. Especially after my most recent garbage bill informed me that I now have to pay extra for the privilege of recycling my garbage under a classification system that would have given Melvil Dewey hissy fits (newspaper and subscription magazines [but no gift magazines] and certain kinds of plastic in one bin, aluminum and glass in another). Still, even though there are a few rough edges in our curbside recycling program, I'm convinced that in the long run it'll be better for the environment and more expensive for me. Which is why I'll probably send a copy of Solid Situations: Rural America Confronts the Waste Crisis to my mayor, because it seems there are communities in the rural South that are doing a much better job at less cost to the residents. Produced by Daniel Welles and Rosemary Walker, Solid Solutions looks at creative approaches to waste management in four areas in Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee. From Troy, Alabama's Bill Rice to Walls, Mississippi's Charles Bowles, the heads of recycling programs interviewed here share a willingness to make changes and try out new ideas. And, while the anthology approach lessens the usefulness of the program--since the stories are more profiles than workable blueprints for change--Solid Solutions still might get local city planners in the thinking mode. I'm going to give it a try. Recommended. [Note: this is being sold to individuals at $35.] (R. Pitman)