Archaeology of Garbage

Why Study Garbage?

Archaeologists have realized the value in studying refuse for decades. When uncovering information about a vanished society, especially one with few material goods, the garbage mounds, middens, or refuse pits often offer the richest information about the people who made them. The garbage people leave behind is not only proof humans once occupied a space but it also provides unbiased factual data on how people lived: what they ate, what they [Page 32]made, and how they acted. When reconstructing past civilizations, archaeologists often rely on subjective writings and records left behind. Carvings on temples and tombs glorify leaders and speak to how they want to be remembered (not necessarily how they actually behaved). Contemporary anthropologists and ethnographers often rely on recent interviews, surveys, and observations to analyze contemporary behavior. Unfortunately, human memory is unreliable. People tend to remember things the way they wish to, consciously or unconsciously applying personal bias to what is recorded. When surveyed about household behavior, individuals may overestimate good behaviors (such as eating vegetables) and underreport bad behaviors (such as drinking alcohol). There may also be a desire to please the person conducting the interview. Subjects may give the answers they think the interviewer is looking for, rather than answering factually.

History of Garbage Studies (Garbology)

There have been a number of attempts to systematically study contemporary garbage to answer specific questions. In the earliest decades of the 20th century, two civil engineers, Rudolph Hering and Samuel Greeley, evaluated the trash management methods used in a number of cities. They gathered enough information to publish Collection and Disposal of Municipal Refuse in 1921, the first known textbook about urban waste management.

During World War I, the War Food Administration collected data on food discarded across the United States. Researchers found that households threw away almost 30 percent of the food acquired for the home in 1918. In comparison, 21st-century citizens throw away less than 15 percent. The decrease is assumed to be related to the technology available for packaging and storing food to reduce spoilage.

The military also dabbled in garbology in 1941. Two enlisted men surveyed new recruits about U.S. Army life. They had to stop because it was against regulations to survey military personnel. They had already heard many complaints about the food, so they stationed observers in mess halls to record what the men threw away. After 2.4 million meals were observed, it was calculated that 20 percent of the food served was discarded. The report these soldiers generated listed many findings, from favored and not-so-favored foods to the simple observation that portions were simply too large. After the U.S. Army implemented a number of the suggestions made in the report, it saved about 2.5 million pounds of food per day.

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