Includes bibliographical references (p. 211-212) and index.

Better waste management strategies are needed to avert a garbage crisis / Arthur H. Purcell -- The garbage crisis has been averted / Marian R. Chertow -- Landfills are dangerous / Peter Montague -- Landfills have become safer / Bud Angst -- Interstate garbage shipping is harmful / Paul E. Kanjorski -- Interstate garbage shipping is beneficial / Bruce Parker -- Recycling benefits the environment / Sam Martin -- Recycling does not solve environmental problems / Robert Lilenfeld and William Rathje -- Recycling is economical / Allen Hershkowitz -- Current recycling programs are too expensive / Clark Wiseman -- mandatory recycling wastes resources / Doug Bandow -- Manditory recycling programs work / William J. Cohen -- Hazardous waste cleanup projects have been successful / U.S. Enviornmental Protection Agency -- hazardous waste cleanup projects usually fail / R. Allan Freeze -- Nuclear waste disposal is a serious problem / Greenpeace -- Nuclear waste disposal is not a serious problem / Nuclear Energy Institute -- Radioactive metal recycling is beneficial / S.Y. Chen -- Radioactive metal recycling endangers human health / David E. Adelman -- Recycling sewer sludge into fertilizer is beneficial / Lori Irvine and Anne Bonelli -- Recycling sewer sludge into fertilizer is harmful / Sheila R. Cherry -- Strategies to minimize medical pollution can reduce toxic waste / Charlie Cray -- Designing for disassembly will help reduce waste / Gene Bylinsky, Alicia Hills Moore, and Karen Nickel Anhalt -- New plastics sorting technology will reduce waste / Conard Holton -- Microorganisms can help clean up toxic waste / Todd Zwillich.

Discusses various garbage problems and explores the pros and cons of several waste disposal options.