Ordering Information
$25.00, 6×9, softcover, 184 pages, b&w photographs
Publication date: November 15, 2024
ISBN 978-1-942155-77-5/printed
ISBN 978-1-942155-85-0/eBook – $15.00
To order copies visit Casemate IPM .
National Reviews include: Library Journal, Foreword Reviews
Everyone’s Trash
One Man Against 1.6 Billion Pounds
By Duncan Watson
Each day, every single person in the United States discards about five pounds of waste. Be it a bottle that gets placed in a recycling bin or a piece of paper crumpled and tossed into the waste bin, every bit of the daily 1.6 billion pounds cast-off has a story. This book is full of those stories. It will wake you up and give you hope. As the author, Duncan Watson, says, “More people in American recycle than vote. Recycling is more popular than Democracy!”
Advanced Readers’ Comments:
“This book usefully illustrates both the history and the current state of waste disposal in the U.S…”
—Marjorie Mann, Library Journal
“With good-natured humor and serious statistics, the ecologically-minded memoir Everyone’s Trash defines recycling as a community affair.”
—Michele Sharpe, Foreword Reviews
“By turns hilarious and heartwarming, distressing and hopeful, Everyone’s Trash is about way more than recycling and trash. It’s a poignant Xray of a small city’s soul—and a testament to the power of connection, compassion, and community.”
—Sy Montgomery, NYT Bestselling author, Soul of the Octopus, Of Time and Turtles
“Duncan Watson turned his passion for recycling trash into creating a nationally recognized facility in southwestern New Hampshire. Now he tells his story, filled with unforgettable characters, self-deprecating humor, and a larger message for today. Like one of those unexpected discoveries many of us have picked up on a visit to our own recycling center, Everyone’s Trash is a treasure.”
—Dayton Duncan, author, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea
“In true ‘Charlie Brown’ fashion, the tales of loyalty and determination are inspiring and educational. Darn good work, you blockhead!”
—Melanie Kohn, voice of Lucy Van Pelt 1974-1977
“From his first Recycling Center job in California to his Municipal Recycling Facility-MRF- ‘Murph,’ in New Hampshire, Duncan shares the humanity of his life well lived and the intertwined storylines that come alive in every chapter. His skill as a recycling and waste professional is only surpassed by his ability to share heartfelt stories of humanity with his readers. It is the rare author who can be this honest in his narration and every reader will be the richer for the experiences he recounts.”
—Mike Durfor, Executive Director (Ret.), Northeast Resource Recovery Association
About the Author
Duncan Watson began his personal trash journey in his pre-teens as an attendant at a small municipal recycling center in Northern California. He has been running the City of Keene’s solid waste program for 33 years and has brought national attention to the program for solid waste disposal that Keene, NH, has built. Duncan spins a good yarn, and the rich characters who populate the “dump” in Keene, New Hampshire, provide endless entertainment and a lot of laughs. Always a storyteller, he continues to explore the possibility of transforming the dump culture to provide a vision of something bigger, something worthy.
He is also a yoga teacher, dog lover, and he visits Comic Cons all over the country, as he was a voice actor of Charlie Brown in three movies in his youth; “Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown”, “You’re a Good Sport, Charlie Brown”, and “Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown.”
Duncan has an MS in Resource Management from Antioch New England University.
