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English
MIT Press
17 September 2004
A study of the struggle for environmental justice, focusing on conflicts over solid waste and pollution in Chicago.

In Garbage Wars, the sociologist David Pellow describes the politics of garbage in Chicago. He shows how garbage affects residents in vulnerable communities and poses health risks to those who dispose of it. He follows the trash, the pollution, the hazards, and the people who encountered them in the period 1880-2000. What unfolds is a tug of war among social movements, government, and industry over how we manage our waste, who benefits, and who pays the costs.

Studies demonstrate that minority and low-income communities bear a disproportionate burden of environmental hazards. Pellow analyzes how and why environmental inequalities are created. He also explains how class and racial politics have influenced the waste industry throughout the history of Chicago and the United States. After examining the roles of social movements and workers in defining, resisting, and shaping garbage disposal in the United States, he concludes that some environmental groups and people of color have actually contributed to environmental inequality.

By highlighting conflicts over waste dumping, incineration, landfills, and recycling, Pellow provides a historical view of the garbage industry throughout the life cycle of waste. Although his focus is on Chicago, he places the trends and conflicts in a broader context, describing how communities throughout the United States have resisted the waste industry's efforts to locate hazardous facilities in their backyards. The book closes with suggestions for how communities can work more effectively for environmental justice and safe, sustainable waste management.
By:  
Series edited by:  
Imprint:   MIT Press
Country of Publication:   United States
Edition:   New edition
Dimensions:   Height: 229mm,  Width: 152mm,  Spine: 13mm
Weight:   363g
ISBN:   9780262661874
ISBN 10:   026266187X
Series:   Urban and Industrial Environments
Pages:   254
Publication Date:  
Recommended Age:   From 18
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Undergraduate
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active

David Naguib Pellow is Don A. Martindale Endowed Chair in Sociology at the University of Minnesota. Among his books are the award-winning Garbage Wars- The Struggle for Environmental Justice in Chicago (MIT Press, 2002) and Power, Justice, and the Environment- A Critical Appraisal of the Environmental Justice Movement (coedited with Robert Brulle; MIT Press, 2005.)

Reviews for Garbage Wars: The Struggle for Environmental Justice in Chicago

Pellow insightfully assesses the ability of those at the bottom of the heap to mount an effective resistance for environmental justice. - Jack Smith, Environment


  • Joint winner for Society for the Study of Social Problems C. Wright Mills Award 2002.
  • Winner of <PrizeName>Co-winner of the 2002 C. Wright Mills Award, presented by the Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP)</PrizeName> 2002
  • Winner of Co-winner of the 2002 C. Wright Mills Award, presented by the Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP) 2002
  • Winner of Co-winner of the 2002 C. Wright Mills Award, presented by the Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP)</PrizeName> 2002

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