One person's trash, even in its most nauseating forms, is another person's data. Garbage, be it flushed, discarded or recycled, carries a wealth of information about people's decisions and behaviors, which you often can't get anywhere else. Those who dare to sift through this human detritus are known as garbologists, and their efforts have helped us understand everything from people's health and food choices to the workings of secretive political regimes. There's something refreshingly straightforward about studying rubbish. It gives you a very direct and very privileged window into people's actual way of life.
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