
Total Garbage by Rebecca Donnelly dives into the messy truth about trash, garbage, waste, and our world--it's a fact-filled and fascinating illustrated middle grade environmental read!
Trash has been part of human societies since the beginning. It seems like the inevitable end to the process of making and using things--but why? In this fascinating account of the waste we make, we'll wade into the muck of history and explore present-day STEM innovations to answer these important questions: What is garbage?★ "This thorough and thoughtful treatment allows readers to understand the many complicated issues and possibly generate their own individual solutions. Here, Donnelly has turned trash into readers' treasure." -Horn Book Magazine, starred review
★"A fact-filled and fascinating dumpster dive of a book."-Kirkus, starred review
"Incredibly, this book makes garbage fun to read about and is a great choice for browsable nonfiction shelves and curricular tie-ins." -School Library Journal
A 2025 Texas Topaz Nonfiction Pick
A 2024 Bank Street Best Book of the Year
A 2023 SLJ Best Book of the Year
A 2023 Chicago Public Library Best of the Year