Acknowledgments

In the year that I’ve been working on this book, many friends have been alarmed when I told them what I was writing was “garbage.” Thank you for the hugs and support when you thought I was just being too hard on myself!

Many thanks, too, to friends who offered stories for this book: Andrew Mott, Paul Holt, Drew Tupper, Mark Weston, Mireille Evans, Sarah Harvey, Catherine Vandermeulen, Binnie Brennan, Kari Jones, and Chris and Susannah Adams. Several books for adults helped me better understand my subject. Among my favorites have been The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard with Ariane Conrad, Zero Waste Home by Bea Johnson, and The Zero Waste Solution by Paul Connett. I’d also like to thank the many people who offered information or photos for Trash Talk, including Brenda Platt and Nadine Bloch (parent volunteers of the Young Activist Club), Jennifer McKimmie and Ken Winchester of Niagara Grocery, Thomas LeCourt and Jason Adams of reFUSE Resource Recovery.

I’d especially like to thank my excellent friend Susan Braley for the listening ear, laughter, thoughtfulness and generosity that helped make Trash Talk possible. Thank you to the BC Arts Council for providing the financial assistance that allowed me to write it, and thanks to Orca Book Publishers—particularly Sarah Harvey, Naomi Lee and Jenn Playford—for turning my words into a gorgeous book.

And finally, thanks to my family for cheering me on as I wrote, and for sharing my excitement when I find furniture, pickle jars, books, plants, planters, tea and all other manner of things on the street and bring them home. (And three cheers for Maia, who loves a good free pile just as much as I do!) Thank you, everyone.

Who says plastic bottles are only for beverages? PHONLAWAT_778/DREAMSTIME.COM