About the book: 2011 / The problem of the relationship between man and his waste has existed since time immemorial. This book tells what adventures and vicissitudes awaited those who deal with household waste, and tells about their successes and hardships. Here is evidence of human efforts to free ourselves from the remains of life, a reminder of how much imagination and ingenuity has been shown to extract from all this useful resources and use them, whether in rich, poor or developing countries. Scum kill, threaten to devour entire cities, change the urban landscape, heat and light homes, ensure the survival of millions of those offended by fate, create all kinds of “small industries”, fatten herds of pigs, play with children, provide a deceptive, but still way out of loneliness for prisoners , serve as a source of inspiration for madmen and artists, and even the basis of festive spectacles. Catherine de Silguy is a prominent environmentalist.