There was this interesting archaeology project during the 1970s, sometimes referred to as the Garbology Project, in Tucson, Arizona. Archaeologists conducted excavations of landfills to determine Tucson residents’ consumption habits. One of the things they found out was that during an economic recession people tended to buy more food products when they went on sale, but ended up disposing of these foods, such as meat, as they were unable to consume these foods quickly enough before the expiry date. This resulted in an abundance of food waste.
Other items excavated from the landfill included newspapers where they could still be clearly read 50 years later. By the early 1990s numerous new items were found in landfills, such as crushed aluminium cans, disposable diapers, plastic containers and – the list goes on. These items are not decomposing any time soon, yet the landfills are increasing, not to mention our waters continue to be polluted with these items.
As discussed in earlier articles about archaeological work in British Columbia (BC), artifacts that do preserve well are stone and bone. What does not preserve well, are items made with animal hides, or wood such as basketry, string, snowshoes, cradleboards, etc., unless some of these are found in exceptional environments such as dry caves or wet sites. The point is, the natural items that did not survive at a site were biodegradable and have returned to the earth. This is generally a disappointment to archaeologists who try to interpret the story of what’s going on at the site, but it does indicate that the Indigenous peoples were more economical in their consumption practices.
Archaeology examines the things that are left behind, basically other people’s garbage. We learn about past human successes and failures. Successes include, uncovering raised fields (Bolivia and Mexico) that supported large populations of the long ago past who lived in harsh environments, which provides innovative means of farming in a contemporary context. And the excavation of landfills informed new policies regarding some of the current recycling practices.
Archaeologists have identified some failures that include deforestation practices at Easter Island (south Pacific Ocean), known for the famous statues called “moai”. In BC, Indigenous peoples have a long history of fire management, often choosing to burn to maintain productive grasslands that secures the return of animal and plant resources. The introduction of provincial legislation forbidding these practices has come at a cost with the increase of fires province wide.
Currently, archaeologists conduct field surveys for forestry companies yearly in BC. If you’re flying over BC, the patchwork of harvested blocks are quite noticeable. During some of these forestry surveys, crews have noticed large wood pile burns indicating wasted wood, and an array of garbage left behind by past forestry companies. Some of this garbage includes large steel barrels, chains, oil cans, plastic containers, steel cables, wire, and other forestry related items, all of which are not biodegradable. Furthermore, new forestry roads open up access to the public who dump their garbage. This is noticeable in the field and it’s time to clean up the mess.
What will we learn 1000 years from now from our society? One thing is for sure, currently, we will be known as the disposable society. Archaeology provides a long-term perspective on human actions and their environmental consequences that can contribute to conservation and restoration efforts.