Picking Up: On the Streets and Behind the Trucks With the Sanitation Workers of New York City

New York City’s Department of Sanitation, responsible for managing the city’s garbage, is the focus of anthropologist Robin Nagle’s book, Picking Up. Nagle spent a decade with sanitation workers, including driving trucks and plowing snow, to understand the complexities of managing Gotham’s waste. The book offers an insider’s perspective on the city’s four-hundred-year struggle with trash, from filthy streets to modern practices that have made the city cleaner. Vivid characters and descriptions of the job reveal the vital role sanitation workers play globally.

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