In this engaging conversation, archaeologist Chloë Duckworth discusses how discarded items reveal our past and shape our present. Business journalist Saabira Chaudhuri dives into her book, revealing how brands exploited single-use plastics for profit, shaping consumer habits. Paleobiologist Sarah Gabbott explores what today's waste could become in the distant future, introducing the concept of 'techno-fossils'. Together, they shed light on the social, environmental, and historical narratives behind what we throw away.
42:23
forum Ask episode
web_stories AI Snips
view_agenda Chapters
menu_book Books
auto_awesome Transcript
info_circle Episode notes
insights INSIGHT
Discarded Items Define Cultures
Archaeologists mostly find discarded items rather than valued possessions, shaping our understanding of past cultures mainly through what was thrown away.
Organic materials like textiles rarely survive archaeologically, requiring imagination to interpret ancient lifestyles.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Ancient Local Waste Management
Monte Testaccio in Rome is a huge artificial hill built from discarded Roman amphorae, illustrating ancient waste management.
Unlike modern centralized disposal, past waste was often managed locally, with reused building materials minimizing rubbish.
insights INSIGHT
History of Recycling Revealed
Recycling in ancient times was likely more common than previously believed, seen in archaeological tell sites where debris accumulated over millennia.
These accumulation layers allow archaeologists to trace continuous human settlement and evolving material use.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
In 'Discarded', Sarah Gabbott and Jan Zalasiewicz examine how everyday objects, from aluminum cans to polyester clothing, will leave lasting imprints on the Earth's geological record. The book delves into the concept of technofossils, highlighting how these artifacts will serve as a testament to human activity in the distant future.
Consumed
How Markets Corrupt Children, Infantilize Adults, and Swallow Citizens Whole
Benjamin R. Barber
In this book, Benjamin R. Barber argues that modern capitalist consumer culture has a corrosive effect on society. He contends that consumerist capitalism creates an 'infantilist ethos' that targets children as consumers and prevents adults from maturing, leading to a culture of impetuous consumption. Barber criticizes the way consumerism fabricates needs among those who already have their basic needs met, while ignoring those who lack the means to enter the marketplace. He advocates for a return to citizenship and civic engagement as a way to counter the detrimental effects of consumerism on democracy and civic life[1][3][4].
In front of an audience at the Hay Literary Festival Tom Sutcliffe talks to The archaeologist and presenter of the hit TV show, The Great British Dig, Chloë Duckworth, who explains how every object tells a story. She reveals how even the rubbish our ancestors threw away can offer a window on the past and forge a connection with the present day.
Business journalist Saabira Chaudhuri's new book Consumed, examines how companies have harnessed single-use plastics to turbocharge their profits over the last seventy years. Consumer goods makers have poured billions of dollars into convincing us we need disposable cups, bags, bottles, sachets and plastic-packaged ultra-processed foods. Taking in marketing, commercial strategy and psychology, she explains just how we got here.
The paleobiologist Sarah Gabbott is more interested in looking at how what we throw away today becomes the fossils of tomorrow. Discarded (co-authored with Jan Zalasiewicz) highlights the cutting-edge science that is emerging to reveal the far-future human footprint on Earth.
Start the Week 
