Big Waste Country Adam Minter Summary

The author “Adam Minter” begins the chapter Big Waste Country describing about Johnson Zeng who is the president of Sunrise Metal Recycling, and is one of the biggest links binding recycling bins and local junkyard to China. Copper was been accounted for 43.1 percent by China or more than five times the amount demanded by United States in the same year (117) China being one of the growing economy in the scrap business does lack in the supply of raw materials. With that American factories had shut down the process of Refining a copper due to environmental concerns. Even though China was never a part of copper business until 1980’s now leads throughout the world. We have been talking about Americans who did not value recycling and preserving …show more content…
Minter then talks about the visits with John Zeng, how hard it is to manage the business by leaving family in Vancouver. He spends his time driving across the US in rental cars and collecting scrap.. I learned a lot from him. I learned to stop worrying about thee things I can’t worry about. (123). Minter explains the way he learned new things from John and how John’s attitude has made Minter stop about the things which are not worth to be worried. At the very end, When Minter asks about where are the Christmas lights being sent to? John answers “Big Waste Country, the U.S.”(127) He further explains his point by saying that US knows how to produce the products but have no way to recycle them. Christmas is been celebrated with great joy and buying Christmas lights but lack in having enough copper available in the production of these lights. Hence, they are been sent to China for getting it chopped, separated and worth some money. I believe it is a good way to utilize the olf the wires, phone cables and Christmas tree and producing them into a useful ones. Throughout the chapter Minter keeps on desribing the habits of John and the way he handles his