William Rathje was an American archaeologist best known for launching the “Garbage Project” in Tucson, Arizona, in 1973. The Project carefully collected and analyzed what residents threw away and revealed actual, rather than self-reported, consumption patterns, especially of food and drink.
References:
- Wikipedia biography
- University of Arizona remembrance
- Archaeolog farewell
- Rathje WL, Harrison GG. Monitoring trends in food utilization: application of an archaeologcial method. Fed Proc. 1978 Jan;37(1):49-54.
