You are a researcher conducting a Garbology project. Garbology is the study of modern garbage and/or recycled materials that identify and explain recognizable patterns of garbage disposal and recycling behavior in contemporary society.
This assignment requires that you use archaeological methods to interpret information obtained from the study of the modern garbage in two neighborhoods. You are required to combine some basic demographic information with summarized data on the trash found in two different neighborhoods, to develop one or more propositions that would account for the observed patterns in the trash. In addition, you are to develop a hypothesis and test implications that you could test with additional data on the garbage in these two neighborhoods.
1) Your first step is to consider the demographic information on the two Neighborhoods, X and Y, in your sample, listed in
the table below. Based on this information, formulate some ideas about the kinds of people (e.g. their social class, age, or
whatever) that may be living in each neighborhood, the kinds of activities they might pursue, and the kinds of trash they
would likely deposit.
| Observations |
Neighborhood X |
Neighborhood Y |
| Average income | $ 50,000 | $ 20,000 |
| Most common housing structure | Houses | Apartment Complexes, Houses |
| Average # of individuals in a household | 2.5 | 1.5 |
| Average age of adults | 25 | 65 |
| Average # of children | 1.5 | 0 |
| Most common type of car observed | Sedans, Minivans, Station wagons | Luxury car, Touring car, R.V.s |
2) Now examine the data on the composition of recycled material that are summarized in the graph. The data were collected by analyzing the contents of numerous, randomly selected recycling bins from these two neighborhoods. Included in the graph are the percentages of paper, metal, and plastic found in the recycling bins from each area.
How do the ideas you formulated from the demographic information fit the graph of the percentages of recycled material? In what ways were your expectations confirmed? In what ways were they challenged?
3) Develop one or more propositions that help you explain the different patterns of recycling in the two neighborhoods. In other words, why does the composition of recycled material differ between neighborhoods? (For example, if you had looked at the non-recycled trash and Neighborhood A had more food remains in the trash than Neighborhood B, then you might suggest that Neighborhood B had more garbage disposals than Neighborhood A, because much of the food refuse from Neighborhood B goes down the drain and thus doesn't appear in the trash. With less certainty, you might conclude that B is wealthier--and thus can afford the garbage disposals--or that A is in an area where garbage disposals are not allowed.)
4) Lastly, formulate a hypothesis from the demographic information that would allow you to further explore the differences between the two neighborhoods for a future garbology project. What are the test implications associated with this hypothesis? What types of data would you need to confirm your hypothesis?
The complete write-up should be no longer than one page, typed and double-spaced.