"Garbology" is a word popularised (and possibly coined) by A.J. Weberman, a writer and activist whose credo was "you are what you throw away". He made his name by rifling through Bob Dylan's rubbish in search of insights into the singer's soul, only to conclude-after trawling through used nappies, ripped-up fan mail and veterinary bills-that the fabled crooner was a pampered, middle-class family man, even in his heyday. Mr Weberman might have taken his theory a step further. Habits in picking up litter say a lot about places and their people. On January 13th volunteers from 83 countries will converge on the Estonian capital, Tallinn, to launch World Cleanup 2012, the biggest attempt so far at voluntary rubbish collection. This year's target is to mobilise 300m people to pick up 100m tonnes of illegally clumped waste in six months, starting on March 24th.
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