One landfill excavation study in the United States revealed vegetables that were still recognizable and were buried in the 1950's.

After 30 years, some newspapers, one of the most easily biodegradable products under the right conditions of moisture and temperature, have been found intact and readable in landfill excavations.

This fall, garbology will achieve a new level of respect when an article by Mr. Rathje on landfill excavation appears in American Antiquity, the archaeological equivalent of the New England Journal of Medicine.