My niche in recycling, waste management and related environmental issues is the result of happenstance: after graduating with a degree in translation and interpreting, I moved to the Black Forest and was offered a job as an in-house translator and journalist for a German recycling publication. Along with learning about waste legislation, policy and court rulings on thorny issues (when does a material or product become waste? Is waste incineration a recovery or a disposal operation?), I also toured recycling facilities and attended trade fairs. I learned more about trash than I ever thought possible – and yet I had only scratched the surface.