garbage

gar‧bage S3 /ˈɡɑːbɪdʒ $ ˈɡɑːr-/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable]
[Date: 1400-1500; Language: Anglo-French]
1. especially American English waste material, such as paper, empty containers, and food thrown away SYN rubbish British English:
Can you take out the garbage when you go?
2. stupid words, ideas etc SYN rubbish British English:
You’re talking garbage.
3. garbage in, garbage out used to say that if the ↑data (=information) you put into a computer is bad, the results you get back will be bad, even if the computer program you use works properly
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ rubbish especially British English things that people throw away, such as old food, dirty paper etc: People are being encouraged to recycle their household rubbish. | the rubbish bin
▪ garbage/trash American English rubbish: The garbage is collected every Tuesday. | There were piles of trash in the backyard. | a black plastic garbage bag
▪ refuse formal rubbish: The strike has disrupted refuse collection. | It’s a site which is used for domestic refuse.
▪ litter empty bottles, pieces of paper etc that people have dropped on the ground: Parents should teach children not to drop litter. | There was a lot of litter on the beach.
▪ waste rubbish, or materials that need to be dealt with after they have been used in industrial processes: nuclear waste | toxic waste | household waste | The company was fined for dumping toxic waste in the sea.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

garbage

gar·bage [ˈɡɑːbɪdʒ] [ˈɡɑːrbɪdʒ] noun uncountable
1. (especially NAmE) waste food, paper, etc. that you throw away
• garbage collection

• Don't forget to take out the garbage.

2. (especially NAmE) a place or container where waste food, paper, etc. can be placed

• Throw it in the garbage.

3. (informal) something stupid or not true
Syn: rubbish
• ‘You mean you believe all that garbage?’ he said.
Idiom: garbage in, garbage out
Word Origin:
late Middle English (in the sense ‘offal’): from Anglo-Norman French, of unknown ultimate origin.
Thesaurus:
garbage [garbage] noun
1. U (especially AmE)
• The canal is full of garbage and bits of wood.
waste • • litter • • scrap • |especially BrE rubbish • |AmE trash • |formal refuse • • debris •
household/domestic garbage/waste/rubbish/trash/refuse
dump garbage/waste/rubbish/trash/refuse/debris
produce garbage/waste/rubbish/trash/debris
Which word? Use rubbish in British English and garbage or trash in American English for the everyday things that we throw away. Waste is used especially to talk about large amounts and in the context of industry.
2. U (especially AmE, informal)
• Don't believe all the garbage in the papers!
nonsense • • lies • • story • • fiction • |BrE, informal rubbish • |especially AmE, slang bull • |taboo, slang bullshit • • crap •
garbage/nonsense/lies/stories/rubbish/bull/bullshit/crap about sth
believe the/a garbage/nonsense/lies/story/fiction/rubbish/bull/bullshit/crap
a load/lot of garbage/nonsense/rubbish/bull/crap
3. U (AmE, informal)
• She just watches garbage on TV all day.
informal trash • |BrE, informal rubbish • |taboo, slang crap •
absolute/complete/total garbage/trash/rubbish/crap
read/watch/listen to garbage/trash/rubbish
British/American:
rubbish / garbage / trash / refuse
Rubbish is the usual word in BrE for the things that you throw away because you no longer want or need them. Garbage and trash are both used in NAmE. Inside the home, garbage tends to mean waste food and other wet material, while trash is paper, cardboard and dry material.
In BrE, you put your rubbish in a dustbin in the street to be collected by the dustmen. In NAmE, your garbage and trash goes in a garbage/trash can in the street and is collected by garbage men/collectors.
Refuse is a formal word and is used in both BrE and NAmE. Refuse collector is the formal word for a dustman or garbage collector.
Collocations:
The environment
Environmental damage
cause/contribute to climate change/global warming
produce pollution/CO2/greenhouse (gas) emissions
damage/destroy the environment/a marine ecosystem/the ozone layer/coral reefs
degrade ecosystems/habitats/the environment
harm the environment/wildlife/marine life
threaten natural habitats/coastal ecosystems/a species with extinction
deplete natural resources/the ozone layer
pollute rivers and lakes/waterways/the air/the atmosphere/the environment/oceans
contaminate groundwater/the soil/food/crops
log forests/rainforests/trees
Protecting the environment
address/combat/tackle the threat/effects/impact of climate change
fight/take action on/reduce/stop global warming
limit/curb/control air/water/atmospheric/environmental pollution
cut/reduce pollution/greenhouse gas emissions
offset carbon/CO2 emissions
reduce (the size of) your carbon footprint
achieve/promote sustainable development
preserve/conserve biodiversity/natural resources
protect endangered species/a coastal ecosystem
prevent/stop soil erosion/overfishing/massive deforestation/damage to ecosystems
raise awareness of environmental issues
save the planet/the rainforests/an endangered species
Energy and resources
conserve/save/consume/waste energy
manage/exploit/be rich in natural resources
dump/dispose of hazardous/toxic/nuclear waste
dispose of/throw away litter/(especially BrE) rubbish/(especially NAmE) garbage/(NAmE) trash/sewage
use/be made from recycled/recyclable/biodegradable material
recycle bottles/packaging/paper/plastic/waste
promote/encourage recycling/sustainable development/the use of renewable energy
develop/invest in/promote renewable energy
reduce your dependence/reliance on fossil fuels
get/obtain/generate/produce electricity from wind, solar and wave power/renewable sources
build/develop a (50-megawatt/offshore) wind farm
install/be fitted with/be powered by solar panels
Example Bank:
• During the crisis, garbage was not collected.
• His ideas were discarded like worthless garbage.
• I put the broken glass in the garbage can.
• It's mostly the same old garbage.
• Someone just dumped their garbage into my backyard.
• The second series was a piece of garbage.
• There was garbage strewn around everywhere.
• This movie is pure garbage.
• We picked up all the garbage we could find.
• Don't believe all that garbage the government tells you.
• She just watches garbage on TV all day.
• That's complete garbage!
• The canal is full of garbage and bits of wood.
• The garbage cans had just been emptied.
• There was a lot of garbage reported about me in the newspapers.

• You could see the rats moving about on the garbage dump.

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition

garbage / ˈɡɑː.bɪdʒ / / ˈɡɑːr- / noun [ U ]

B1 US ( UK rubbish ) waste material or unwanted things that you throw away nonsense or stupid ideas:

He talks a lot of garbage about education.

Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

garbage

[gɑ͟ː(r)bɪʤ]
1) N-UNCOUNT Garbage is rubbish, especially waste from a kitchen. [mainly AM]
  This morning a bomb in a garbage bag exploded and injured 15 people.
  ...rotting piles of garbage.
  Syn:
  rubbish
2) N-UNCOUNT (disapproval) If someone says that an idea or opinion is garbage, they are emphasizing that they believe it is untrue or unimportant. [INFORMAL]
  I personally think this is complete garbage...
  Furious government officials branded her story `garbage'.
  Syn:
  rubbish

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

garbage

gar·bage /ˈgɑɚbɪʤ/ noun [noncount]
1 chiefly US
a : things that are no longer useful or wanted and that have been thrown out : trash
• The park was littered with garbage.
• Please take out the garbage.
• Raccoons were going through the garbage.
- often used to refer specifically to food waste that is being thrown out
• the smell of rotting garbage
b : a container where people put things that are being thrown out
• Throw the can in the garbage.
2 informal : something that is worthless, unimportant, or of poor quality
• Maybe you should read a book instead of watching that garbage [=rubbish] on TV.
3 informal : foolish or untrue words or ideas : nonsense
• If you ask me, what he said is a bunch/load of garbage.