HOW GARBAGE TRANSFORMED THEWORLD'S GREAT CITIES

TRASHOPOLIS

NEW SMITHSONIAN CHANNEL SERIES

PREMIERES SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6AT 8PM ET/PT

New York, Rome, Paris, Cairo and London Were Not Built In A Day And Were Not Built Without Trash

New York, NY - October 13, 2011 - Beneath the streets of every major global city lies a dark and ugly secret. It's the hidden ingredient that has transformed primitive outposts into wondrous metropolitan areas, forcing mankind into radical urban and architectural directions, propelling advances in science and jump-starting revolutions. From the majestic skyscrapers of New York City to the dank catacombs of Paris, the stunning ruins of Rome, the mysterious sewers of London and the bustling markets of Cairo, a new series, TRASHOPOLIS, premiering Sunday, November 6 at 8 pm. ET/PT on Smithsonian Channel, uncovers the startling truth about how these cities rose and flourished because of their garbage.

The five-episode series is narrated by comic book writer and rock musician Jesse Blaze Snider, the son of Twisted Sister front-man Dee Snider.

With the help of local experts, TRASHOPOLIS peels the layers off of rotten corpses, filthy ruins, and smelly garbage to reveal how the fight against rising tides of foul mud and human sewage gradually altered the shapes of the world's great cities from dark, cramped and unsanitary settlements into triumphs of grace, light and vibrant space.