A white garbage truck with red lettering labeled 'American Waste' parked on a trash-filled ground with an old computer monitor on the debris. The title 'American Waste' appears above in large red letters, and the author's name, S. J. Stanawich-Nell, is at the bottom.

American Waste

A gritty, lyrical novel of working-class rebellion, corporate corruption, and the dignity that survives beneath it all.

Real-Life Triumph Over Industry Fraud

American Waste was informed by SJ Stanawich-Nell’s real-life triumph over industry fraud, which crippled hundreds of small and mid-sized businesses.
SJ became the linchpin in a landmark RICO class action lawsuit that terminated a fraudulent company, freeing hundreds of others.
He endured repeated lawsuits totaling over $50 million and walked away penniless—but victorious.

American Waste is a gritty, lyrical novel of working-class rebellion and redemption, set in the collapsing world of North Jersey’s independent haulers. When aging trucker Lou Corillo is pushed to the brink by a corrupt corporate takeover, he joins forces with a defiant crew—his sharp-witted daughter, a disgraced executive, a family of wildcat haulers, and a haunted young man desperate for purpose. Together, they expose the filth behind American Waste—uncovering a buried body, launching a viral revolution, and founding a worker-owned cooperative symbolized by a crowned rat. As violence escalates and loyalties are tested, Lou must decide whether to walk away or help build something worth staying for. Equal parts social drama, dark comedy, and emotional reckoning, American Waste is a story of salvage—of what we keep, what we lose, and the dignity that survives beneath it all.

Project Status & Contact

Project Status: Complete novel available.
Screenplay: adaptation underway by author.
Representation: Seeking Representation and/or Publication
Contact: SJ Stanawich-Nell
scott@ramseu.com

Three men playing golf near a barrel with a fire, with trucks in the background at sunset.
A young woman with messy hair, wearing a dark t-shirt and pants, sitting in a playful pose with her right leg raised and bent at the knee. She is looking down at a red soccer ball on the ground in front of her, with a background of tires and a yellow
Painting of a man with long hair and a beard, shouting or calling out, wearing a brown shirt, outdoors against a blue sky.