Overview
This article introduces discard studies, an interdisciplinary field exploring the broader social, economic, political, and material systems behind waste and discarding. It argues for moving beyond individual behavior to examine structures, power, measurement, and materialities in shaping waste and its impacts.
Introduction to Discard Studies
- Waste is more complex than daily personal experiences reveal, involving hidden social, economic, political, and material systems.
- Humanities and social sciences are needed to contextualize waste or it risks being seen only as a technical issue.
Scope and Approach of Discard Studies
- Household waste is a tiny fraction (about 3%) compared to industrial waste (about 97%).
- Discard studies examines systems, infrastructures, and cultures of waste, not just trash itself.
- The field questions what is considered "natural" or "inevitable" about waste, exposing broader structures.
Core Arguments of Discard Studies
- Structures (norms, infrastructures, powers) maintain wasteful practices more than individual behaviors.
- Changing infrastructure and larger systems is more effective than focusing on personal awareness or household actions.
- Waste is defined by measurement and categorization, not inherent qualities.
Measurement and Definitions Matter
- How waste is measured (e.g., San Francisco's "80% diversion rate") shapes perceptions and policies.
- What is counted as waste can differ widely between contexts, affecting justice and outcomes.
Materialities of Waste
- Modern waste is often synthetic, lasting, toxic, and heterogeneous, with complex environmental and health impacts.
- Material properties (e.g., plastics’ persistence) affect how waste travels, harms, and is managed.
- Political and practical differences exist between recycling, reusing, and types of toxic materials.
Waste, Power, and Inequality
- Waste and pollution reinforce power dynamics, with centers (wealthy nations) externalizing waste to peripheries (less powerful regions).
- Concepts like sacrifice zones, environmental racism, and colonialism are central to understanding waste injustice.
- Scientific definitions often dominate, sidelining other ways of knowing and claims for justice.
Ethical Commitments and Stakes
- Discard studies takes sides, advocating for more just, equitable, and healthy approaches to waste.
- Infrastructures often embed privilege or injustice, even when actions seem morally good (e.g., straw bans affecting disabled people).
- The key question is not eradicating waste, but "how to discard well"—balancing harm, justice, and necessity.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Discard Studies — The interdisciplinary study of systems, structures, and cultures behind what is discarded and why.
- Scalar Mismatch — When actions to address waste don't match the scale at which waste is produced or managed.
- Materiality — The physical and chemical properties of waste that impact its environmental and social consequences.
- Sacrifice Zone — Areas disproportionately burdened by pollution and waste for the benefit of others.
- Denaturalize — To challenge what is assumed "normal" or "natural" about waste and discarding practices.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Reflect on how infrastructure and power, not just behavior, shape waste in your community.
- Consider how definitions and measurements of waste might impact justice and solutions.
- Explore further readings or examples from discard studies to deepen understanding.