In this week’s waste tracking image, I took a picture from my family’s house again. The main things I see are playa bowl containers and small paper and cardboard items. My household consists of five women, and I feel that we use a lot of paper towels when being in the kitchen. I think many […]
A recurring theme in our readings this week was the idea that waste serves as a reflection of modern society. Scanlan uses garbage as a metaphor for modernity, which I find interesting because modernization and the rise of capitalism inevitably produce waste as a byproduct. It’s interesting to consider what society deems productive or unproductive.
Nothing Is Ever Truly Gone Read More »
In our fast-paced world, waste is often treated as something that is easily discarded and forgotten. Everyone is always trying to move onto the new thing. This reflects a linear notion of time, where goods are consumed, used, and then disposed of once they’re no longer seen as useful. In this perspective, waste is the
Rethinking Waste beyond linear time Read More »
As I reflect on colonialism, pollution, and productivity, I am struck by how interconnected these forces are and how their impacts still determine the world we live in today. First, colonialism was as much a quest to conquer land as to extract resources and exploit labor to fuel systems of production (that privileged profit over
Colonialism, pollution, productivity. Read More »
Many times, while I attempt to conceptualize waste, I limit my understanding to throwing away the parts no longer useful to me anymore, whether it’s a food item that’s expired or the useless packaging it’s come in. However, I’ve come to continually realize that waste should be evaluated from more than one angle, as sometimes
Attempting to Conceptuialize ‘pre-emptive’ & ‘Reactive’ waste Read More »
After our discussions this week, I have come to realize that the notion of “waste” is not a neutral one; rather, it is an inherently loaded term, carrying the weight of historical power dynamics and skewed value judgments. How did we reach a point where whole ecosystems, such as rivers, become mere “sinks” for our
Personal Reflection on Colonialism, Pollution, and Productivity Read More »
Questions for this week: What ways of conceiving of the natural world allow us to treat materials or locations as waste? Why and how are spaces like rivers and landfills ‘sinks’ for waste, places that can unproblematically absorb a set amount of waste? In what ways have modern scientific practices both helped to prevent the
Colonialism, pollution, productivity Read More »
For this week, I took a picture of my family’s trash again. In the trash, I noticed a lot of little scraps and different letters from the mail. There’s also takeout and some food packaging that is clearly visible. A big takeaway for this week is the fact that my family still receives letters and
Landfills and waste sites reflect societal perceptions of waste and cleanliness. Historically, in states like Massachusetts, landfills are placed in low-cost, low-valued areas. While this is cost-efficient, it often overlooks environmental and health concerns for nearby communities. Additionally, landfills are sometimes located near bodies of water and wetlands, increasing the risk of water contamination. A
How Landfills Reflect Social Hierarchies Read More »
Boston’s iconic skyline and historic streets were’t always where they are today. Over centuries, the city expanded its footprint by filling in tidal flats, marshes, and parts of the harbor to create new land. This expansion was crucial for economic growth, transportation, and housing but it came at a great environmental cost. The filling of
The Cost of Progress Read More »