Waste is often associated with people or things considered of lower value. This connotation exists because of the discomfort and unwantedness attached to trash itself. As mentioned earlier in the semester, dumpsites and landfills are often placed in lower-class areas, where minorities and people of lower socioeconomic status face the direct consequences of living near […]
Waste rebellions are acts of resistance that make use of the actual reality of discarded items to challenge oppressive systems and question the dominant social order. Understanding that waste streams often reflect and worsen existing social inequalities, these acts turn trash from something we overlook into something that actively creates change. Think about the example
Final Blog Post: Personal Reflection on Waste Rebellions (For 4/27) Read More »
In this week’s image, I see more food waste than I normally do. There are remnants of leftovers and some kind of takeout container. This makes me think about my other friends who have a specific bin for composting and how their familiar practices vary from mine. I do think that cultural background and family
Waste tracking #10 Read More »
Last week, we explored different ways of thinking about waste and how we might improve our practices. One key concept we discussed was cradle-to-cradle, which encourages us to view waste not as something to eliminate but as a valuable resource that can be reused or regenerated. This circular model contrasts with the more common cradle-to-grave
Why Cradle-to-cradle May Not Be The Solution Read More »
Though the idea of a circular economy, an economy that generates a loop of regeneration and reuse of items, seems like an ideal economy, I don’t know how possible it is right now for us (even though I wish it was). One striking part of this idea is that we will eliminate majority of waste
Is A Circular Economy Really Possible? Read More »
Learning about the circular economy in this class has shifted my own way of thinking about the issues of waste, value, and the systems we operate in. For most of my life, I was used to the idea that things were made, consumed, and discarded in a tidy and linear process. The circular economy flips
Rethinking Waste: A Personal Reflection on the Circular Economy. Read More »
The circular economy, based on natural efficiency, promotes an economic model where resources are kept in a constant loop, maximizing value and minimizing waste. This involves mimicking natural systems where materials cycle continuously, demanding a move away from our present linear economic model. This goal necessitates widespread changes, including the creation of long-lasting, recyclable goods,
Personal Reflection on The Circular Economy Read More »
It has been one month since I decided to do monthly check-ins with contact lens waste in my course contract. In the first photo included below, it shows my collected plastic containers from February (since I was collecting these for recycling at my optometrist office, as they collect them for reuse/ recycling). The second photo
One month of Collecting Contact Waste Read More »
A major issue with the recycling system is that most of the items recycled (with or without the special recycling arrow symbol) end up returned in the landfill or as other waste. Despite this, many people do not realize this and continue to recycle and assume that it is something that is actually environmentally beneficial.
Recycling or Redirection Read More »
When I first think about the term ‘disposability’, what comes to mind is usually single-use items such as plastic utensils, paper cups, or packaging that’s used once and then thrown away. But as I’ve learned in class, disposability goes beyond objects. It’s a mindset shaped by our political and economic systems, where both things and
Personal Reflection on Disposability. Read More »