Waste Management: An anthropologic look

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The concept of waste….

Since the beginning of humankind waste was buried, burned or left on the floor. With our current population explode and urban living constructs, we can no longer use that old model for waste removal. We have a host of problems and concerns due to our consumption and disposal methods.And until recently, sustainability was not really a concern when constructing the way we live our lives. Urban spaces need to work on finding realistic solutions to better manage our waste.

In “What is waste? To whom? — An anthropological perspective on garbage” (5) , the author Mikael Drackner highlights the importance of different perspectives and discourse on waste and how ultimately understanding the concept of waste will help with waste management. He explains that waste is “something that is discarded by someone, implicating uselessness” and is usually associated as a byproduct of production or consumption processes (p.176.)

He mentions Purity and Danger by Mary Douglass in which she discusses how societies label, classify or categorize dirt as “matter out of place” (3.) Dirt is socially constructed to be something polluted when taken out of place. Drackner puts it “ One man’s waste may be another man’s livelihood” (p.176) The picture below is an example of how societies can view dirt differently.

Dirt does not belong on the floor in homes for most of the West but many people all around the world have homes with dirt flooring.

He further analyzes Maslow’s theory of human motivation, how humans behavior to change (for problems or risks) relies on basic needs met, is too simple and challenges it to factor how politics and society can influence action to change as well.

Drackner displays a case study account of waste management in Tacna, Peru. With a population of 200,000 people, there are only 4 trucks to pick up trash. Tacna is said to be one of the most cleanest cities in Peru, how is this so? A network of formal and informal groups make profit off of trash. Profit meaning generating some kind of benefit to reduce trash including money and health — he provides the example of flies surrounding trash and linking flies with diseases. The people of Tacna also have a belief that a dirty environment reflects a negative, dirty image upon their own identities. The main difference in Tacna and Western thought is that instead of waste being the responsibility of the government, the people of Tacna have come to acknowledge personal blame and responsibility towards their trash and do what they can to make the most from their waste (p178–180.)

The central issue that is raised is that we ought to think about how we think about pollution, and for the purposes of this piece, how we think about our waste to change the discourse and hopefully find innovative and creative ways to improve our waste production and disposal methodology.

In this piece, I will go over some of the problems and solutions for better waste management.

Problems with Waste

A park built on top of an old landfill cite in Villa de Zaachila, Oaxaca, Mexico.

A pipe for release of toxic gas fro the old landfill site nearby park in Villa de Zaachila, Oaxaca, Mexico.

• Waste is a huge public health concern. Our waste is toxic. There is great concern on safety and the impact on the environment. Our waste is polluting our land, water and air. (2) As the largest human-created source of methane gas, landfills are also a significant contributor to global climate change.” (4) Negative health effects on people living in surrounding areas next to landfills and/or waste disposal sites and those working with wastes directly. (3)
• Too much waste. We don’t see it. We don’t recognize the amount of waste each person produces and are negligent to hold responsibility of our own waste footprint. Companies are not doing enough to reduce the amount of waste they produce. (2)
• “Waste incineration is landfilling into our air instead of into our water….Incineration does not eliminate waste; it simply redistributes toxic chemicals into the air and produces another form of waste (ash) to be landfilled “ (4) We are trying to find quick solutions like burning the trash but all the chemicals are leaching into the air so the pollution further spreads. Read more about this below: The Burning Problem of China’s Garbage, NPR

The Burning Problem Of China's Garbage

Solutions for Waste Disposal

source of image 9

In the U.S. waste is a commercial business. Currently, waste management is the responsibilty of local and state governments. “The key to a rational garbage policy is to insure that the prices people are charged for disposal services reflect the true social costs of getting rid of the stuff.” (6)

• “Since most consumers’ total outlays are unaffected by the amount of garbage they create, they have no incentive to limit the amount left by the curb….tax products according to the post-consumption cleanup cost (it would vary by location due to landfill costs) (6)
• “Recycling. In theory, more than 80 percent of municipal waste could be recycled, but only about 13 percent was recyled in 1988; so far, there are too few recycling sites and not enough buyers.” (6)
• Zero waste programs: “ is a goal, a process, and a vision that shifts how we think about and use resources: it is a whole-system approach that targets a major change in the way materials flow through our economy. “(4)
• More regulation on companies to reduce their waste.

Conclusion

The bottom line: there is no quick- fix solution when thinking about our waste problem. (4) We need critical, creative ways to change behavior and attitudes to our waste problem. From an individual level, community level, policy level, and business level, there has to be priority on making strides to think about our waste differently and to find realistic, sustainble and healthy practices for reducing and disposing of waste.

Works Cited

1. Various Waste Disposal Problems and Some Fantastic Solutions. (2017, June 30). Retrieved February 24, 2018, from https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/various-waste-disposal-problems-and-solutions.php
2. A review of waste management practices and their impact on human health. (2009, April 28). Retrieved February 24, 2018, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0956053X09001275
3. Douglas, M. (1992) Purity and Danger. Routledge, London.
4. Waste. (n.d.). Retrieved February 24, 2018, from https://toxicsaction.org/issues/waste/
5. IDrackner, M. (2005). What is waste? To whom? — An anthropological perspective on garbage. Waste Management & Research: The Journal Of The International Solid Wastes And Public Cleansing Association, ISWA, 23(3), 175–181.
6. Passell, P. (1991, February 25). The Garbage Problem: It May Be Politics, Not Nature. Retrieved February 24, 2018, from http://www.nytimes.com/1991/02/26/science/the-garbage-problem-it-may-be-politics-not-nature.html?pagewanted=all
7. source of first image https://www.recyclart.org/2018/01/upcycle-copper-beautiful-creations/
8. landfill cite in Oaxaca, Mexico. personal pictures from a recent study abroad trip.
9. http://www.wm.com/sustainability/pdfs/Geosyntec_report_-_Environmental_Protection_at_the_Managed_Solid_Waste_Landfill_06201.pdf