A Public Sociology of Waste
By Myra J. Hird
ISBN
978-1529206562Dimensions
234 x 156 mmImprint
Bristol University PressISBN
978-1529206555Dimensions
234 x 156 mmImprint
Bristol University PressISBN
978-1529206593Imprint
Bristol University PressISBN
978-1529206593Imprint
Bristol University Press
A Public Sociology of Waste
Is it possible for individuals to tackle waste by recycling, reusing and reducing alone?
This provocative book critically analyses the widespread assumption that individuals and households have created our global waste crisis.
Sociologist and waste expert Myra J. Hird reveals neoliberal capitalism’s fallacy of infinite growth as the real culprit, and demonstrates how industry and local governments work in tandem to deflect our attention away from the real causes of our global waste problem.
Hird offers crucial insights into the relations between waste and wider societal issues including ongoing (settler) colonialism, poverty, racism and sexism, and showcases how sociology may provide solutions through a ‘pubic imagination’ of waste.
“This is essential and long awaited reading for sociologists interested in the ubiquitous role of waste in society. It rigorously demonstrates how and why the burden of waste is unequally distributed.” Tora Holmberg, Uppsala University
“In her powerful analysis and critique of waste ‘management’, Hird illuminates the neglected socio-ethical implications of waste and our understanding of it.” Romain Garcier, University of Lyon
Myra J. Hird is Professor in the School of Environmental Studies at Queen’s University in Canada and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
1. The Public Problem of Waste
2. Framing Waste
3. The Public Problem of Recycling
4. The Public Problem of Plastics
5. The Public Problem of PPE Waste and Being Prepared
6. A Public Sociology of Waste
