Garbage as art: conceptual and aesthetic dimensions

Sociology of Waste

Putting waste to use: sociological explanations behind specific beliefs in waste management

Looking at the trash located in a dormitory, one of the items that caught my interest was a sheaf of papers containing readings, exams, and notes from a (notably) university student. Since some of the readings were somehow familiar or of interest to me, I salvaged these papers from the trash, and tried to know what is the information contained within these papers. Notable among these papers is that most of them were only written or have prints or texts on one side of the paper, while the back part was left blank. The readings were also unmarked, which seemed to be not used nor read by the owner at all. Papers containing notes, meanwhile, were mostly photocopied, which gave the impression that they were not the owner's (notes), but notes that were simply photocopied from a classmate. I considered this sheaf of papers as unused papers in the sense that it was not read nor even looked at by its owner.

These observations are given more meaning when applied in the context of sociology of waste. In the book "Waste and want: a social history of trash," author Susan Strasser explicated her interpretation of the changes in society's consumption and economy through an analysis of people's trash (i.e., garbage). One of the most popular views expressed in the book was her observation that "Kleenex, Kotex and Shredded Wheat boxes -- the literal throwaways -- represent the most extreme form of a relationship to objects that was new at the beginning of the 20th century. More and more things were made and sold with an understanding that they would soon be worthless or obsolete."

This passage speaks strongly for the "plight" of the sheaf of papers I found in the dorm's trash. As paper became more abundant, wastage further increased as a result of increased production of paper. However, high paper production does not mean that there is an abundance of trees, which are the primary sources of paper. Despite the fact that trees have depleted, paper consumption and wastage has increased. The continued wasting of paper despite the rapid environmental degradation illustrates how most people considered biodegradable and useful paper waste as "worthless or obsolete."

Another insight I had from this sheaf of papers as trash is how easily people can use paper for a specific purpose, then not using the paper for that purpose after all. Evidently, these papers were photocopied readings, with the owner intending to read these readings for a subject or course. The action of throwing away readings and notes does not only mean paper wastage, but the 'trashing' of knowledge and vital information embedded within the texts contained in these papers. Thus, not only do material objects such as papers become trivial and superficial in the process of throwing this sheaf of papers, but information and knowledge as well. By considering these papers as "worthless and obsolete" the student who just finished his/her course and threw these papers (readings and notes) away also considered the information and knowledge contained within these papers as "worthless and obsolete."