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The European Waste Hierarchy: From the Socio-materiality of Waste to a Politics of Consumption

Hultman, Johan LU and Corvellec, Hervé LU orcid (2012) In Environment & Planning A 44(10). p.2413-2427
Abstract
The production of municipal solid waste is one central concern for environmental policy, and the socio-materiality of waste – how the organisation of waste streams affects households and other waste producers – is an important issue for sustainability. This article shows how the application of European Union waste policy through its waste hierarchy affects the socio-material status of waste. The waste hierarchy (TWH) ranks the desirability of different waste management approaches according to their environmental impact. This study investigates how TWH has been acknowledged and interpreted by the Swedish EPA, the organization Swedish Waste Management that represents the interests of municipal bodies involved with waste, and two municipal... (More)
The production of municipal solid waste is one central concern for environmental policy, and the socio-materiality of waste – how the organisation of waste streams affects households and other waste producers – is an important issue for sustainability. This article shows how the application of European Union waste policy through its waste hierarchy affects the socio-material status of waste. The waste hierarchy (TWH) ranks the desirability of different waste management approaches according to their environmental impact. This study investigates how TWH has been acknowledged and interpreted by the Swedish EPA, the organization Swedish Waste Management that represents the interests of municipal bodies involved with waste, and two municipal waste management companies. In addition to preventing the production of waste, TWH aims to disassemble, circulate and reintroduce materials into production processes. The study shows how this shapes paradoxical relationships between economy and society on the one hand and environment and nature on the other, and opens the way for a discussion of a politics of consumption through material management. (Less)
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author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
socio-materiality, waste, the waste hierarchy, consumption
in
Environment & Planning A
volume
44
issue
10
pages
2413 - 2427
publisher
Pion Ltd
external identifiers
  • wos:000311461600009
  • scopus:84868139241
ISSN
0308-518X
project
Organizing critical infrastructure services-The case of Waste Management
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
073d53c5-63db-40f9-8434-7b2f3632d5d9 (old id 2343026)
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 09:36:53
date last changed
2022-12-13 07:02:11
@article{073d53c5-63db-40f9-8434-7b2f3632d5d9,
  abstract     = {{The production of municipal solid waste is one central concern for environmental policy, and the socio-materiality of waste – how the organisation of waste streams affects households and other waste producers – is an important issue for sustainability. This article shows how the application of European Union waste policy through its waste hierarchy affects the socio-material status of waste. The waste hierarchy (TWH) ranks the desirability of different waste management approaches according to their environmental impact. This study investigates how TWH has been acknowledged and interpreted by the Swedish EPA, the organization Swedish Waste Management that represents the interests of municipal bodies involved with waste, and two municipal waste management companies. In addition to preventing the production of waste, TWH aims to disassemble, circulate and reintroduce materials into production processes. The study shows how this shapes paradoxical relationships between economy and society on the one hand and environment and nature on the other, and opens the way for a discussion of a politics of consumption through material management.}},
  author       = {{Hultman, Johan and Corvellec, Hervé}},
  issn         = {{0308-518X}},
  keywords     = {{socio-materiality; waste; the waste hierarchy; consumption}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{10}},
  pages        = {{2413--2427}},
  publisher    = {{Pion Ltd}},
  series       = {{Environment & Planning A}},
  title        = {{The European Waste Hierarchy: From the Socio-materiality of Waste to a Politics of Consumption}},
  volume       = {{44}},
  year         = {{2012}},
}