Introduction to Special Collection: Social Science and the Social Life of Plastic
Concern around plastic pollution and China’s ban on receiving foreign waste and recyclate have refocused attention on responsible waste management and attracted interdisciplinary research that impacts policy and practice. Consequently, plastic has elevated the role of social science in the innovatio...
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2021-05-01
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doaj-9850029bda6845d7844d5afff313f3402021-06-10T08:09:14ZengUbiquity PressWorldwide Waste2399-71172021-05-014110.5334/wwwj.7633Introduction to Special Collection: Social Science and the Social Life of PlasticBrigitte Steger0Patrick O’Hare1Teresa Sandra Perez2University of CambridgeUniversity of St AndrewsUniversity of CambridgeConcern around plastic pollution and China’s ban on receiving foreign waste and recyclate have refocused attention on responsible waste management and attracted interdisciplinary research that impacts policy and practice. Consequently, plastic has elevated the role of social science in the innovation space, which has traditionally been occupied by science and enterprise. This opening article marks the launch of a special collection of works, which will be published monthly, on the social life of plastic. As a preface to the forthcoming contributions, this introduction highlights the value of humanities and social science approaches to tackling plastic waste, tracing the directions that the social science of waste and plastic has taken and can take in future. Concomitantly, it helps to steer discussions and collaborations away from the restricted realm of plastic bag consumption towards a deeper engagement with socio-material processes. We thus contribute to ensuring that the current anti-plastic zeitgeist is situated in space and time, and that potential solutions benefit from a rigorous examination of the multiplicity of plastics.https://www.worldwidewastejournal.com/articles/76post-consumer plastichousehold recyclingcircular economyplastic pollutionqualitative researchinterdisciplinaryenvironmental politicswaste policyglobal social problemspeople-centred solutionsconsumption cultures |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Brigitte Steger Patrick O’Hare Teresa Sandra Perez |
spellingShingle |
Brigitte Steger Patrick O’Hare Teresa Sandra Perez Introduction to Special Collection: Social Science and the Social Life of Plastic Worldwide Waste post-consumer plastic household recycling circular economy plastic pollution qualitative research interdisciplinary environmental politics waste policy global social problems people-centred solutions consumption cultures |
author_facet |
Brigitte Steger Patrick O’Hare Teresa Sandra Perez |
author_sort |
Brigitte Steger |
title |
Introduction to Special Collection: Social Science and the Social Life of Plastic |
title_short |
Introduction to Special Collection: Social Science and the Social Life of Plastic |
title_full |
Introduction to Special Collection: Social Science and the Social Life of Plastic |
title_fullStr |
Introduction to Special Collection: Social Science and the Social Life of Plastic |
title_full_unstemmed |
Introduction to Special Collection: Social Science and the Social Life of Plastic |
title_sort |
introduction to special collection: social science and the social life of plastic |
publisher |
Ubiquity Press |
series |
Worldwide Waste |
issn |
2399-7117 |
publishDate |
2021-05-01 |
description |
Concern around plastic pollution and China’s ban on receiving foreign waste and recyclate have refocused attention on responsible waste management and attracted interdisciplinary research that impacts policy and practice. Consequently, plastic has elevated the role of social science in the innovation space, which has traditionally been occupied by science and enterprise. This opening article marks the launch of a special collection of works, which will be published monthly, on the social life of plastic. As a preface to the forthcoming contributions, this introduction highlights the value of humanities and social science approaches to tackling plastic waste, tracing the directions that the social science of waste and plastic has taken and can take in future. Concomitantly, it helps to steer discussions and collaborations away from the restricted realm of plastic bag consumption towards a deeper engagement with socio-material processes. We thus contribute to ensuring that the current anti-plastic zeitgeist is situated in space and time, and that potential solutions benefit from a rigorous examination of the multiplicity of plastics. |
topic |
post-consumer plastic household recycling circular economy plastic pollution qualitative research interdisciplinary environmental politics waste policy global social problems people-centred solutions consumption cultures |
url |
https://www.worldwidewastejournal.com/articles/76 |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT brigittesteger introductiontospecialcollectionsocialscienceandthesociallifeofplastic AT patrickohare introductiontospecialcollectionsocialscienceandthesociallifeofplastic AT teresasandraperez introductiontospecialcollectionsocialscienceandthesociallifeofplastic |
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