Keynote Lecture by Daniel Sosna in France

On January 12, Daniel Sosna (DEA, RESOURCE) delivered a keynote at the Opening the Bin 4 conference in Le Mans. The presentation entitled ‘Against Disappearance: Landfills and the Unanticipated Consequences of Greening in Europe’ was based on a forthcoming book with Berghahn Press. The talk critically interrogated the widely shared assumption that waste should disappear. Through ethnographic research conducted among landfill workers and waste pickers, this talk highlighted different regimes of disappearance and reappearance. Waste streams give rise to underflows that provide opportunities for those who refuse to be passive witnesses of disposal and loss of value. By demonstrating the salvaging potential of these underflows, Daniel called into question the normative assumptions about market-based solutions and techno-optimism in waste management. He directed attention to the commitment to salvage that provides an alternative way of relating to waste.