Vol. 6 No. 1 (2023)
Research

On the (In)visibility of Practices: Opportunities for the Promotion of Household Waste-Segregation in Western Switzerland

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  • Rolande Christelle Makamté Kakeu–Tardy,
  • Hannah Howarth,
  • Marlyne Sahakian,
  • René Véron
Rolande Christelle Makamté Kakeu–Tardy
Institute of Geography and Sustainability, University of Lausanne
Hannah Howarth
Department of Sociology, University of Geneva
Marlyne Sahakian
Department of Sociology, University of Geneva
René Véron
Institute of Geography and Sustainability, University of Lausanne
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/wwwj.95
Categories

Published 2023-10-12

Keywords

  • organic waste segregation,
  • composting,
  • Social Practice Theory,
  • (in)visibility,
  • Switzerland

How to Cite

Kakeu–Tardy, R. C. M., Howarth, H., Sahakian, M., & Véron, R. (2023). On the (In)visibility of Practices: Opportunities for the Promotion of Household Waste-Segregation in Western Switzerland. Worldwide Waste, 6(1), 5. https://doi.org/10.5334/wwwj.95

Copyright (c) 2023 The Author(s)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

Organic waste is both a refuse and a resource. Focusing on household waste in a city in Western Switzerland, this study examines the practices of waste segregation in relation to the city’s (organic) waste management system. Based on qualitative research with diverse households and experts in waste management, we use social practice theory to discuss the meanings and materiality of household organic waste segregation. We show how more or less visible meanings, tied up with material arrangements, can be either enablers or deterrents for such forms of waste management.

The article argues that certain aspects of the waste system could be rendered more visible, such as the proper labelling of collection bins, while less visibility could be given to certain meanings around waste segregation, such as the financial cost of not sorting. We also discuss how organic waste sorting, as a practice, contests the dominant understandings of change based on technological efficiency, economic benefits, and individual changes. More collective forms of change are needed, working at the level of social contexts and materiality, to further support organic waste sorting.

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