Introduction
The human species is a selective species, selecting from a certain number of materials for its socio-economic needs. Waste management varies from one society to another and from one geographical area to another. So does waste always have the same definition for individuals from different social classes?
The aim of this study is to understand the socio-cultural concept of waste.
Definition and socio-cultural contextualisation of waste
By definition, waste is any element, object or substance that is useless or has become useless to the socio-cultural considerations of its owner.
The word waste can take on several definitions, despite its contextual and cultural inadequacy.
Waste is anything that is unusable, such as a piece of an object that has lost its usefulness in the eyes of its owner and is impossible to use.
This definition suffers from a problem of classification and socio-cultural consideration of what is waste. The classification of waste is sociological. Objects considered to be useless substances can be reused by the lower classes, otherwise the dustbin of the bourgeois class is a priceless fortune for the lower class.
The characteristics of waste
Waste is characterised by socio-cultural considerations, in that what is waste or rubbish for an individual from the lower classes is not, for all that, considered to be waste or rubbish for individuals from the bourgeois classes. Although it is also possible for social classes to share the same consideration, it is also useful to know that what is waste for an individual from the bourgeois class is not as highly regarded by the middle class.
Theoretically, the journal Les cahiers du développement gives it this characteristic: waste is characterised by the fact that it has become useless to its owner and that he or she seeks to get rid of it, or is even obliged to do so.
The social consideration of waste
Waste has a socio-cultural dimension. Each society has its own way of looking at substances that can be described as waste. From the outset of this consideration of waste, its management remains coordinated with the social consideration.
Conclusion
Our health depends on it, and rational, organised waste management could help to reduce the annual death rate from seasonal diseases, which could also put an end to the economic cost of seeking care. When we talk about waste, we are also talking about an environmental problem.
Finally, it is necessary to advocate a sociology of waste management in order to achieve rational waste management.