The ethics of waste: How we relate to rubbish [Book review]

Review of: "The Ethics of Waste: How We Relate to Rubbish", by Gay Hawkins, University of New South Wales Press, Sydney, 2006, 151 pp, ISBN 0868409391. Despite its pervasive presence in our daily lives, waste is not something that we like to think about, let alone talk about. As individuals, we try to deny both the existence of waste and our role in its production. Whether it is through our daily ablutions rituals, cleaning the house, having rubbish removed, street sweeping, or the effortless flush of a toilet, we live in a society where practically all dirt is cleanly and efficiently removed from our lives and minds. This reluctance to engage with waste is made possible, at least in part, by the infrastructure and technologies we put in place for its management. The luxury of being able to divorce ourselves from our waste allows us to maintain an unchallenged distance from it and from any environmental, social or ethical impacts related to its disposal. But what happens when waste rears its ugly head and demands discussion? This uninvited and sometimes shocking reappearance is at the heart of Gay Hawkins’ The ethics of waste...