Crisis of Waste? ─ Understanding the Rubbish Society

O'Brien (U. of Chester) examines the relationships between waste and the societal contexts of its production, consumption and management and in doing so works toward retrieving it from the intellectual garbage can. She takes a multidisciplinary approach, analyzing from historical, sociological, political and anthropological perspectives, finding the debate, such as it is, about rubbish fruitless until those debating appreciate the complexity and intricacy of waste's place in society. She disputes the idea that this is suddenly a throwaway society; as all industrial societies have been so and the process is inevitable in establishing new technologies and mores. She also asserts that waste has become so important an element of industrial production that to attempt to do without waste would be to change the industrial landscape beyond recognition. She also examines the relationship individual and organizations have with waste, which actually has few elements of callous disregard. Annotation c2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Martin O’Brien is a sociologist who has spent the last twenty years working on public policy – including health and social policy, criminal justice policy and environmental policy. He is the author (with Sue Penna) of Theorising Welfare: Enlightenment and Modern Society (London: Sage, 1998) and editor of several books, including the most recent Integrating and Articulating Environments: A Challenge for Northern and Southern Europe (Swets & Zeitlinger, 2003) as well as numerous articles on social theory, social history and social policy. He is currently a Reader at the Centre for Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Central Lancashire, UK.