ABSTRACT
Waste reduction is a substantive problem, and one that reflects broader societal challenges posed by the ideal of sustainable consumption. Consistent with dominant approaches to sustainable consumption, there is a tendency to treat waste either as a matter of production-side inefficiencies or the responsibility of consumers (either individuals or households) who need to be encouraged or empowered to adopt pro-environmental behaviours and lifestyle choices. Regardless of orientation, debate is firmly rooted in attempts to render today’s ‘normal ways of life’ more efficient and less wasteful. As with broader debates about sustainable consumption, today’s ‘normalities’ are rarely questioned or examined with respect to alternative arrangements for the organization of daily life. The consequence is a fractured, often domain or sector specific, and piecemeal approach to tackling sustainable consumption that fails to consider the inter-connections between the multiple processes and practices from which contemporary everyday lives are configured.
