ABSTRACT
Waste landscapes are complex entanglements of biophysical, technological, political, economic, and sociocultural processes reinforced by the structural fabrication of social, racial, and material inferiority. Twenty-first century waste landscapes are byproducts of multi-scalar webs of material extraction, movement, and disposal. Who belongs to these enigmatic places, who is responsible for them, and how and why do these place attachments manifest? Citizenships in waste landscapes are constituted through practices. Active, operative, and transformative measures reinforce a range of citizenships. These practices vary depending on toxicity, and the degree of agency citizens can exert. Toxic waste landscapes are inherited involuntarily, while benign ones may be voluntarily adopted. Five case studies offer ways to reconsider our relationships to the waste landscapes that surround us. Some instil fear, while others spark curiosity. Some are assigned to us without our knowledge or consent, while others invite exploration and adoption as our own. Understanding the nuances of waste landscapes, and questioning the emotions they inspire, enable us to reconsider what it means to belong to them. We all unwittingly participate in the making of waste landscapes. We each belong to many, with varying degrees of separation. They are all a part of us, our communities, and our bodies, but the responsibility for them is distributed unequally. We can choose to ignore them, or to question why they exist and uncover their latent opportunities. This chapter reframes waste landscapes as contemporary commons, and invites humanity to become voluntary, conscious, and curious citizens thereof.
