This blog documents me and my students’ experiences studying the archaeology of trash at a medium-sized, rural university in the Western United States. One of the hallmarks of archaeological research is to study how humans use and make meaning out of their immediate environment as well as how their interactions may impact it. Archaeologists working within more modern contexts have become especially concerned with how humans destroy their landscapes (through such things as nuclear testing and agribusiness), making them barren and uninhabitable for future generations. Yet if there is one thing common to all human cultures, it’s that they leave trash. Archaeology is a social science dedicated to learning about culture through the study of their deposition habits. The human condition is to waste; but it is also humankind’s responsibility to figure out how to waste not, want not. Or, in other words, to minimize our footprints on our fragile and delicate planet Earth. This project is therefore part of a broader movement in archaeology to use the tools it provides to solve and understand modern and contemporary problems such as waste disposal, recycling, and environmental degradation.
The goal of this project, then, is to examine how one small, yet significant population – a campus full of professors, staff members, and students – handles their waste. The proposed archaeological project, “Waste Not, Want Not,” will draw upon multiple sets data to examine how the campus’ students, staff, and faculty members utilize their immediate environment, with a particular focus on how trash accumulates in certain areas or “zones” of the university. For example, we will interview and observe campus community members throughout the week (morning, noon, and night) to examine their perceptions of trash on campus. We will work in teams as well as individually to develop solutions to the ever-growing problem of waste management. Attending to the depositional practices and small-scale actions of a medium-sized community has the potential to provide local solutions to a global problem.
NOTE: We are thankful for the support of a Service Learning Grant from our home institution that is providing us with the financial means to cover our research and learning expenses.
