Reacquiring Consumer Waste: Treasure in our Trash?
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Author(s)
Brosius, Nina
V. Fernandez, Karen
Cherrier, Helene
Griffith University Author(s)
Year published
2013
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
The reacquisition of discarded objects reshapes linear consumption into a cycle. This type of acquisition reduces both the use of resources and consumer waste, facilitating a sustainable consumer society. The authors used depth interviews and participant observation to examine the annual inorganic collection in Auckland from the inorganic collectors' perspective, focusing in particular on what motivates collectors to acquire strangers' discarded inorganic waste. Most participants reported motives that were pragmatic or hedonic. The recognition that treasure could be found in trash was pivotal in motivating collectors to ...
View more >The reacquisition of discarded objects reshapes linear consumption into a cycle. This type of acquisition reduces both the use of resources and consumer waste, facilitating a sustainable consumer society. The authors used depth interviews and participant observation to examine the annual inorganic collection in Auckland from the inorganic collectors' perspective, focusing in particular on what motivates collectors to acquire strangers' discarded inorganic waste. Most participants reported motives that were pragmatic or hedonic. The recognition that treasure could be found in trash was pivotal in motivating collectors to collect for self and others. Inorganic collecting provided opportunities to engage in gift-giving, and prolong the life of objects. The authors compared these "present-for-us" motives to the "future-for-others" framing of sustainable consumption that is evident in public discourse. The authors suggest how public policy makers can facilitate greater acquisition of consumer waste.
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View more >The reacquisition of discarded objects reshapes linear consumption into a cycle. This type of acquisition reduces both the use of resources and consumer waste, facilitating a sustainable consumer society. The authors used depth interviews and participant observation to examine the annual inorganic collection in Auckland from the inorganic collectors' perspective, focusing in particular on what motivates collectors to acquire strangers' discarded inorganic waste. Most participants reported motives that were pragmatic or hedonic. The recognition that treasure could be found in trash was pivotal in motivating collectors to collect for self and others. Inorganic collecting provided opportunities to engage in gift-giving, and prolong the life of objects. The authors compared these "present-for-us" motives to the "future-for-others" framing of sustainable consumption that is evident in public discourse. The authors suggest how public policy makers can facilitate greater acquisition of consumer waste.
View less >
Journal Title
Journal of Public Policy & Marketing
Volume
32
Issue
2
Copyright Statement
© 2013 American Marketing Association. The attached file is reproduced here in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher. Please refer to the journal's website for access to the definitive, published version.
Subject
Marketing Theory
Medical and Health Sciences
Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services
Studies in Human Society