Exploring and Illustrating the (Inter-)Disciplinarity of Waste and Zero Waste Management

Jonathon Hannon

doi:10.3390/urbansci4040073

Abstract

The aim of this research was to explore the composition, contribution and arrangement of scientific disciplines, across the spectrum from, traditional waste management, to alternative, contemporary approaches, such as the zero waste and circular economy movements. The purpose of this research is to better address the challenge of waste by enhancing the understanding and future employment of interdisciplinary theory and practice. The first outcome of the review strategy employed in this research was to, illustrate a generic rubric of scientific disciplines and to highlight and discuss key disciplines most obviously connected to waste management. This graphic illustration was then overlain with the findings from systematically reviewing a diverse range of indicators and sources of insight and information on the disciplines and interdisciplinarity evident across the spectrum from waste to zero waste management approaches. The resulting final graphic illustrates the intense disciplinarity and hence, the significant interdisciplinary requirement of (zero) waste management. An observation emerging from this research is that, successfully managing the globalised complexity of waste issues and in this, addressing the challenges of climate change and sustainable development, requires cultivating synergy between multiple scientific and practical disciplines. The scope of this challenge increases with the adoption of more holistic, aspirational, countercultural approaches, such as zero waste. It is argued that, enhancing interdisciplinary training and collaboration in research, education and industry/community practice, will improve performance across the spectrum of worldviews, from waste to zero waste.

Highlights

Waste → Zero Waste ManagementThe imperative of addressing big research questions and critical real-world problems [aka “war, crisis and need” [1], is reported as having been a conceptual driver of interdisciplinarity in the first half of the 20th century [2,3].Citing the consilience and interdisciplinary collaboration, which lead to cracking the DNA code, Rhoten [4] argues that, the big opportunity of “cross boundary science” is to realise the potential for revolutionary breakthrough
This was developed as a compilation/interpretation of two sources: 1- the taxonomy of disciplines, based on the National Science Foundation (NSF) longitudinal survey of doctorate recipients and 2- the National Commission for Scientific and Technological Research (CONICYT)/Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) list of disciplines
The first step in this research process was the formation of an accepted general illustration of scientific disciplines

Summary

Introduction

Waste → Zero Waste ManagementThe imperative of addressing big research questions and critical real-world problems [aka “war, crisis and need” [1], is reported as having been a conceptual driver of interdisciplinarity in the first half of the 20th century [2,3].Citing the consilience and interdisciplinary collaboration, which lead to cracking the DNA code, Rhoten [4] argues that, the big opportunity of “cross boundary science” is to realise the potential for revolutionary breakthrough. The association with breakthrough success, combined with increasing awareness around acute global issues, has led to interdisciplinarity being cited as a contemporary “mantra” in research [5]. Strengthening knowledge and experience of interdisciplinary practice, is conceived as a powerful new opportunity for generating breakthroughs in response to critical global imperatives. The ascent of zero waste (and the other alternative neologism, such the circular economy movement) colonising and competing in the sphere, traditionally dominated by conventional waste management theory and practice, represents a similar questioning of, theoretical convention. Movements/initiatives across the waste → zero waste transitional spectrum, challenge the limited end of pipe industry foci, and confront vested interest complicity in the environmental issues stemming from the current, lineal socio-economic model premised on making and managing waste [32]

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