Maya Ellison
Plastic is a function of colonialism in several ways. Colonialism refers to a system of domination that grants a colonizer access to land for the colonizer's goals. This includes access to Indigenous land to extract oil and gas to make plastics, as well as the land to store and contain disposable plastics. Colonialism also perpetuates a colonialist mindset that associates some uses of land as civilized and moral and other uses as savage and deficient. This mindset is reflected in scientific articles, the media, and policy papers that frame certain regions as mismanaging their waste. Additionally, solutions to the global plastic pollution crisis often assume continued access to land for the disposal and treatment of plastics, reinforcing colonial power dynamics. The end of colonialism is seen as necessary for ending plastic disposability and addressing the environmental injustices caused by plastic waste colonialism.
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What You'll Learn
- Colonialism grants colonisers access to land for their goals, including the production and disposal of plastics
- Plastic waste is exported to poorer countries with less stringent environmental regulations
- The notion of mismanaging waste perpetuates a colonialist mindset that associates certain land uses with being civilised or savage
- Solutions to plastic pollution often assume continued plastic production and importation, reflecting colonialist thinking
- Waste colonialism is a form of domination, with pollution serving as a tool for imperial expansion
Colonialism grants colonisers access to land for their goals, including the production and disposal of plastics
The existence of plastics assumes access to land, which is often stolen or misused by those in power. This is evident in the production and disposal of plastics, where colonised lands are used for the extraction of resources, the manufacturing of plastics, and the dumping or recycling of plastic waste. For example, the top five countries responsible for marine plastics, including China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka, are also receiving a disproportionate amount of plastic waste from other regions.
Colonialism provides access to Indigenous land, which is necessary for the extraction of oil and gas used in plastic production. It also enables the production of disposable plastics, which requires additional land for storage and landfills. The notion of disposability assumes the availability of infrastructure and access to land, typically Indigenous land, for waste disposal. Without this access, the concept of disposability becomes unsustainable.
Furthermore, colonialism perpetuates a colonialist mindset that associates certain uses of land as civilized and moral, while deeming other uses as savage and deficient. This mindset justifies interventions in the name of "improving" the land, dispossessing Indigenous peoples, and imposing colonial goals and systems of waste management.
The end of colonialism is seen as crucial to ending plastic disposability and addressing the global plastic pollution crisis.
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Plastic waste is exported to poorer countries with less stringent environmental regulations
Colonialism refers to a system of domination that grants a colonizer access to land for the colonizer's goals. This dynamic is evident in the global plastic crisis, where plastic waste from richer countries is exported to poorer countries with less stringent environmental regulations. This practice, known as "waste colonialism", perpetuates the colonialist mindset that associates the use of land by indigenous peoples as "mismanaging" and "savage", while justifying the exploitation of land for economic gain as "civilized" and "moral".
The top five countries responsible for marine plastics, including China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka, also receive a disproportionate amount of plastic waste from other regions. This waste is often not properly managed due to insufficient waste management infrastructure, leading to long-lasting damage to people and the environment. For example, in the Philippines, a significant plastic importer, the influx of plastic waste has sickened residents of Manila and clogged the island nation's coastlines.
Rich countries, including the United States, Canada, and those in the European Union, have been accused of violating international agreements, such as the Basel Convention, by exporting their plastic waste to poorer countries. These countries take advantage of less stringent regulations in the developing world, contributing to toxic pollution and its detrimental impact on communities and ecosystems in the importing countries.
The plastic waste trade is often justified by the idea that recycling and treating sewage will manage the problem. However, this assumes that plastics can continue to be produced and imported, neglecting the importance of reducing plastic production and consumption in the first place. The end of colonialism, and the associated access to land, would inherently limit the disposability of plastics and force a reduction in plastic production.
To address the issue of plastic waste being exported to poorer countries, there have been calls for greater transparency and enforceable limits on plastic production. Therese Karlsson, a science and technical advisor for the International Pollutant Elimination Network, has advocated for a total ban on the global plastic waste trade. Additionally, it is crucial to address the root cause of the problem by reducing the amount of plastic generated, as the current levels of plastic waste are unsustainable and pose significant risks to the environment and public health.
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The notion of mismanaging waste perpetuates a colonialist mindset that associates certain land uses with being civilised or savage
The term "waste colonialism" was first used in 1989 at the United Nations Environmental Programme Basel Convention when African nations raised concerns about the disposal of hazardous waste by high-GDP countries into low-GDP countries. Waste colonialism refers to the domination of one group in their homeland by another through the transboundary disposal of hazardous and toxic waste. This is often from areas of privilege to areas with lower economic status, and it includes plastic waste.
For example, in 2015, an American NGO recommended that countries in Southeast Asia work with foreign-funded industries to build incinerators to burn plastic waste. This recommendation was in line with a long history of colonial acts, including gaining access to Indigenous land to extract resources for creating plastics and then pointing fingers at local and Indigenous peoples for "mismanaging" imported waste. The Philippines branch of the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) rejected the recommendation, citing the negative health and environmental impacts of burning waste, especially in countries with poor air quality.
The assumption that land is available for waste disposal and that certain land uses are more civilised than others is deeply rooted in colonialism. This mindset has led to the exploitation of land for economic gain, often at the expense of Indigenous ways of relating to and valuing the land. As such, the mismanagement of waste is not merely a technical or logistical issue but a symptom of deeper colonial power structures that perpetuate inequality and environmental degradation.
To address waste colonialism, action is needed at multiple levels: consumer, corporate, and government. It is essential to recognise that waste is inherently political and that solutions must challenge the underlying power dynamics that perpetuate colonial patterns of waste disposal and pollution.
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Solutions to plastic pollution often assume continued plastic production and importation, reflecting colonialist thinking
The existence of plastics assumes access to land, which is often stolen or misused by those in power. This dynamic is a defining feature of colonialism, which grants colonizers access to land for their goals. The production and disposal of plastics are inherently tied to this colonialist system.
Solutions to plastic pollution often focus on recycling, incineration, or dumping. However, these solutions assume that plastics will continue to be produced and imported, perpetuating colonialist thinking. For example, recycling may simply shift the burden of plastic waste to other communities, as seen in the case of plastics being shipped to recycling plants in Vietnam or elsewhere in Canada, leading to pollution and plastic leakage on other lands.
Incineration, or burning plastic waste, is another proposed solution that reflects colonialist thinking. It assumes access to land for incineration plants and disregards the environmental and health impacts, particularly in countries already struggling with air pollution. Additionally, it perpetuates climate-changing fossil fuel extraction.
Dumping, or exporting plastic waste to other countries, is another common practice that reinforces colonialist dynamics. Wealthier countries, such as those in Europe, often export their plastic waste to poorer countries with less stringent environmental regulations, taking advantage of their lack of effective waste management systems. This dynamic was evident in the case of UK plastics being sent for recycling in Turkey, only to be dumped and burned.
To break free from colonialist thinking, it is essential to recognize the role of disposability and access to land in the plastic pollution crisis. Disposability assumes that there is a place for plastic packaging to go, such as landfills or recycling plants, which often requires access to Indigenous land. By challenging the notion of disposability and addressing the systemic issues that enable plastic production and importation, we can move towards de-plasticization and environmental justice.
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Waste colonialism is a form of domination, with pollution serving as a tool for imperial expansion
Waste colonialism is a concept that has gained traction since the 1990s to explain the dynamics of power in wasting and pollution. It refers to how waste and pollution are tools for the domination of one group in their homeland by another group. This domination is often based on racial formations, white supremacy, patriarchy, and capitalism.
The term "waste colonialism" was first recorded in 1989 at the United Nations Environmental Programme Basel Convention when African nations raised concerns about high-GDP countries disposing of hazardous waste in low-GDP countries. This dynamic persists today, with former colonial powers generating large amounts of trash and relying on developing countries to recycle and dispose of their hazardous waste for cheap. This practice, known as waste colonialism, perpetuates a cycle of production, consumption, and disposal, with lands and waters continually destroyed for market expansion.
Plastic pollution is a significant aspect of waste colonialism. The existence of plastics assumes access to land, which is often stolen or misused by those in power. This access to land is a form of domination that grants colonizers the ability to pursue their goals, such as resource extraction and disposal of waste. For example, the production of disposable plastics requires land to store and contain them, and when plastics end up in the oceans, it is often the responsibility of former colonies to clean up the pollution.
The plastic industry has long promoted single-use plastics, assuming that waste will be picked up and taken to landfills or recycling plants, often in colonized lands. This assumption of access to land is a form of domination that perpetuates plastic disposability. Without this access, there would be no disposability, as seen in places like Nain, Canada, where plastics are burned or end up in the water, contributing to pollution.
Waste colonialism is, therefore, a form of domination, with pollution serving as a tool for imperial expansion. It involves the exploitation of land and people, often Indigenous communities, for the benefit of the dominating group. This dynamic has been recognized and resisted by Indigenous peoples, who are demanding an end to plastic pollution in their environments.
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Frequently asked questions
Waste colonialism refers to how waste and pollution are part of the domination of one group in their homeland by another group.
Colonialism grants colonizers access to land, which is necessary for plastic production, as well as the disposal of plastic waste.
Countries with high plastic consumption, such as those in Europe, often export their plastic waste to poorer countries with less stringent waste management systems and environmental regulations.
Plastic waste colonialism has negative environmental and health impacts on the receiving countries, contributing to pollution and air pollution from burning waste. It also perpetuates a colonialist mindset that associates some uses of land as civilized and moral while disparaging the waste management practices of the receiving countries.
Alternatives include waste decolonization, which involves moving beyond the waste exporter-importer relationship, and de-plasticization, which requires reducing plastic consumption and accepting limits to industrial growth.
