Contained Redistribution: The Technopolitics of Plastic Burning

Abstract

Plastic stands for designed materials, chemically synthesized for massive use in industry and commerce. As plastic production continues to accelerate, plastic waste is incinerated, globally, as a preferred—though contested—technology for disposal. Burning plastic can be harmful; many associated chemicals, including those produced by burning certain plastics, are potentially toxic. They accumulate in bio-geological environments, known to entail serious health effects in humans for generations. Thus, matters of containment—emission filtration, limiting exposure, spatial localization, and so on—assume technopolitical significance.