Tma02

TMA 02
DD131 - Introducing the Social Sciences – Part 1

Outline the ways in which rubbish can be said to have value in a consumer society. (1250 words)

Essay Plan

Introduction:
    - overview of what ‘value’ means
    - overview of what ‘rubbish’ is
    - what is a consumer society
    - how does rubbish fit into a consumer society?

Paragraph 1
    - Thompson’s theory of rubbish
    - What is it?
    - How does it relate to rubbish having value?

Paragraph 2
    - Recycling
    - Recycled products (pg 119)
    - Food waste into compost
    - Waste recycling & bio-diesel for cars

Paragraph 3
    - Rag and bone man replaced by big companies (The ‘rag-and-bone man’ of past times has been replaced by businesses, some of which operate international disposal and recycling operations (Staples et al., 2009, Pg 119)
    - Charity shops

Paragraph 4
    - Junk art (pg 131)
    - Found art
    - Collectors items
    - Thompson’s Rubbish Theory - ‘durable category’ (page 122)
    - Changes in taste/fashion (rubbish society - 9.58)

Conclusion
    - outline main points
    - sum up why rubbish can have value

Outline the ways in which rubbish can be said to have value in a consumer society

      The nature of a consumer society means that often a population will by new objects not because they are needed but because they place a high value on owning many things. This means that the level of rubbish or items that are thrown away by a consumer society is high. It is said that one man’s rubbish is another man’s treasure, what one man might throw away another might see as something to be valued and used. Rubbish can be seen as something that is worthless, that needs to be thrown away because nobody wants it, because it has no value; “the notion of ‘value’ can take on different senses. Sometimes value refers to the usefulness of something” (Staples et al., 2009, Pg. 105). Just the words ‘rubbish’ and ‘value’ can have many different...