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    The Invention of Urban Waste

    Have waste materials always existed? Long before sorting facilities and garbage bins, cities operated through systems of recovery, recycling, and reuse. In this conversation, Sabine Barles and Lionel Devlieger explore the little-known history of urban waste, from Parisian ragpickers to contemporary deconstruction sites.

    Why did waste become a major urban issue in the nineteenth century? How can material reuse be reconciled with public health requirements? What can historical practices teach us about today’s circular economy challenges? Through the example of Manhattan—where accelerated construction schedules and the pursuit of profitability gradually replaced the careful dismantling of buildings with mechanized demolition—the speakers show how the reuse of materials slowly gave way to a culture of disposability.

    A discussion that challenges the idea that recycling is a recent invention and offers a fresh perspective on our relationship to resources, cities, and the ecological transition.

    • Environment
    • Social issues
    • Mythological

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