Vol. 9 (2026)
Waste Ethnographies

When to Waste: Timing and Discarding in the Indian Himalayas

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  • Trine Brox,
  • Tenzin Passang
Trine Brox
University of Copenhagen
Bio
Tenzin Passang
Clean Upper Dharamshala Programme, India
Bio
Cover image of Worldwide Waste journal, showing a derelict car on a grassy sward.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3197/whpww.63857928646685

Published 2026-09-21

Keywords

  • bureaucratic time,
  • discarding,
  • temporal coordination,
  • waste management,
  • Practice-Led Research,
  • Waiting
    • ...More
    Less

How to Cite

Brox, T., & Tenzin Passang. (2026). When to Waste: Timing and Discarding in the Indian Himalayas. Worldwide Waste, 9, 53–66. https://doi.org/10.3197/whpww.63857928646685

Copyright (c) 2026 Trine Brox, Tenzin Passang

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

This article contributes to waste and discard studies ethnographic insights into waste as a public problem, highlighting the question of when rather than where to place waste. It presents the waste challenges confronting a town nestled in the Indian Himalayas as it has witnessed substantial population growth and burgeoning tourism, resulting in increased consumption and a massive amount of waste. Based upon collaborative ethnographic research in 2023, the study reveals how local waste challenges relate not only to the spatial logics of waste but also to the issue of timing. Effective waste management depends upon coordination and synchronicity between waste producers, collectors and the temporality of the waste itself. This can be especially complex in contexts where waste infrastructures and disposal practices are inadequate and unable to keep up with accelerating waste generation.

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