Drexel University / Social Scientists

During the spring and summer, Drexel University’s Mary Ebeling (sociology), Mira Olson (civil, architectural and environmental engineering), and Danie Greenwell (PhD candidate, culture & communication), made several visits to RAIR as part of their research on waste and recycling streams in Philadelphia. The research team was interested in learning more about how artists and workers at Revolution Recovery divert and repurpose refuse, how they collectively assess and define value to materials coming into the facility, and through this meaning-making, how they work together collaboratively to give new life and meaning to the tons of debris moving through the waste stream. The group’s findings and observations will inform their project Refuse, Reuse, Revalue: Waste and Redefining Value in Postindustrial Cities.