‘COVID waste’ and social media as method: an archaeology of personal protective equipment and its contribution to policy
Schofield, J.; Praet, E.; Townsend, K.A.; Vince, J. (2021). ‘COVID waste’ and social media as method: an archaeology of personal protective equipment and its contribution to policy. Antiquity 95(380): 435-449. https://dx.doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2021.18
In: Antiquity. Department of Archaeology, Durham University: York. ISSN 0003-598x; e-ISSN 1745-1744, more
|   |
| Author keywords |
Contemporary archaeology; COVID-19; plastic pollution; personal protective equipment; social media |
| Authors | | Top |
- Schofield, J.
- Praet, E.
- Townsend, K.A.
- Vince, J.
|
|
|
| Abstract |
The COVID-19 pandemic is creating a viral archive—an archaeological record of history in the making. One aspect of this archive is increased environmental pollution, not least through the discarded facemasks and gloves that characterise the pandemic. This article—directed specifically at archaeologists—argues that an archaeological perspective on ‘COVID waste’ using social media analysis can help to highlight environmental pollution, and that by giving this waste the status of archaeological material and working with other disciplines, archaeologists can contribute to sustainable, policy-led solutions to combat environmental pollution. |
|
