Panel: The Stories We Tell About Waste. In Kooperation mit Zethno – Ethnologischer Verein Zürich. Waste is more than what we throw away. It’s also what we see, read, and debate. Waste has become one of the defining challenges of our time. Cities around the world grapple with overflowing landfills, informal recycling economies, and unequal access to waste disposal infrastructure. In Zurich, as in many other cities, circular economy programmes are reshaping urban waste management. Yet waste is never just a technical or environmental issue. It is also deeply social, political, and cultural. It raises questions about power, access, and inequality: Who decides what counts as waste? How do media narratives shape public perceptions and policy? And what can anthropological perspectives reveal about the ways waste is produced, managed, and valued across different contexts? This panel brings together perspectives from anthropology, media studies, and urban governance to explore how waste is represented, negotiated, and managed in contemporary cities. Experts as well as the audience will examine the stories we tell about waste and ask what they reveal about broader questions of value, inequality, sustainability, and urban life. The panel features language and communication professor Crispin Thurlow  (University of Bern), project manager Tabea Kaldis (Circular Economy, City of Zurich), and cultural anthropologist Kathrin Eitel (University of Zurich). The discussion will be moderated by filmmaker and social anthropologist Lynn Kohli. The event is organised by Zethno, an independent association dedicated to fostering public engagement with anthropology.