material culture | After Single Use

Rows of different lightbulbs in the Energise Gallery.

Contemporary Technology Collecting

How can contemporary collecting shape our research on single-use plastics while guiding ethical curation, museum collaboration, and future preservation?

A plastic syringe lies next to other plastic medical waste including a enteral feeding bottle

Why are plastic syringes not being recycled?

Academic publications

Billions of plastic syringes end up in waste, fuelling a hidden environmental crisis. The technology to promote safe recycling already exists - if the healthcare sector can move beyond stigma to embrace these solutions.

Team members workshopping the factors leading to the disposability of X-rays on a busy table with lots of papers and laptops.

Contingencies: Researching Disposability in Healthcare through Historical Methods

Blog posts

How did single-use devices become the norm in healthcare - and what paths were lost along the way? Our "Contingencies" workshop explored history, possibilities, and alternative futures.

Professor Anne Kveim Lie talking in an academic setting with three figures in the background.

01 Jun 2025

Norwegian health publication ‘Dagens Medisin’ feature After the Single Use

Anne Kveim Lie spoke to Norwegian health publication ‘Dagens Medisin’ about disposable medical equipment, healthcare waste, and the growing need for systemic change.

Blog posts tagged ‘material culture’

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Contemporary Technology Collecting

Why are plastic syringes not being recycled?

Contingencies: Researching Disposability in Healthcare through Historical Methods

Norwegian health publication ‘Dagens Medisin’ feature After the Single Use