Conversations about waste streams are on the rise, which is a very important step in addressing the design, manufacturing, and creative world. However, it’s missing an important component–us. Who’s using all this stuff, and what are we doing? Do we really need it? Without the development of a critical framework to examine ourselves within the larger systems we aim to change, we’re missing a clear understanding of a huge part of the mess. And by keeping the conversation in the realm of top-down strategies and systems theory, we’re missing a huge opportunity to create change.