From Waste to Cultural Memory: The Social Value Reconstruction of Museum Collection and Interpretation Practices

In the context of globalization and technological advancements driving social change, museums are undergoing a transformation from guardians of history to social connectors. They treat waste as forgotten slices of civilization for collection and interpretation, which is a further protection of material heritage and a strategic measure for museums to participate in social issues and maintain cultural continuity. By relying on material cultural research and critical heritage theory, this exploration demonstrates the three-tier significance of waste as a physical evidence system for social transformation, recording technological changes and urbanization processes, serving as intergenerational memory media, promoting cultural inheritance, becoming critical narrative carriers, and prompting the public to think about social issues such as the environment. The value transformation path of waste, using a triple mechanism of rapid response, community co-construction, and educational transformation to transform museums from custodians of objects to weavers of social relationships. This not only conforms to international museum ethical norms, but also opens up new paths for museums to participate in sustainable development, which has important theoretical and practical significance in the era of technological change.