Question

When environmental sociologists study the problems of waste and consumption, how are they understanding the environment?

Answer 1

I believe the answer is: As a social problem

An environmental sociologist would view that there is an inseparable relationship between the environmental condition and the social activities that people near the environment do.
So, when they identify problems of waste and consumption in an environment, they would directly correlate it with the social activities which people make that could cause that problem.