How to sign “Wastes” in ASL

Everyday Life

The BSL sign for “Wastes” isn't in our dictionary yet — it will be fingerspelled in BSL mode, never replaced with this ASL sign.

Step by step

  1. Open both hands into loose 5 handshapes with all fingers spread wide apart.
  2. Hold your non-dominant hand palm-up at waist height as a flat base.
  3. Lay the back of your dominant palm-up hand onto the other open palm.
  4. Swipe the dominant hand outward and off the base hand in one careless flick.
  5. Keep the dominant palm facing upward through the swipe, as if tossing something away.
  6. Wear a slightly dismissive expression — the sign carries a careless who-cares attitude.

Practice tip

“Wastes” is signed with the base WASTE sign.

Fingerspell “Wastes”

Letter by letter — a handy backup if you forget the sign above. This is not the sign itself.

ASL handshape for letter WASL handshape for letter AASL handshape for letter SASL handshape for letter TASL handshape for letter EASL handshape for letter S

See all ASL handshapes in the alphabet reference

Text-based guide researched from established ASL references (Lifeprint, university and public-health materials) and rewritten in original words. Signer-created photos and videos are a planned future upgrade.

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