What a wasteful society we have become. We would much rather throw away items than find another use for them. Will todays wasteful culture cost us our future?
Perhaps, this wastefulness is more of a learned behavior from fast food runs and the overuse of plastics. That said, it isnt just plastic packaging that is filling our landfills to capacity. A 2004 study by Dr. Timothy Jones of the University of Arizona found that in the U.S., 40-50 percent of all food ready for harvest is wasted. 40-50%! Jones estimated that an average family of four throws out $590 worth of meat, fruit, vegetables and grain products each year.
Weve Gone From the Make-Do Society to the Throw-Away Society
Back in the day, we held onto everything, believing it could serve another purpose. How did our culture change so quickly? Its a whole different mindset these days. Have you ever wondered why products arent made to last as long as they used to? Planned obsolescence is why.
Instead of making an expensive product that is built to last, businesses produce more affordable, disposable items.
As well, the tech fads have led all of us to believe that newer models are better. These rapidly occurring technological advances cause us to further play into this throw-away culture.
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Manufacturers are compelled to build low quality products in hopes of earning higher profit margins. Throw-away materials guarantee customers will repurchase the same items in newer models, which is cost efficient and pure profit for manufacturers. Planned obsolescence may be manipulative against consumers, but is a smart business strategy for capitalists.
Capitalism, supercapitalism, and waste
Capitalism leads to a throw-away society. If you think about it, products are often outsourced, as they are made in countries with low labor costs. In turn, broken products are then repaired here in America where labor costs are extremely high. The higher profit benefits the American companies, whether the customer needs to repair a product or replace it entirely. Yet, even when products dont need repairs they are still thrown away.
The Throw-Away Society vs. The Rest of the World
Americans generated 251 million tons of trash in 2006, the most recent year for which the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has data. Our per capita trash disposal rate was 4.6 pounds per person, per day. Sixty-five percent came from residences, while 35 percent came from schools and commercial locations such as hospitals and businesses.
The typical person in a developed country produces about 2.6 pounds of garbage a day. That would mean the average American man, weighing 175 pounds, produces his weight in trash every three months.
This means that Americans dispose of twice as much trash as everyone else in the world. This isnt a good statistic given the environmental issues that go along with this number.
We Have to Make a Sustainable Change
Making a concerted effort to live more mindfully and not playing into this manipulative production tactic can help you break this wasteful cycle. Some of the trash we collect can serve other purposes, and changing your mindset like this is also an essential sustainability skill. Learning the art of using what you have around you to live is the core of being self-reliant and what many of us are trying to achieve.
Small changes can make big impacts. One way we can all minimize the amount of trash that comes into our homes is simply going paperless. You can use technology as a way to reduce your paper hoard. Investing in a scanner, a paper shredder, flash drives and even investing in online filing system, such as Evernote can help you take the necessary steps to reducing your trash load.
You can also look into ways of upcycling and recycling your trash. Anything is possible these days! As well, Pinterest has a lot of great ideas for upcycling trash and items we would otherwise throw away. People have even begun wearing their trash as eye-opening statements or even using trash to make bowls and trash cans.
50 of the Most Thrown Away Items and Clever Wa