Here's a disturbing fact: 3/4 of what is taking up space in our landfills in the United States comes from products and packaging. And the majority of these are things that were used only once before being tossed. It makes me worry about where we're going to keep putting all of this garbage. I imagine a future Earth where the entire inside has been hollowed out to bury trash, and all that we live on is the shell of a planet.
I've started paying attention to how true this is of my own habits. After my last trip to target, I took a look at how much I threw away as soon as I got back:
There was all sorts of plastic wrapping on makeup and cleaning products. I bought a lot of food for my dorm room that came in small, individually-wrapped packages. And then there was the fact that I had forgotten my reusable bags in my room so I had to get some plastic shopping bags, too.
So overall, I concluded that I waste a lot when I shop.
What can I do to change this? Stop shopping altogether? There should be a way to waste less without giving up shopping for practical items. I think the real problem comes from the economy. Unless our economy can eliminate the need for circulation of toxic and cheaply-made products to the consumer, the path of destruction will continue to grow. Yes, I can try to change my habits, buy less plastic-covered stuff, but in today's economy it's hard to buy the things we need everyday in anything but that. So maybe it's our economy that needs to adjust. If the manufacturers were made responsible for taking care of all the waste that comes from their products, I'm sure they would hasten the transition to more sustainable methods. I'll have to take some time to reflect on how I, personally, can take part to put pressure on our economy to step in.
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