It's a disposable world

I remember a time when things were built to last. These days rather than going and repairing household appliances like kettles and toasters it is cheaper to replace these items. The saying “they don’t make em like they used to” is becoming the norm of our times where it is cheaper to replace than repair.

Once upon a time things were designed and manufactured to last, and if they did break they were easily repaired. The construction of new ‘things’ requires an enormous amount of energy input, resource extraction and man hours. Whilst the price for a new item may be cheaper this price tag does not represent the whole cost of the item.

Not only are we purchasing items that are of poor quality and will need replacing in a short period of time, we are also increasingly purchasing items of little need, “want items”, that often go unused. Infact, it is suggested that Australian’s spend over $10.5 billion dollars annually on unused items (Hamilton et al 2005) and that trend is increasing.

2 dollar shops are thriving and we are consuming more and more without realising the deeper and ongoing consequences. We as a race seem to be caught up in the cycle of “things”. We like new “things”, lots of “things”.

Whilst we are becoming more aware of the need to recycle most people have not yet grasped the ‘reuse is better than recycle’ theory. For example, statistics show that Australians change their phones every 12-18 months, with only 4% recycling their old phones (Phillips 2007). TVs, DVDs, household appliances, stationary, computers, houses, clothing, nappies are other notable areas where items are over consumed and/or wasted, with food highest on the waste list (Hamilton et al 2005).

Waste Sorting in a Sydney Recycling Plant.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald 11 March 2007

So the next time you are looking to buy something think about the ongoing costs, perhaps it is better to buy it once and buy it properly rather than settling for the ‘cheap’ disposable item. And, next time you go to get rid of something ask the question “would anyone else benefit from the use of this item?” and think about the ways it could be reused. Remember: “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure”, sell your unused items online (Freecycle, E-bay, Grays Online, Trading Post, interest forums) or donate them to charities. Most importantly: use everything that you buy.

References

Hamilton, C., Denniss, R., and Baker, D. 2005, Wasteful Consumption in Australia, Discussion Paper No. 77, The Australia Institute.
Phillips, S. eds. 2007, G Magazine, Luna Media, Chippendale, Australia.
Sydney Morning Herald. 11 March 2007, http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/drastic-plastic-bag-ban-looms/2007/03/10/1173478729172.html