A Problem Of Waste Management In Consumer Society

downloadDownload
  • Words 1068
  • Pages 2
Download PDF

Introduction

It is commonly understood that the contemporary world experiences a problem of waste management. Moreover, it is a common belief that the present day consumers have formulated a disposable perception in a culture that can be thought of as ‘throwaway’ (Baudrillard, 2016; Scanlan, 2005). These societies have nurtured a tendency of discarding items that at one point in life would have been recycled, reused and held in stewardship. Such claims are so common that few scholars have analyzed whether or not they have any basis and little proof has been brought forward to establish their veracity.

This paper is based on the premise that there is less evidential foundation to back up the claims that contemporary consumer societies create wastes compared to their past counterparts. Neither is it true that the old-time societies reused and stewarded objects significantly compared to what is happening today. However, there exist two sets of questions that can help come up with clarifications why the argument that consumerism leads to crisse should be critically assessed.

Click to get a unique essay

Our writers can write you a new plagiarism-free essay on any topic

Firstly there is a big difference between what people waste and what people throw away. If one society happens to remit more unused objects to the environment than another, does it point out that it is more wasteful? Or could it be perceived that more is processed in the contemporary societies than the past one to the extent of creating a huge quantity of materials that pass through the domestic and the industrial units? It is true that contemporary consumers tend to consume more of the proportions that are produced compared to historical consumers (O’Brien, 2013). This, however, is not to say that more toxic or larger depositions do not have negative effects to the environment. But this seems a very different claim to the fact that present-day consumers are more wasteful.

Secondly, the claim that contemporary consumer societies are more wasteful is backed up by the fact that the analysis done might have focused on municipal waste which was then related to consumer discards. Looking at the present day consumers compared to the historical consumers, this discussion argues that the contemporary consumer societies are not as wasteful as they are perceived Discussion An important argument by the proponents that contemporary societies create waste is that it is based on the perceptions about the “waste crisis” that bring together a moral critique of consumerism and a sociological analysis. The moral critique is based on issues concerned with escalating demand, built-in obsolescence and high product turnover in an environment that is highly oriented towards convenience. On the other hand, the sociological perspective is based on issues to deal with cultural and economic changes relating to industrial innovation, levels of affluence and patterns of taste (O’Brien, 2013).

Contemporary society has experienced a significant increase in waste production which is a reflection of unprecedented levels of global economic activity (Ferrell, 2006; Hawkins, 2006). This increase in the waste quantities can be linked to the following: cheaper consumer products, rising levels of affluence, shorter product shelf life, increased demand for convenience products and the proliferation of packaging. The critiques of the waste problem have on many occasions exceeded the sociological perspectives about waste and have focused on the consumer societies. Therefore the argument is majorly based on the present day culture of consumption and disposal. Arguments around this perspective have suggested the norm, and the economy of consumption focuses on endless acquisition and disposal of what was acquired yesterday by people who never get satisfied. These kinds of critique are geared towards post-war developments and tend to suggest that contemporary society is wasteful.

That present-day consumers are disdainful, ignorant and profligate compared to past consumers. While proponents of such arguments have pointed to the fact that there is an increase in household waste today than ever before, a number of possible explanations are likely to be attributed for such trends. For instance, the recent past has experienced a dramatic increase in population which means that if in any case, the rate of population increase is equal to the rate of increase in waste there is no any per capita growths in aggregate disposals (O’Brien, 2013). This would mean that the increase in waste quantities would mean an increased number of people disposing of unwanted materials. Another possible explanation asserts that chances are high that people have become wealthier either in terms of absolute gains in monetary assets or via decrease in prices. This means that people are better positioned to purchase more goods today and bring them to their houses.

Another explanation can be that the population has not changed much but as well as the wealth levels. However, there might be a change in disposal characteristics. In this regard without an increase in material inputs, the households have tended to consume less yet they have discarded more. If proof of this can be availed, then it could be confirmed that the throwaway perspective has indeed taken root. However, there exists no shred of proof that contemporary society is wasteful (O’Brien, 2013). While data might be available to state that the tonnage of waste has hiked many folds, it can also be argued that waste is classified into different categories. And these classifications differ across time. Research has concentrated much on the different contents of the dustbins.

Conclusion

Based on the evidence that has been availed on the period after the Second World War, the argument that the contemporary consumer societies create waste is dubious. Proof from urban domestic waste shows that discarding waste and to some extent controlling the waste crisis is an intrinsic aspect of the social framework of the developed world and is not in any way a mistake of the consumer societies. While this paper would not suggest that waste is not in any way problematic, there is the need to come up with a more serious sociological intervention rather than exploring the perspectives of moral sociology that base their insight on the consumer throw-away perspectives. This paper, therefore, disputes the fact that contemporary consumption is responsible for environmental degradation. The actual problem does not lie in consumption but in the trends of the production systems and the changes in economic waves that have increased wealth among consumers hence an increase in disposable income. Also, population increase directly affects the patterns of consumption thus determines the amount of waste that is produced ((Ekström, 2014; O’Brien, 2012).

image

We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy.