The dark side of the Consumer Society

Both texts deal with the problem of excessive waste generation as a consequence of our modern life. On the one hand, the first text sets great store on the importance of recycling and questions if enough is done on behalf of both the authorities and ordinary citizens. While the second text draws attention to our consumption habits driven by the artificially created need of purchasing the latest electronic devices. Without a doubt, a great amount of waste is being produced on a daily basis. For instance, the food industry has a lot to do with the above-mentioned problem due to the unnecessary shrink-wrapping used in supermarkets and takeaway restaurants. Furthermore, as the writer highlights in the first text, the use of plastic bags is highly detrimental to marine species, which are dying on the account of plastic pollution. From my standpoint, the government must ban the sale of plastic bags since the clothes industry still use them. In addition, we should become more aware that buying cheap clothes is detrimental to the environment and opt for possessing fewer higher-quality garments. At the same time, there would not be so much need to recycle if we thought twice before buying brand-new electronic gadgets. More often than not, the latest models are purchased only for the sake of fashion. Efficient advertising makes us fall into the consumption trap by acquiring new technological devices while the old ones still function perfectly. Consequently, garbage mountains grow, mostly down to the fact that we refuse to be outdated. In addition, many manufacturers build obsolescence into their electrical appliances so that, for example, a washing machine breaks down after five years and we are obliged to buy a new one. All things considered, I strongly believe that we should learn to live more sustainably by changing our consumption habits and striving to reduce our waste to the minimum. On the contrary, our planet is in jeopardy of becoming a massive landfill.