You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Nowadays, we are living in a throw-away society. What are its causes and what are its problems? What could be done to address this issue?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
Sample Answer:
Nowadays, we have adopted the throw-away lifestyle and over-consumption and excessive production of short-lived or disposable items is a global phenomenon which is making the condition even worse. Consumerism, rapid advancement of technology, changing lifestyle and globalisation are some of the main reasons which are contributing to this phenomenon even more. The effect of this trend is so extraordinary and deep that it will someday challenge our own existence and implementation of effective measures should be immediately taken.
Consumerism is a social and economic ideology that encourages people to acquire more products and services in an ever-increasing amount. Our materialistic lifestyle fuels this habit and we change our cell phones, cars and other household equipment more frequently than ever. Advertising plays a major role in creating a consumerist society and we are never contented with the things we have and want to acquire more than we need. Shopping is no longer a necessity and has turned out to be an activity for many. Thus we are producing an overwhelming amount of wastages and a little effort has been in place to recycle many of our used items. The rapid advancement of technology often forces us to buy latest products as new products have better features than the one we own. The rise of the middle-income people globally and their desire to mimic rich people and adopt a technology centric lifestyle also the reasons for the increasing waste productions as a result of our throw-away lifestyle. Our traditional lifestyle and skills are almost gone and we want to buy everything rather than creating them. For instance, the number of people who rely on canned and packet food rather than cooking at home is a great example that shows the paradigm shift towards a busy and ready-made social lifestyle. Finally, the globalisation has immensely contributed towards our inclination to a throw-away society we are living in.
The problems that the throw-away society and consumerism tendency create are overwhelming. This is a degradation of human moral as a massive number of poor people are starving, on one hand, million tonnes of foods are being wasted in few countries on the other hand. The toxic waste and chemical garbage are polluting our environment while we are remaining busy to buy more electronic products. The global warming, temperature rise, extinction of many species are just the beginning and if we fail to take effective measures to stop this heinous trend, we will be destroying our future.
There are many steps that should be immediately in place to address this issue. Non-recyclable packets, bags and goods should be restricted as much as possible. The environment friendly goods should be manufactured and used by people and elements like plastic bags should be totally banned. Every household wastes should be classified as recyclable and non-recyclable and recyclable waste should be used to produce new products rather than throwing them away. The government, as well as individuals’ cumulative efforts to reduce the wastage production and to save the environment, should be in place.
To conclude, no doubt our ignorance and desire to have more have contributed towards the creation of a throwaway society. Advancement of technology, globalisation, social and economic structure have all fueled this trend even faster. But the time has come for us to step forward and think about the future of the mother planet and take steps to revert the damage.