Throw-away society
[5] Fast food chains could cut costs by convincing consumers through advertising campaigns to carry their own tableware to a waste bins, to avoid the labor of clearing tables.
[7] In 2013, Taiwan's Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) banned outright the use of disposable tableware in the nation's 968 schools, government agencies and hospitals.
[8] In Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, laws banning use of disposable food and drink containers at large-scale events have been enacted.
For small events of a few hundred people, the city has arranged for a corporation offer rental of crockery and dishwasher equipment.
Most notable are the large shipments of trash from North America and Western Europe to Africa and Asia due to the relatively low cost of disposal.
A significantly large percentage[vague] of the trash being hazardous waste shipped with the "explicit intent of cheap (and unsafe) disposal".
China also receives huge amounts of waste, often toxic material, averaging 1.9 million tons per year, because companies find it cheaper to ship garbage away rather than dispose of it themselves.
[15] In addition to planned obsolescence, it was common for products to be slightly changed every year to encourage people to purchase a newer version, even when not necessary.
[19] This correlation between influencer marketing and the increase in consumption has led to the newly fast-paced life cycle of clothing otherwise referred to as 'style obsolescence'.
In this cycle people are constantly throwing-away clothing that is no longer "on trend" in order to make space for new and more popular styles.
[20] While participating in this cycle of staying on top of the trends, shoppers satisfy their want for instant gratification and begin to disregard the effects that throwing away clothing can have on our environment.
In the aforementioned Life magazine article, it specifically mentioned that "no housewife need bother" in regards to extensive household chores because disposable products will cut down on the cleaning time required.
Some did this through the means of finding a more traditional job, but many also turned to multi-level marketing businesses such as Tupperware to supplement their husband's income.
[23] Despite it being initially viewed as a positive attribute to strive for, at least early as 1967, some companies began separating themselves from other American advertisers.
For example, in fast fashion, consumers buy the latest, novelty item because producers market styles that pass with the seasons.
There is pressure on producers to advertise an increased number of "seasons", creating new styles so consumers can update their wardrobes often by buying cheap and flimsy, yet stylish clothes to keep up with current fashion trends.
This can lead to higher costs over time, more waste produced, more resources used, and lower quality goods.
[31][32][33] In his encyclical Laudato si', he discusses pollution, waste, the lack of recycling, and the destruction of the Earth as symptoms of this throwaway culture.
