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Introduction Excessive consumerism has driven the global economy for a plethora of years, and as a result, the world has collectively transitioned into a throw-away society. The term throw-away society refers to a broad description of societal concepts that have been greatly influenced by consumerism. In this society, items are typically used only once, come in throwaway plastic packaging, and are not produced to be used in the long-term. The waste of short-term products has caused detrimental environmental impacts on the environment from the build-up of waste to damaging production methods. For Earth to heal, this throw-away system must be abandoned, and the most sustainable way to do so is by establishing a circular economy, in which nothing is wasted at the global, local, or personal level (Government of Canada, 2022). Through the implementation of a circular economy, where consumption is significantly reduced and sustainable alternatives are offered at all levels, society can successfully make the shift away from the throw-away system and begin to significantly reduce pollution from over-consumption. The Problem & The Solution Massive consumption has become a huge issue in todays society; the more we consume, the more we simultaneously waste. Each year, the world generates roughly 300 million tons of plastic waste. When this garbage is improperly managed, either by leaking into the environment or being disposed of improperly, it becomes hazardous for both human health and biodiversity (McGinty, 2021). The linearity of consumption, in which goods are produced, used, and thrown away, is the fundamental issue. The process ends with a build-up of waste at an alarming rate considering the short lifespan and limited usefulness of certain products. Nothing goes to waste in a circular economy. By reusing, repairing, renovating, and repurposing goods and materials, the circular economy preserves and recovers as much value from resources as possible. The
circular economy, displayed in Figure 1 puts great emphasis on reducing waste through less consumption, proper collection and processing of inevitable waste, and sustainable production and processing of new products through recycled material. There are many materials that are wasted that can be recycled and repurposed; in order to shift away from the throw-away system, these products can start at any point in the circular economy and continuously follow through the cycle. Consumption & Use Starting from consumption and use, the cycle begins when any item is purchased by a consumer. Consumers play a massive role in the amount of waste society produces; plastic being the highest form. The problem with plastic is that it never decomposes completely, it merely breaks down into micro-plastics (Marsh, 2022). As of 2015, it was estimated that only 9% of plastic garbage was recycled, 12% was burned, and the remaining 79% ended up in landfills or leaked into the environment; there is no doubt that these statistics still hold up today (Walker et al., 2021). This step in the circular economy places emphasise on reducing and finding alternatives to unsustainable waste. Plastic straws, for example, have become quite the hot topic in recent years as there have been many debates on how the effectively deal with them. There are a variety of strategies to avoid using plastic straws, all of which involve changing the manner that beverages are consumed. Reducing the use of straws in general and switching to biodegradable, sip-based lids on cups simultaneously reduces the amount of plastic and paper waste. This substitute for plastic straws is the cornerstone of how single-use plastics can be managed. Switching to bio-degradable materials makes the process much smoother when it comes time for recycling, where they can be collected and processed to be reserviced into fuel,
Starting from production and purchasing, the cycle begins when products are manufactured and sold to consumers. The circular economy's production element is carried out at the corporate level, with government oversight. It is the obligation of businesses to guarantee the longevity and quality of the materials used to create their products. In the past, companies have been caught purposefully reducing the lifespan of their products so consumers would be forced to purchase replacements; Apple is one of these companies. In 2017, Apple admitted to purposefully slowing down the performance of outdated iPhones, with the reason of not wanting devices to die from aging batteries (Kirby, 2017). Although the explanation appears to be in the consumer's best interest, it is very clear that such an action was done to boost sales of newer, more costly iPhones. This additionally has major consequences on the environment. The fastest- growing waste stream in the world today is electronics, which is expected to reach 57.4 million tonnes in 2021, yet fewer than 20% of the world's electronic garbage is collected and recovered (PACE, n.d.). This step in the circular economy places emphasis on holding businesses accountable for their greedy contributions towards increased waste. Single-use items and short lifespan products are what accelerate the volume of trash in the throw-away system, so fining corporations that engage in such behaviour would make costly products, such as electronics, last as long as they possible can. When these electronics finish their life, they can be properly recycled and repurposed into new, refurbished phones; once again completing a full cycle in the circular economy. Conclusion The population can successfully transition away from a throw-away system and start to significantly reduce pollution from overconsumption by implementing the circular economy. By simply finding alternatives to unsustainable practices, incentivizing proper recycling, and
holding companies accountable for intentionally contributing to the Earth’s overall waste can make this shift possible. This shift is extremely important, continuing the linear throw-away system will only drive society further into an unsustainable, landfilled world. Figures Figure 1: The Circular Economy. This system has three steps, which include consumption and use, collection and processing, and production and processing. As opposed to the linear throw- away system, the circular economy can begin at any step and continuously cycle around with a goal of reducing overall waste.
Walker, T.R., McGuinty, E., Charlebois, S. et al. Single-use plastic packaging in the Canadian food industry: consumer behavior and perceptions. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 8, 80 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-021-00747-
