Are We Really a Throwaway Culture?

 

yardI hear often that ours is a throwaway culture. If we’re done with an item, we toss it in the garbage. Although our household produces several full garbage bags each week for the dump, I can think of a number of ways our communities “re-use, re-purpose, and re-cycle” useful items that pre-date that popular phrase by decades.

  1. Garage Sales — Get rid of old stuff by selling it on your driveway. People will flock to your house and haul it off happy, and you’ll end up with some extra cash. Win-win.

  2. Thrift Stores — Many of us routinely donate outdated stuff we don’t know what to do with to thrift stores. The organizations use it as merchandise for their establishment to fund their charitable work; the public gets a discount store offering a huge, eclectic collection where there’s something for everyone. Again, we all get a good deal out of it.

  3. The Informal Maternity/Infant Network — Maybe you’ve never encountered this just because you didn’t have occasion to, but since women aren’t pregnant forever (well, I know a few who seemed to be) and babies fortunately don’t stay eighteen inches long, there are enough secondhand maternity and baby duds to clothe a nation. These clothe our nation when moms pass them around until they get to someone who needs them.

    When I was expecting our first daughter, a friend of mine who was firmly plugged in to the network (as she would go on to have a dozen children) handed me at least two large white trash bags of baby apparel. I sorted through them, took what I wanted, and passed the rest on. Many moms’ nurseries were cleaned out, while another baby got enough adorable outfits to last her into toddlerhood.

  4. Craigslist, eBay, Freecycle — How many Golden Books, aging chairs, or collectible spoons would have gone to the dump without these services?

  5. Our Individual Saving Habits — I save plastic bags for various purposes. If a paper plate or paper towel is still clean, I’ll tuck it under the sink. Used paper towels help the septic by wiping out greasy leftovers on dishes and pans. Paper plates are good ways to test eggs or stir food that will be cooked without dirtying up more dishes. I save containers so I can give away food without the recipient worrying about getting the dish back to me. Most of us re-use in one way or another.

  6. Give-Aways — I’ve often been on the receiving end when friends or family don’t need something and just want to give it to me. I’ve got a beautiful deacon’s bench in the living room from a friend. It used to be a good portion of our furniture that was given to us.

Can you think of further examples that belie the “throwaway culture” label?

Image Credit: Flickr user J.

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  1. Whiskey Sam Inactive
    Whiskey Sam
    @WhiskeySam

    We reuse and recycle, but what do we with the space we clear or money we make from getting rid of old things?  We get new stuff, or we got rid of the old stuff in the first place to make room for new stuff we’ve already acquired.  Francis Schaeffer used to use the term “ash heap lives”.  He defined it in his book No Little People: “We all tend to live ‘ash heap lives’; we spend most of our time and money for things that will end up in the city dump.”

    • #1
  2. Annefy Member
    Annefy
    @Annefy

    Having cleaned out the condos of two elderly in the past two years, I will say that I find “stuff” to be a burden. While I like electronic gadgets and my husband has more than one set of golf clubs, we are not consumers by almost any standard . I am getting rid of stuff constantly and am still overwhelmed. 

    Whenever I  have something I want get rid of I put it on front lawn with a “free” sign on it. And mike magic it’s gone by morning. 

    But it’s it’s a big world and there’s room for all of us. I have a SIL who loves shoes and a brother who loves tools. They can afford it and have every right to spend their money as they see fit. my mother’ pots and pans were dropped off at Goodwill under cover of night. She made “Making do” such a virtue and forgot enjoyment.

    • #2
  3. Sandy Member
    Sandy
    @Sandy

    We spend the first part of our lives accumulating and the remainder divesting, and it can be overwhelming, especially in the matter of books, which fill every room in my house except the bathrooms, even though I now purchase most of my books on Kindle.  A friend, an archivist who moved from a sizable house to an apartment with her professor husband, gave almost all of them away, because if you need a book, “that’s what public libraries are for.”  I still don’t know how she did it, though.

    In my neighborhood we announce the usable items we put out for disposal via a listserve and they do tend to disappear quickly.  Truly one could furnish an entire house on what is given away in this manner.

    • #3
  4. user_517406 Inactive
    user_517406
    @MerinaSmith

    We just returned from a trip to Australia.  We took a commercial tour on the Great Ocean Road between Melbourne and Adelaide.  All meals are provided, and they cooked them on electric and gas-powered grills that can be found in parks all over Australia!  And we did not use paper plates, but washed our dishes after every meal.  I was kind of missing the paper, I will admit.
    The minimum wage is very high there, $21. per hour, and consequently everything is very expensive.  I think this gives them incentive to be very careful about what they buy.  

    I’m constantly sorting, and right now am in the process of cleaning every cupboard and shelf in the house.  It all goes to Amvets.  I do try to think about every purchase to be sure I really need it (or want it) and there’s a place for it when it gets into the house!  I also try to think that way about gifts.

    • #4
  5. user_352043 Coolidge
    user_352043
    @AmySchley

    Merina Smith: I do try to think about every purchase to be sure I really need it (or want it) and there’s a place for it when it gets into the house!

     We used to have a house with a basement that accumulated all kinds of things.  After losing it in foreclosure, we’ve moved twice, once into a one-bedroom apartment and then again into a two bedroom.  When you’ve packed everything you own twice in two years, you develop a certain ruthlessness about getting rid of things that are neither used nor have substantial sentimental value.  The guilt you feel getting rid of something usable but disliked is much less painful than your back after packing and moving it.

    And thank goodness for Craigslist! Now that we have a bit of extra money, I’ve managed to replace the hand-me-downs with matching*, high-quality furniture that richer people didn’t want.

    From this:
    1480922_10100115939214349_340968618_o

    To this:
    10417644_10100215697767409_8210553515880173679_n

    And this:
    1495875_10100126311473259_843347499_o

    To this:
    10301498_10100215697797349_6753922992018225455_n
    *Except for the bedroom set, but I’m in the process of staining it to match the other wood in the house.
    Started like this:
    10585377_10100256147685449_1744104951_o

    To this:
    10602796_10100257433653359_587447063_n

    • #5
  6. Matede Inactive
    Matede
    @MateDe

    I get so much stuff from Craigslist and Freecycle. I live in a very wealthy part of the country so you can snag some really nice stuff on those sites and at estates sales. Also there are swap meets, pawn shops, vintage shops.

    • #6
  7. user_537146 Inactive
    user_537146
    @PatrickLasswell

    Cancer is going to kill me in the next year barring a succession of miracles. My time is scarce, dumpsters are cheap, and there is no actual landfill shortage. I throw out what I want, when I want, and I make no apologies. 

    The problem with recycling culture is it leads to recursive error and the belief that your time is worth nothing. Live, think, grow, and don’t let anybody else’s valuation of your time interfere with your life.

    • #7
  8. Foxfier Inactive
    Foxfier
    @Foxfier

    Whiskey Sam:

    We reuse and recycle, but what do we with the space we clear or money we make from getting rid of old things? We get new stuff, or we got rid of the old stuff in the first place to make room for new stuff we’ve already acquired. Francis Schaeffer used to use the term “ash heap lives”. He defined it in his book No Little People: “We all tend to live ‘ash heap lives’; we spend most of our time and money for things that will end up in the city dump.”

     As opposed to what, things that evaporate when used up but cost a lot of money?  Most of our time and money goes into the kids….

    When we lived in an apartment complex, there was an informal recycling network– people left “junk” that they didn’t want next to the dumpster, and I did a lot of dragging it back to our house for repair and test-runs.

    Yeah, I get rid of stuff for upgrades.  And unless it’s broken beyond fixing, it will be an upgrade for somebody else.

    • #8
  9. Misthiocracy Member
    Misthiocracy
    @Misthiocracy

    7 – About five per cent of the population display some degree of clinical/compulsive hoarding.

    • #9
  10. user_352043 Coolidge
    user_352043
    @AmySchley

    Misthiocracy:

    7 – About five per cent of the population display some degree of clinical/compulsive hoarding.

     And about 20% has no ability to clean and organize their house, to judge from the appraisals I see. Though it helps provide me incentive to keep my own place clean — nothing like seeing a half million dollar house without a horizontal surface not covered in stuff to make me want to go home and make sure my place doesn’t look like that.

    • #10
  11. Karen Inactive
    Karen
    @Karen

    Both my parents were hoarders/pack-rats, so I have to fight the urge to be one. Their parents came of age during the Great Depression when next to nothing was wasted. One thing I’ve learned from my husband is that my time is worth something. So, even though I might be able to repair something, it might be more cost effective to replace it and use that time doing something else.

    One thing I’m trying to teach my kids is how to conserve energy, not so much to save the earth, but to help our wallet. “Turn off the light!” How often I find myself saying that! 

    • #11
  12. sawatdeeka Member
    sawatdeeka
    @sawatdeeka

    Whiskey Sam:

    We reuse and recycle, but what do we with the space we clear or money we make from getting rid of old things? We get new stuff, or we got rid of the old stuff in the first place to make room for new stuff we’ve already acquired. Francis Schaeffer used to use the term “ash heap lives”. He defined it in his book No Little People: “We all tend to live ‘ash heap lives’; we spend most of our time and money for things that will end up in the city dump.”

     I agree there’s a dark side to “stuff;” however, I was thinking that we have positive outlets for our material goods as well. It’s not all dump it, hoard it, waste it.

    • #12
  13. sawatdeeka Member
    sawatdeeka
    @sawatdeeka

    Matede:

    I get so much stuff from Craigslist and Freecycle. I live in a very wealthy part of the country so you can snag some really nice stuff on those sites and at estates sales. Also there are swap meets, pawn shops, vintage shops.

     Matede, I had to check your profile to see if you lived anywhere near me.  Nope.  I should visit the area sometime, just for your Craigslist opportunities.

    I have been reviewing Craigslist lately because our living room furniture is in bad shape, and what is being offered there looks shabby.  Sometimes I’m startled when I click on the picture.

    I should be thankful, though–even in our smaller community, I’ve been able to find a lot of great things secondhand. Often, my outfit from earrings to shoes has been discovered at thrift stores or garage sales.

    • #13
  14. sawatdeeka Member
    sawatdeeka
    @sawatdeeka

    Amy: And thank goodness for Craigslist! Now that we have a bit of extra money, I’ve managed to replace the hand-me-downs with matching*, high-quality furniture that richer people didn’t want.

    Amy, I actually like the light-colored table, too. It’s very similar to ours. My in-laws bought it for us eight years ago. It’s solid and it has served us well.

    • #14
  15. sawatdeeka Member
    sawatdeeka
    @sawatdeeka

    Foxfier: Yeah, I get rid of stuff for upgrades.  And unless it’s broken beyond fixing, it will be an upgrade for somebody else.

    It’s a good system.

    • #15
  16. user_352043 Coolidge
    user_352043
    @AmySchley

    sawatdeeka:

    Amy, I actually like the light-colored table, too. It’s very similar to ours. My in-laws bought it for us eight years ago. It’s solid and it has served us well.

    This one was from Walmart, and the chairs were breaking trying to hold up my 6’2″ 320lb husband. One of the lesser known side-effects of being obese is the need for better made furniture. Most dining room and office chairs aren’t built for more than 200 lbs.

    The new table extends to 8′ and came with four side and two captain’s chairs and the 7′ tall china hutch, all for less than $500.  The living room furniture was also less than $500, and the bedroom set, which include a four-poster bed, the nightstand, the 44″ tall 74″ wide dresser with mirror, and a 65″ tall, 62″ wide chest of drawers, was just under $800.

    • #16
  17. Whiskey Sam Inactive
    Whiskey Sam
    @WhiskeySam

    sawatdeeka:

     

    I agree there’s a dark side to “stuff;” however, I was thinking that we have positive outlets for our material goods as well. It’s not all dump it, hoard it, waste it.

     No it’s not, but how often when something breaks do we just go buy a new one versus repairing the old one?  For example, a DVD player used to run $1000 and made sense to repair if broken.  Now, they’re $25, and it’s not cost-effective to repair them.  DVD players have become disposable.  As more goods become cheaper over time, more of the stuff we buy simply becomes disposable unless it is explicitly built to last like a home or furniture.  Even then, furniture is more disposable than it used to be.

    • #17
  18. sawatdeeka Member
    sawatdeeka
    @sawatdeeka

    Amy Schley:

    sawatdeeka:

    Amy, I actually like the light-colored table, too. It’s very similar to ours. My in-laws bought it for us eight years ago. It’s solid and it has served us well.

    This one was from Walmart, and the chairs were breaking trying to hold up my 6’2″ 320lb husband. One of the lesser known side-effects of being obese is the need for better made furniture. Most dining room and office chairs aren’t built for more than 200 lbs.

    Definitely not the same set we have, then.

    • #18
  19. user_517406 Inactive
    user_517406
    @MerinaSmith

    This post convinced me to go online and order a new beater for my hand mixer to replace the one I lost instead of just buying a new hand mixer.  I feel very virtuous.

    • #19
  20. user_1152 Member
    user_1152
    @DonTillman

    “Throwaway culture” is true to a certain extent.  There are many household products, and I’ll use a table radio as an example, that are no longer owner repairable, and not repairable by a professional for less than the cost of a new one.

    Table radios in 50’s and 60’s used to have 5 vacuum tubes, and the owner could easily pull off the back, grab the tubes, take them to a local drugstore, test them, get replacements, and have the radio working again in short order.  Each tube had a specific purpose and it was even possible to guess which tube was bad from subtle details of the symptoms. 

    Manufacturing a product to be owner-repairable is expensive, so over time radios and similar products become more reliable, less repairable, and less expensive.

    The word “throwaway” sounds wasteful, but when the product is manufactured so efficiently and so reliably in the first place, it’s really the opposite of wasteful.

    • #20
  21. user_352043 Coolidge
    user_352043
    @AmySchley

    Don Tillman: The word “throwaway” sounds wasteful, but when the product is manufactured so efficiently and so reliably in the first place, it’s really the opposite of wasteful.

     Like the study I saw that while so many things on cars can now only be fixed with shop-level equipment, the average amount spent on car maintenance is down.  All the parts are just more reliable, which makes up for the fact that they generally can’t be fixed by the average person.

    • #21
  22. user_1152 Member
    user_1152
    @DonTillman

    On the other end of the spectrum, automobiles are the most recycled product.  

    After the original owner is finished with it, he sells it to a second owner, who puts more effort into repairs and upkeep, sells it to a third owner, who gives it to a junkyard where the parts are sold off to maintain other automobiles, and finally the steel is melted down to make new products.

    • #22
  23. sawatdeeka Member
    sawatdeeka
    @sawatdeeka

    Don Tillman:

    “Throwaway culture” is true to a certain extent. There are many household products, and I’ll use a table radio as an example, that are no longer owner repairable, and not repairable by a professional for less than the cost of a new one.

    Lately, I’ve noticed announcements for organizations that want people’s old electronics–cell phones, computers, etc. I’m not sure what they are going to do with them, but I hope there are some great uses.

    Thanks for the detail on radio manufacturing.

    • #23
  24. sawatdeeka Member
    sawatdeeka
    @sawatdeeka

    Don Tillman:

    On the other end of the spectrum, automobiles are the most recycled product.

    After the original owner is finished with it, he sells it to a second owner, who puts more effort into repairs and upkeep, sells it to a third owner, who gives it to a junkyard where the parts are sold off to maintain other automobiles, and finally the steel is melted down to make new products.

    The modern American buffalo.

    • #24
  25. Misthiocracy Member
    Misthiocracy
    @Misthiocracy

    sawatdeeka: Lately, I’ve noticed announcements for organizations that want people’s old electronics–cell phones, computers, etc. I’m not sure what they are going to do with them, but I hope there are some great uses.

    Lots of electronics contain precious metals.

    Here’s an instructable on how to extract the gold from a cell phone: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Extract-Gold-From-Electronics/

    Do it on a large enough scale and you can make some money.

    (In ye olden days, photo processors made enough money selling the silver they reclaimed from your holiday snaps to cover their overhead expenses.)

    • #25
  26. Misthiocracy Member
    Misthiocracy
    @Misthiocracy

    Whiskey Sam:

    sawatdeeka:

    I agree there’s a dark side to “stuff;” however, I was thinking that we have positive outlets for our material goods as well. It’s not all dump it, hoard it, waste it.

    No it’s not, but how often when something breaks do we just go buy a new one versus repairing the old one? For example, a DVD player used to run $1000 and made sense to repair if broken. Now, they’re $25, and it’s not cost-effective to repair them. DVD players have become disposable. As more goods become cheaper over time, more of the stuff we buy simply becomes disposable unless it is explicitly built to last like a home or furniture. Even then, furniture is more disposable than it used to be.

    It’s almost always cheaper to buy a laser printer than to buy a replacement toner cartridge.

    • #26
  27. iWc Coolidge
    iWc
    @iWe

    Annefy: Whenever I  have something I want get rid of I put it on front lawn with a “free” sign on it. And mike magic it’s gone by morning. 

     I live in a Blue City. If I want something to disappear, I put it out front with a price tag.

    • #27
  28. user_352043 Coolidge
    user_352043
    @AmySchley

    Misthiocracy:

    sawatdeeka: Lately, I’ve noticed announcements for organizations that want people’s old electronics–cell phones, computers, etc. I’m not sure what they are going to do with them, but I hope there are some great uses.

    Lots of electronics contain precious metals.

    Here’s an instructable on how to extract the gold from a cell phone: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Extract-Gold-From-Electronics/

    Do it on a large enough scale and you can make some money.

    (In ye olden days, photo processors made enough money selling the silver they reclaimed from your holiday snaps to cover their overhead expenses.)

     It should be noted that many of the processed chips can be recycled without taking the electronics all the way down to extracting metals.  Increasingly, electronic suppliers work that way because the reusable chips are more valuable than the constituent metals.

    • #28
  29. Foxfier Inactive
    Foxfier
    @Foxfier

    Even now, when everyone has a cellphone or digital camera, the relatives with a photo developing shop have a bucket of batteries– disposable cameras use them, and they’re never used all the way up.

    • #29
  30. Misthiocracy Member
    Misthiocracy
    @Misthiocracy

    Foxfier:

    Even now, when everyone has a cellphone or digital camera, the relatives with a photo developing shop have a bucket of batteries– disposable cameras use them, and they’re never used all the way up.

    Maybe they should figure out a way to connect them to the grid and sell the power back to the electric company!

    I’m a genius.

    ;-)

    • #30
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