NOWADAYS WE ARE PRODUCING MORE AND MORE RUBBISH. WHY DO YOU THINK THIS IS HAPPENING? WHAT CAN GOVERNMENTS DO TO HELP REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF RUBBISH PRODUCED?

An increasing amount of rubbish is being produced day by day. In

this

essay, I will discuss why it is happening and what governments can do to cope with

this

alarming situation. Looking at the reasons behind

this

trend, it is noticeable that consumerism has risen to astonishing levels in the

last

century. Since people are buying more things, they need new ways to pack it, which often is done by using disposable materials

such

as plastic or paper.

For instance

, more than 80% of goods produced in Canada are packed with some sort of non-reusable material. Because of

this

huge quantity of plastic required by industries to feed a higher tendency in consumerism, more garbage is created every day.

Nonetheless

, public administrations can act to turn the negative results of elevated waste production into a positive outcome. By promoting public policies aimed at recycling, governments have a powerful tool not only to deal with the rubbish problem but to boost their local economies.

For example

, in Barcelona, Spain, almost three-quarters of the garbage collected in the city is recycled, which helps to create jobs and is good for the environment at the same time. Another measure that can be taken by the public sector as an effort to reduce waste production is to set higher taxes on not reusable materials, so they are less likely to be thrown away. In Brazil, since 2019, plastic straws are prohibited in most states, which already reduced the volume of rejects in the country. In conclusion, the causes of an augmented generation of rubbish today are various, but higher consumerism is its main root.

However

, public policies that encourage recycling can help cities to deal with the problem appropriately, not only giving a proper destination to the rejects but assisting local economies to create more jobs.