Introduction
It is widely observed that the volume of waste thrown away by ordinary families has grown sharply over the past two decades.
This
essay argues that the main causes are excessive packaging and a culture of cheap, disposable goods, and that the most effective responses are charging households for what they discard and forcing manufacturers to redesign their products.Linking Words
Body paragraph 1
The first cause is the way goods are now sold. Supermarkets wrap almost every item in plastic, so a single weekly shop can fill a bin before any food has been eaten. In Kuwait,
for instance
, a family buying fruit, bread and meat from a large chain takes home roughly twenty separate containers, none of which can be reused. Closely linked to Linking Words
this
is the falling price of everyday products. When a kettle or a pair of shoes costs less than the repair, people simply replace them, and, Linking Words
consequently
, the broken item goes straight to landfill.Linking Words
Body paragraph 2
Turning to solutions, the most powerful step is to make households pay by weight. In South Korea,
for example
, residents must buy official bags for their rubbish, and the amount sent to landfill fell by about a third within a few years because families began to sort and compost. Linking Words
In addition
, governments should oblige producers to cut packaging and to sell spare parts. Linking Words
Similarly
, Germany charged manufacturers for every tonne of wrapping they put on the market, and companies responded by switching to lighter, recyclable designs. In my view, Linking Words
therefore
, the problem is solved far faster when the cost of waste falls on those who create it rather than on the taxpayer.Linking Words
Conclusion
In conclusion, household waste is rising because packaging and cheap goods have become normal. On balance, pricing rubbish and regulating producers would reverse the trend within a decade.