You may find yourself at your local stores looking at the new addition of Stanley cups. You are not able to decide between two or three of the color choices, and end up buying a whole collection. This is a result of overconsumption.
Overconsumption means consuming products that is more than necessary resulting in environmental problems.
Nowadays there are many options of clothes, toys, and everyday utensils. Buying a few things of each is the standard, but decision making and extra money can make things difficult for some people. There may be a few new additions to your favorite shoe brand in which you already have 3 pairs of, or a makeup product just came out with a new color that is slightly different to the ones you already own. The question is, do you really need them all?
As a society, U.S. citizens believe having all of the popular brands is the norm and makes you cool. Recently there’s been an uprising with consumers consuming more and more of said products which then stresses the line between necessity and greed.
Holidays play one of the biggest parts in over-consumption. Over 25% of waste is produced during Christmas, when the shelves are stacked with plastic decorations. There are tons of options for ornaments, lights, wrapping paper, and plastic wrapped candies. Artificial trees, although can be reused, are said to take over thousands of years to finally break down after disposed of.
The Fourth of July produces millions of fireworks yearly, promoting this extremely dangerous consumerism. They’re bad for the environment in more ways than one, an example is that they produce sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide which can damage the lungs, and animals around. That’s not the only issue, this holiday causes displays of thousands of decorations that are made of plastics that can’t be broken down. The only good thing is that these can be reused for generations if not disposed of.
Thinking Putty (Crazy Aarons) is a major thing right now. It’s known for stress relief and fidgeting to help with thinking. Despite how bad it may seem, it’s actually okay for the environment. The putty itself is made of silicone which is somewhat eco-friendly and can be thrown away in a household trash can. The container can be reused for other things like crafting and storing or you can recycle it.
NeeDohs are another item that has become a consumerist trend for stress relief. Although there has been some claims of them exploding and causing harm to people, the outside is made of thermoplastic rubber which meets the environmental standard. Sadly the inside is filled with polyvinyl alcohol which is not good for the environment, and is a waste produced into freshwater ecosystems.
Things that consist of metal and steel like Stanley cups aren’t necessarily bad for the environment if recycled in the right way. Simply throwing them away in the recycling bin won’t do any good since the material isn’t ideal for curbside pick up. Instead, there are Metal Recycling Centers that will take material like stainless steel, and handle it differently.
According to the official Stanley cup page, Stanleys are meant to be reused and can last a lifetime if used accordingly. Buying 5 different ones for each day of the week is technically okay, only if you throw them away in the proper manner if they’ve gone bad.
Popular “stock my kitchen with me” videos on social media platforms are yet another form of overconsumption. They’re made to be a satisfying watch for viewers while the creator organizes their fridge, cabinets, and counters very specifically. There’s a big issue with the items that are being stocked, though. A mass majority of them involve plastic wrappings or being in plastic containers. Some people when stocking will take items out of the perfectly fine plastic, and instead put them in glass, or containers made of other materials, discarding the plastic. Instead, this issue could have been solved from the beginning before obtaining the item. If you’re not afraid of spending a little more money, local farmer markets or home made shops usually have their food and supplies in reusable containers. At the very least if you don’t want to go that far, forget about making food look pretty and keep it in the plastic, or limit what you buy.
That’s not the only thing though, in these videos, people tend to overstock stuff, especially food that has to be eaten in a timely manner. Research shows 103 lbs of food is said to be wasted every year when food is piled into a fridge, even if it’s organized.
The “Shopping Haul” videos are also an important factor in over-consumption. There’s people who will show off over 10 bags of new clothes for the school year. Most of the products are usually fast fashion, or copies of what they already own. This can result in the person getting rid of old clothing that was durable and long lasting and replacing it with materials that don’t last as long and are bad for the environment causing them to buy more often.
Fast Fashion has taken an up rise, including online stores like Temu and Shein. These products have microplastics and use nonrenewable material. Not to mention they don’t last as long as older clothes made by main brands like Levi’s or the ones displayed in places like Walmart. They are one of the top things that pile up in landfills aside from plastic and food.
You don’t have to make everyday used things cute. You’re doing nothing to help the environment by buying a glass jar and dumping your detergent beads into it that already came from a plastic container. If you want to claim you’re helping the environment, you can look towards better options on how you live.
Here are some sustainable ways to switch up your lifestyle:
Buy items held in cardboard, glass, or silicone instead.
Plain cardboard is biodegradable and recyclable, therefore a better option for storage. Soap bars, tooth paste, deodorant, and certain dry foods can be bought in cardboard options.
Glass jars can be reused for years, and don’t produce microplastics in food. This comes into play for food like condiments, dairy, oils, spreads, and dry goods. Another option if glass isn’t possible is reusing your plastic jugs. You can refill it with water for the garden or pets (get it tested for lead or other dangerous factors first).
Simplify your fashion by reusing material or donating.
Having too many clothes can definitely be an issue. Donating unused clothes to homeless shelters or places like Goodwill can help people. When it comes to fast fashion material, you can donate to crafters or send to specialized recycling centers.
It may seem useless to start acting now, especially if you feel like one person can’t make an impact, but scientists have seen positive changes in the environment from certain habits people have started to pick up. It’s not too late to make a change and save the planet.
