Recycling. It’s something we’re reminded about all the time but are still a bit hopeless at. It seems that for all the colour-coded bins and paper straws that are common fare, our best intentions boil down to little more than token efforts in the gigantic struggle (and some might say paradoxical) to make the western lifestyle greener.
At a personal level, there are of course things that we can do to reduce our impact – whether that means buying second-hand, avoiding packaging, or abstaining from the latest “innovation” in the knowledge that you’ve been getting along just fine without it. But Europeans are still profligate waste producers: 505kg per person per year, to put a number on it.
Yet it would be disingenuous to put all the onus on the individual; even though there is a veneer of choice to consumer habits that might make it possible (in some cases) to shop responsibly, the reality is that many of life’s decisions are out of our hands. It’s not entirely reasonable to expect individuals to resist economic pressures and the calls of convenience all by themselves.
Besides, creating products that are built to last is hardly in the interest of companies whose business model hinges on us buying the latest upgrade every few years.
Which is why an EU drive for a circular economy can’t come too soon and would be a major step towards cutting the continent’s environmental impact and ensuring that companies do more to change their wasteful ways. Don’t worry, you can keep the paper straws.
Do you shop sustainably? Let @Orlando_tbt know.
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