Who’s Responsible for the Waste We Produce?

Waste is an unfortunate necessity of our society. Every single one of us will create some waste over the next 12 months. Every decision you make today will likely have a consequence of creating some sort of waste. From grabbing a sandwich and a drink at lunch, to ordering something from amazon, to printing out something at work with a spelling mistake. Everything we do in today’s society has the potential to produce waste. But whos responsible for the waste created? Once it’s thrown in the bin it’s often out of sight out of mind and becomes someone else’s problem

The throwaway society that has been created over the last 50 years just isn’t sustainable, and all the time that it’s easier to grab a bottle of water and a sandwich wrapped in plastic off the shelves for lunch, we will keep doing it. But who is responsible? Is waste the responsibility of the corporations that continue to produce plastic packaging that is unrecyclable to save a few pence per item, is it the consumer who buys this every day, or is it the government for not putting tariffs on the types of packaging that can’t be recycled? 

This can go round and round with each one blaming the other but all the while tonnes of plastic waste is produced each day across the globe with no accountability or sustainable solution in sight. 

Until we can all stand up and take responsibility for our actions then nothing will change. We will keep buying food wrapped in plastic because its convenient and the companies will keep creating it because we keep buying it. The Government won’t intervene because no issues are being raised by either businesses or consumers and round and round we go. 

Make a Difference

Stand up and be counted. Attitudes towards single use plastic are changing and from next year there will be a ban across Europe on single use plastics. Consumers are looking for new solutions to stop plastic packaging and companies are trialling plastic free alternatives. 

The honest answer is that it’s everyone’s responsibility to make a difference . From consumers choosing sustainable options when purchasing goods, thinking about how they recycle at home and how they can reduce their waste output by printing less or using reusable containers and bags. Companies need to act more responsibly by using recyclable alternatives and providing a circular economy for recycling their own products and packaging. The Government have made a start by banning single use plastics by 2021 but more could be done by placing tariffs on non-recyclable packaging to cut the manufacture of these materials.