Waste: are we literally in it over our heads?
![Waste: are we literally in it over our heads?]()
These words can be viewed as a metaphorical expression of a poet’s fantasy. However, taking an evening stroll in New York or Paris, shows us that this phrase rings horrifyingly true. We encounter waste not only in cities, but also ancient forests, in the middle of the ocean and even at the peak of the world’s highest mountains. Waste is simply everywhere, and its volume just keeps growing.
How did it happen?
Martin Hobrland, author of the book “7 cases of waste”, came to “Let’s talk about it” series to discuss the growing amount of waste and the consequences of this unhealthy trend with show moderator Michael Londesborough. His book examines humanity’s approach to waste since the very beginning.
People have been creating waste since the Stone Age. However, back then the volume was much lower than it is today. While our ancestors did not know terms like “repair”, “renovation” and “recycling”, they performed these commendable activities meticulously.
Over time, human ingenuity gave birth to new tools and products to make our lives easier. These technological achievements along with our increasing comfort were accompanied by establishing the concept of property ownership, which is closely related to the growing quantities of waste.
What should we do?
To prevent being completely overwhelmed by waste and avoid the fate of living on a planet buried under layers of old computers, crumpled plastics and greasy papers, it’s high time to do something. But where should we start?
Of course, everyone needs to start with themselves.
Martin Hobrland emphasizes that the we all bear responsibility for the pollution or cleanliness of our planet. To improve the situation, we also need to reassess the entire current economic system. Change can be implemented not only by governments, but also manufacturers, consumers and the waste management sector.
What are the first steps to take? That is exactly what Martin and Michael addressed in their discussion.
You can find the whole interview here.