Nowadays we are producing more and more rubbish. Why do you think this is happening? What can governments do to help reduce the amount of rubbish produced?

More than any time in history, human beings are producing more waste products and this is increasing at a very alarming exponential rate. This essay discusses why I feel this is happening and explores the measures governments need to take to bring this under control. There are several reasons that I believe can be attributed to the increase in rubbish in modern life. The primary reason is the growth of online shopping. Online shopping is convenient and it makes it so easy for people to purchase goods around the clock. The problem is that all these goods are packaged to ensure safe delivery before being dispatched to the consumer and as a result, all this packaging is discarded. The second reason is the change in people’s lifestyles, especially those who live in cities. For instance, more and more people are eating out in restaurants and fast-food outlets, which translates into the usage of more plastic food containers and utensils which will inevitably increase the amount of non-biodegradable plastic refuse. There are several measures governments can take to remedy this challenging issue. The most effective measure is for governments to pass laws to mandate the use of recyclable packaging. At the same time, online advertising needs to be used to encourage online shoppers to deposit used packaging in recyclable bins. Secondly, governments can introduce regulations which limit the usage of polluting products such as plastics. For example, several laws can be put in place requiring restaurants to use utensils that can be washed, sanitized and reused. In conclusion, more garbage is being created due to the growth of online shopping and changing lifestyles. However, if governments regulate business and introduce laws to encourage more environmentally friendly practices, this can be reduced to a manageable level.