Check my essay plz as I will have a mock test next week

People are living in a ‘throwaway society’, using things for a short time and then throwing them away. What are the causes of this? What problems does it lead to?

In light of the contemporary era, citizens have greater access to a wide range of items regarding high-tech devices and flashy accessories. Nevertheless, it is prevalent to see people throwing away used products which are still functional and purchasing the latest version of them. This essay will indicate major factors which lead to “throwaway culture” and the dire consequences of this phenomenon.

The first reason for the “consumer society” can lie in the product's advertisement. Particularly, inciting TV commercials, which are broadcast on a daily basis, encourage viewers to purchase their latest products by delivering messages that owning their items could render users more stylish and confident. For example, ever since the iPhone 12 was available on the market, there have been millions of people spending thousands of dollars in order to possess this latest smartphone version even though their old phones are still in good condition. In addition to advertising influence, another cause is the mass production of short-lived goods which are used once and thrown away. Indeed, in comparison with durable products, non-durable ones are much cheaper and easier to manufacture on a large scale, and thus attract a large number of customers.

On the other hand, there is no doubt that living in a “throwaway society” could trigger a number of adverse effects. On the individual level, people could get into debt easily as they are obsessed with purchasing too many new products. Obviously, that people no longer use their item at full capacity would lead to a waste of money and thus be more likely to run out of cash. On a large scale, environmental degradation is another problem that results from the throwaway culture. Because of the excessive production of short-lived goods, a substantial amount of hazardous waste is disposed of every day, which heavily deteriorates the surroundings. For instance, a large amount of plastic garbage which is hard to decompose is discharged into the ocean and that could directly cause the death of aquatic animals as they may accidentally eat plastic particles in water.

In conclusion, there are several motives leading to the advent of “throwaway society”. Over-expenditure for inessential items and environmental degradation are two major issues resulting from this trend.