Musings on Trash and Consumerism

We live in a fast food society. How have we gotten this way? We live out of our cars. We rush from one place to another. We eat on the go. Would we be able to live this way if plastic had not been invented? Would plastic have been invented if we did not live this way?

Do we really need to be eating on the go? Look at America's obesity rates. I think it would not hurt any of us to wait until we get home to eat. A few hunger pains are not going to hurt us and look at all of the plastic we would not be using!

I have recently gone vegan. I basically eat fruits and vegetables now and the occasional whole wheat bun and vegan protein source (tofu, gardenburgers, etc). I am amazed at how much my plastic usage has decreased. If it weren't for my Panikin/Peet's adiction I would probably not need plastic at all. My previously paltry amount of trash is now next to nothing. If I composted, it would be even less. I live in a condo, but I am starting to think that I could and should compost. Even my recycle bin is not as full as it used to be. Fruits and vegetables just don't come with a lot of wrappings and I don't feel the need to put them all in plastic bags at the grocery store.

I think if we didn't have the convenience of putting our trash out on the street and having it picked up and taken away by a big truck, we might think twice about what we consume and what we throw away. Next week when you take your trash out, imagine where you would put it all if you were responsible for disposing of it yourself. Now imagine your trash times 105,000,000. That's how many households there are just in the United States. Start living as if you DID have to dispose of all of your trash yourself and see how it affects your choices.