Consumer culture is overwhelming us. New stuff arrives with Christmas gift traditions and Boxing Day sales, then we seek to shed old stuff and declutter for the New Year ahead. We take wisdom from the Minimalists and Marie Kondo and aim to move on stuff that isn’t bringing us joy. But there’s nowhere for it to go because almost everyone’s got too much stuff.
ABC News revealed shocking images of stuff dumped outside charity shops which are so overwhelmed by offerings that many have called time on donations for now. On top of that, there’s nowhere for our recycled stuff either.
The most responsible thing to do is stop buying stuff in the first place. We often feel pressured into buying stuff we don’t need, or are gifted things we don’t want or like, all in the name of keeping the economy growing and celebration of the good life.
Yet we have lived experience of how our world is changing – scorching temperatures and irregular rainfalls, fish kills in our river systems and scientists indicating we have only 12 years to stop irredeemable climate change.
We need to ‘be the change’ and know that every little action we take can make a difference. If everyone does something, that adds up to a lot. My own response on this issue is to reuse and upcycle what I have whenever possible. It is not a new thing, it’s actually how people used to live when resources were valued and cared for.