Dd101 Tma02 ‘Rubbish Has No Value’. Identify the Arguments for and Against This View.

‘Rubbish has no value’. Identify the arguments for and against this view.

This essay will explain how rubbish can be given different values and investigates the arguments for and against its value. The majority of countries across the world are made up of consumer societies, which consume vast amounts of produce and have very high levels of waste. Large amounts of this waste is either incinerated or sent to landfill. This has huge environmental impacts, which is why recycling has become a necessity and vital to the future of the planet. The essay will also discuss the value of different goods over time and how demand and supply can influence this.

Many countries including the UK are now consumer societies. This is where people buy vast amounts of new products instead of repairing or buying used ones. These products are often not needed, but are sometimes bought to show ones wealth such as big fast cars and large houses. People also buy large amounts of convenience foods, as it is easier and there is ample supply. This comes with an increase in packaging. For example, in the past someone would get a paper bag for four apples, but many now come in a PVC tray. A consumer society produces a large amount of waste that is often unnecessary. (Bauman, cited in Hetherington, 2009, p46) suggests that; “consumption is a key means of establishing and maintaining status within society”. This attitude within society increases the consumption of goods that are often not needed. For example, someone will buy a brand new phone to maintain their status even though they have a perfectly good phone they bought six months ago. The other phone may then become redundant and deemed “rubbish” and thrown on a landfill. This argument suggests that rubbish has no value.

In the UK a large proportion of waste is either sent to landfill or incinerated. The disposal of products in this way implies that they have zero-value. The UK has a poor reputation when it comes to waste...