How much waste do you produce in your house; do you think it is too much? Pollution is an issue the world is currently facing. One person on average is producing 938 kg of waste annually. And 99% of everything we buy is trashed within the first six months we buy it. Imposing limits on household waste may be a good idea because of two reasons; reducing waste and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
One of the short-term effects of restricting waste would be reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Because the world is facing a global warming issue this is a thing we should address as soon as possible. Producing plastic or any other packaging going to waste for that matter emits greenhouse gasses. Food waste also emits greenhouse gasses, when the food waste is taken to a landfill the waste starts releasing methane gas, which is very harmful to the environment.
In the long term, the oceans will be cleaned, and ecosystems will also recover. The fish in the oceans are today being chocked by plastics of sorts and some fish and birds eat the plastics thinking they are food, feel full when they are not, and die from starvation. Much of the coral reefs are destroyed by pollution and global warming, restricting waste for households might fix this issue. If not solved this will overall negatively affect the environment and people because coral reefs protect coastlines from erosion, provide food, medicines, and jobs for people.
These changes will be hard to adapt to our current consumerist habits, but the overall outcome seems to be good if not great considering it will reduce both waste and greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, I think we should make sacrifices, let go of some comfort in our lives to try and make a change for the better future of our planet.