18 / 44
100
0
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
16
18
0
200
300
400
500
600
1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2002
1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2004
Sources: World Bank online database, 2006 ;
OECD Environmental Data 2004
.
The Netherlands
The Netherlands
Spain
Spain
New Zealand
New Zealand
Poland
Poland
Norway
Norway
Household waste generation per capita
Kilograms
Household expenditure per capita
Thousand dollars
5
0
10
20
15
25
1970
1980
1990
2000 2003
Thousand thousand million dollars
Global household
expenditure
Source: World Bank online database, 2006.
1990 1995
1985
2000 2004
100
50
150
0
200
0
100
50
150
Bicycle
Number of items per 100 Chinese households
Consumer items in China
Countryside
Fridge
Fridge
Colour TV
Colour TV
Cell phone
Cell phone
Computer
Car
Bicycle
Cities
Sources: China Statistical Yearbook 1996, 2001 and 2005.
NEW TRENDS IN CONSUMPTION
The relativity of “Basic Needs”
Several trends characterise modern consumer goods. Our appetite for them con-
tinues to grow, with product ranges growing too. Meanwhile the average lifespan
of many products is shortening. 80% of what we make is thrown away within six
months of production. Each product contains more components and they are usu-
ally more difficult to biodegrade than before. All of which complicates the way prod-
ucts are processed once they become waste.
The impact of income on lifestyle is ap-
parent in China like elsewhere. There has
been a massive surge in all consumer
goods with rising income in towns. The
same trend can be observed to a much
lesser extent in the country.
New products
The electronic era that started 30 or 40 years ago has revo-
lutionised the way we work and communicate. Digital de-
vices are omnipresent in business and in everyday life. But
a closer look shows they are not always essential. They
are governed by fashion and innovation, so we “have” to
buy the latest gadget increasingly often, turning the previ-
ous one into electronic waste all the sooner. For instance
ten years ago we used a notebook as a diary. Now even
schoolchildren “need” an energy-hungry electronic for a
similar purpose.
Gadget today, garbage tomorrow
Our modern world is full of gadgets we can have for free: a
plastic ball in the cereal pack or a hand bag with the per-
fume. Start a new cellphone contract and pick up a mobile.
Subscribe to the daily newspaper and get a TV magazine
too. As we never wanted them in the first place, these gad-
gets turn into trash even faster than other goods.