We are living in a throw-away society and things are used in a shorten time and thrown away.

　　What are the causes of this phenomenon and what problems might it cause?

　　Modern people are living a disposable lifestyle in which the discarding of products that have not been used for a longer period of time is the norm. This essay will discuss why this is happening and what issues will be caused.

　　There are two factors responsible for this trend. One of them is the rapid advancement of technology. Since the first Industrial Revolution, technology has been developing at an alarming rate, leading to the fact that products are becoming cheaper to manufacture and purchase, which makes it highly possible for consumers not to value what they possess compared with people decades ago. Another reason is that people are living in a consumer society which encourages purchases. In order to have a high selling volume to generate high profits, consumer psychology is used by merchants to design a range of tempting advertisements. Therefore, surrounded by such attractive information, people cannot help but to dump old products and buy new ones.

　　This human behaviour, however, is likely to exert negative influences. For one thing, the environment is detrimentally impacted. With an increasing number of products thrown away, different parts need to be dealt with, but whatever method is employed, pollution is still caused. For example, landfill will take up massive areas of land, and some substances will not degrade for centuries. Also, incineration generates carbon dioxide, which damages the air quality. For another, keeping on throwing away old products and buying new items means that a great amount of money has to be spent. If this continues and people are unable to make enough money, they will find their life unaffordable. Some people make use of credit cards, but end up living in debts.

　　In conclusion, the formation of a throw-away society is attributed to a jump in technological development and the appearance of a consumer society. Such a society, however, may lead to environmental degradation and a big financial burden on people’s daily life.