ABSTRACT
This chapter sets out the core problem being examined which is that our society is consuming the natural resources of our planet at an unsustainable rate through excessive consumerism. It introduces the key premise that Household Waste is not “waste”, rather it is simply stuff that consumers no longer want, but which still has an inherent value.
It goes on to introduce the idea of sustainable consumerism, which will require all the players in the traditional supply chain and post-consumer managers of Household Waste to change the way in which we consume natural materials. But these changes need to be simple for the consumer/householder to understand and act on; implemented at scale; and enacted by all the players in the extended, and ideally circular, supply chain.
The chapter explains the author’s background in Household Waste management and introduces the role that consumerism, economics and capitalism play in creating the problem we face. It then sets out how the remainder of the book is structured.
