Living In A Disposable Society
The convenience of technology

By Jenn Black
4A Civil

In today’s rapidly evolving technological society, by the time you get your hands on the latest edition of the trendiest new thing, the next permutation of it is already on the market and upgrading is inevitable. The old model is obsolete and so it becomes garbage. The quest to have the newest, most advanced version is addictive and that fuels the charge to develop more and more new products at lightning speed.

This addiction isn’t limited to the “e-products” such as MP3 players, computers, and cell phones. The household cleaning industry has jumped on the bandwagon as well. In the case of household cleaning products, not only are the preceding models disposable but the newest products themselves are disposable. The idea of single-use clothes, brushes, sponges, or pads may seem appealing, the message they send is not.

The tagline of a certain sweeping system is, “Start cleaning your floors without all the hassles of the mop, bucket, broom, and dustpan.” The evils of these implements have long been extolled in many a disgruntled housecleaner’s handbook but is this alternative any better? The marketing team touts the ease of a cleaning pad you just toss when you’re done sweeping. To distract the consumer from the obvious environmental detriments of the single-use mentality, advertisers make using the product seem fun, edgy, and trendy. In reality, it’s still housework and we would all like to spend our time doing other things.

To ensure that all your cleaning needs are covered, there is also a model with a mini vacuum, one for dusting, a super-sized one, one with its very own cleaning solution, one with a telescopic pole, and even one for the carpet. All with their own cleaning pad that you just pop in the trash when you’re done.

Economically, the first purchase of these items is relatively inexpensive. The companies that produce these products make their money on the re-fills. Cleaning is something that the general consumer needs to do on a regular basis and each time requires a new single-use pad. Seeing as these products are sold by multiple different companies, to ensure that the consumer cannot buy a less expensive refill kit, all the products are compatible only with the corresponding company’s refills. The fierce competition between companies intensifies the push to get more of these products on the market.

The barrage of disposable cleaning products doesn’t stop with your floor. Bathroom cleaning needs its own special set of tools. There are products that clean your toilet and all the hassle of cleaning can be flushed away with the cleaning sponge – even safe for septic tanks! Then there are products to clean all your bathroom surfaces which each, apparently, need their own special cloth. Whereas a simple sponge was once good enough to do the entire bathroom now each fixture and surface needs a product specifically tailored to its dirt removing needs.

Reduce, reuse, recycle. That’s the mantra that was promoted in the early 90s when it seems concern for the environment took precedence over the ever more important development of cleaning products. The message that these types of disposable products send is more like remodel, refuse, replace. Ultimately, it seems the oldest model is the best – the time-tested mop and bucket. Remember, life isn’t so simple that you can get rid of all your problems by throwing them away.