NO.

33 SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

PEPITO, KRISTINE JANE A.
ABM 12- ARRUPE

Ecology on waste production: An essay

Our world is in constant metamorphosis, and with the civilization at its peak, the compensation
we make for the massive population and rapid urbanization has led to a serious epidemic—waste
production. According to World Bank (2019), cities had produced 2.01 billion tonnes of solid waste in
2016, with an expected increase of 70% in 2050. This epidemic has landfills take over animal habitats,
pollute the environment as well as contribute to the increase of greenhouse gases. Our ignorance had
triggered a global dilemma and without proper management, we would be at risk for something
unimaginable. The theory of ecology has long been introduced to us, and it poses profound
understandings of the relationships of human persons to the environment. Deep ecology, social ecology
and transpersonal ecology are the concepts that would help us effectively address waste production as a
pressing global dilemma.

Waste production has been a by-product of our hunger for “progress” and capitalistic mentality.
Millions of companies produce products daily to obtain profit, and provide for the increasing needs of
the growing population. Now, we are left with major environmental crises that need immediate
treatment. Social ecology links the causation of these catastrophes from toxic human activities, and
suggests that humanity must actualize their roles as stewards of creation. In addressing waste
production, we must be aware of how much we consume and limit ourselves only to how much we truly
need in order to evade excessive waste production.

Two of the things that spur waste production are people’s greed for luxury, and indifference
towards other living creations. Garbage is thrown everywhere; product lines release merchandises
without a regard of the life that is at sacrifice. Deep ecology states that all organisms hold an intrinsic
value and that they are not instruments for nonsense satisfactions. The environment is our partner, and
it is our responsibility to tend on its protection. To lesson of this ecology is that we must take care of the
resources and products we have now, and train ourselves to be disciplined with our wastes and realize
that every trash we put out to the environment had costed a life and will cost another life.

Lastly, transpersonal ecology proposes that the human person must combat their desiring and
impulsive self with ethical and rational principles and values. Humans are fond of spoiling their egos, and
this act brings about harm to everything. In this case, we should stop and think about what we buy and
produce as wastes. We should be mindful of our financial expenses and whether they are going for the
good or for the bad.

Our relationship with the environment has become extensively one-sided, with humanity taking
all the merits. If we continue to play the “blind” card on the crises we’re facing, we certainly will be
facing our doom sooner or later. Understanding that we have responsibilities we cannot run away from
to our environment is vital in actualizing our function in the protection and preservation of the wonders
of the world.

references:

Solid Waste Management (2019, April 01). Retrieved from

https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/urbandevelopment/brief/solid-waste-
management?fbclid=IwAR0Lx6qKZODPuKFybC_u_mwtJ09H7Ti71l4mTC87jWwLc9vDbteq8VrtmC4

Word count: 502 words