For the past year, my social media feeds have been overflowing with posts from friends showcasing their decluttering journeys. Images of overflowing trash bags, destined for donation or the curb, flood in with captions like: “Look at all this stuff I’m tossing! Just two closets, haha! Off to the dump! Getting rid of things feels AMAZING!” The appeal of decluttering is undeniable—who wouldn’t appreciate an organized junk drawer or a neat closet where every item is both visible and wearable? I still cling to a few pairs of size-four pants from 2007 that haven’t seen my thighs since before my second pregnancy a decade ago. They really need to go; they’re just a reminder of what was.
Yet, amidst all this purging, there’s a glaring silence about how we ended up with so much stuff in the first place—or how to prevent future accumulation. We have to address this, because, let’s be real: Americans are drowning in their possessions.
The average American home contains around 300,000 items. Yes, that number is accurate and not an exaggeration. Even more alarming is that this figure doesn’t account for everything we own. The self-storage industry is booming, with one in ten Americans renting a storage unit and over 50,000 facilities available, providing enough space for every person to enjoy 7.3 square feet of personal space. And despite our homes tripling in size over the last 50 years, our garages are so cluttered that cars are parked outside. It’s no wonder the home organization industry is growing at a staggering 10% annually.
Consider this: only 3% of the children in the world live in the U.S., yet we own 40% of the toys. This is absurd, especially since most kids only engage with a handful of favorites. Why fill their rooms with toys that go unused and are often made from environmentally damaging plastic? The clothing situation is similarly grim. Americans own three times more clothes today than in 1930, and each year, the average person discards around 65 pounds of clothing.
Feeling overwhelmed yet?
Overconsumption is a uniquely Western issue. While 12% of the population in North America and Western Europe accounts for 60% of global private consumption, a third of those living in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa contribute a mere 3.2%. In total, Americans spend around $1.2 trillion annually on nonessential goods—yes, that means things we really don’t need. And then we discard it all, whether it’s due to necessity (think packaging, junk mail) or in the name of “decluttering.”
So where does all this waste end up? Since 1950, humanity has produced about 8.3 billion tons of plastic, with over half ending up in landfills and a mere 9% recycled. Experts estimate that 4.8 to 12.7 million metric tons of plastic are dumped into our oceans each year. This is nothing short of disgraceful.
Why has this happened? How do we change our trajectory? In the U.S., we gauge our national health by measuring consumption. This isn’t just figurative—it’s literal. Our culture is built on continuous consumption—if we’re not growing, we’re failing. Economic indicators like the S&P and Dow Jones reflect this; as long as they climb, we’re thriving. Consumer spending is crucial too—are we buying at least 3% more than the previous year? If not, panic ensues.
If we don’t keep spending, we risk recession or depression. Thankfully for producers, they have a built-in solution: planned obsolescence. Nowadays, products are designed to break down quickly, fueling a relentless cycle of consumption. Our economy—and thus our well-being—relies on a throwaway culture. Brilliant marketing tricks us into believing that social status hinges on owning the latest and greatest. And though I consider myself a minimalist, I still have two designer bags hanging in my closet, alongside a third I use daily.
How did we come to this? Why does Western culture equate success with consumption? For change to occur, we need a cultural shift. We must become more discerning about what genuinely adds value to our lives. Changing the metrics of success—personally, nationally, and globally—is vital. The unsettling truth is that achieving this shift could lead to widespread unemployment in sectors reliant on our insatiable appetite for goods (many of which are produced under dire conditions).
Even if large-scale changes seem daunting, we can all become more conscious of our consumption habits and the lessons on materialism we pass to our children:
- Skip bottled water.
- Choose experiences over material items.
- Buy second-hand whenever possible.
- Don’t wait until clutter overwhelms you to assess whether an item brings you joy; consider this before you buy that seasonal throw pillow you know you won’t use beyond a couple of months.
Change is imperative. We can act now, or future generations will be left to confront a planet suffocating under the weight of our misguided beliefs about happiness.
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In summary, while decluttering may be all the rage, it’s crucial to examine the deeper issues of overconsumption and its environmental impact. We must change our mindset and habits, prioritizing sustainable choices for the future.
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