Has it always been a problem?

There has certainly always been garbage. Wherever you find people, you'll find waste. And the ways we deal with it - reusing, recycling, burning and burying - have been used to varying degrees for hundreds of years. But as our society changes, the things we use and throw away also change.

That Was Then....
The stuff that we throw out today is different from what we used to throw out many, many years ago.

Our waste stream has changed over time because of technological advances, increased wealth and changes in social behaviour.

Explore how early Canadians (e.g. European settlers and Aboriginals) used natural resources to suggest what kinds of waste they would have generated.

We haven't always been a disposable society. Earlier generations were more careful with money and avoided wasting anything. But today, it's acceptable, desirable and affordable for many people to buy new things regularly, whether they're needed or not. Appliances, furniture, toys and outdated fashions are tossed to make room for our latest purchases.

As our population increases steadily, so does the number of products made and consumed (especially convenient, disposable products). It seems inevitable: more people = more products = more waste. Increasing waste increases our burden on the planet.

The time has come for us to change our way of thinking; to place more value on the basic requirements for all life on Earth - clean air, soil and water - and reduce our waste to help protect them. We need to start taking action and change the way we feel about and deal with waste.