Most shops are just landfill waiting to happen.

They do - the cycle is buy, declutter, buy declutter (all posted about on Instagram, of course).

That is so pointless, what’s it’s purpose?

It wrong to judge others mind, because we are all guilty of unnecessary landfill purchases.

Maybe let's stop thinking about it in terms of judgement and guilt, that isn't a useful way of looking at it. Instead think about what can we do as a human race to reduce the burden on the planet. We can all take action whatever it is, that doesn't need to involve judging others or making people feel guilty, every little helps!

My phone is pre-COVID so almost 6 years old. It's still going strong, I expect I will have to buy a replacement sooner or later when it completely konks out, but when you consider most mobile phone contracts encourage you to upgrade after 18months, that isn't bad going,

Thats one thing I do towards this problem, I try to look after things so they last longer.

I don't disagree that living frugally can be done, I'm quite the expert at it myself. Whether there are enough of us willing and able to do it and force change is another matter. Marketing and data are the worlds most valuable commodities.

Greenwashing is one such thing. We change a habit because we are told it will benefit the environment, then discover it causes some other problem just as potentially damaging.

I admit to being a "professional cynic, though my heart's not in it" but I am quite world weary on many fronts.

Just gotta keep on keeping on and hope for the best I suppose.

I always used to make my kid's halloween costumes. We used to plan it in advance and paint clothes with washable paint and make papier-mache masks. It was much more fun. I was so happy they weren't walking around in that burnable plastic tat.

I feel this way about World Book Day costumes as well. So far we've made them using a combination of things we already have, Vinted and craft supplies. It makes me cringe a bit that Jeff Bezos basically cashes in on WBD every year (and Halloween).

And before people come at me saying "oh but we don't have tiiiime to do that, we're just so buuuusy so we just haaave to but the polyester costume from Shein", I work for a City law firm and still manage to do this...

I used to like tat but I just don’t anymore. Unless something serves a practical purpose I find myself not wanting it and I won’t replace anything until it’s completely conked out (and only then if it’s necessary). Something just switched off for me, I think it’s when I went through a very stressful time a few year’s ago and ‘stuff’ just seemed like a weight round my neck.

I often wonder if people who do seasonal updates, dispose of the items they're replacing? I find myself moving away from buying things, telling myself that I can't continually purchase stuff, as it's really not necessary.

Honestly, this really isn’t an issue. I’m going to enjoy life, so yes I’m going to be buying (and throwing away to get new next year) all the Easter, Halloween, valentines decor going.

If you don’t like it, don’t buy it, but don’t try and make everyone miserable with you.

People who follow need to decorate their homes to please SM can get a bloody life. Be yourself. Be unique.

One thing I heard was putting books on shelves spine inwards. Stupid idea

i think you're not quite understanding the thread ( or the world from the sounds of it 😀

It's funny though that a "classic" piece of jewellery or watch that costs £1000s is considered acceptable because it will "last for generations" - yet presumably that will become landfill at some point in the future.
Items only become landfill is they aren't recycled.
Why is all this so called plastic "tat" not being recycled?

why didn't you keep the ribbon?
Could have put it on your original wreath or next christmas get a bunch of small holly branches and tie them up with pretty ribbon/
Or use on a present.
Why binj it?

I completely agree. I hate all those cheaply made fast fashion shops and they should be taxed and gone. I love buying more expensive clothes second hand online. It's more difficult to work out what will suit you sometimes, but I've got a some nice stuff that way. I also belong to a local swap group. Everyone gets together every couple of months, brings clothes they no longer want and catches up over coffee. Second hand shops, toy libraries, giveaways on street whatsapp groups, we can all do it differently and just as well.

Single use plastic is a real problem. I get very irritated by supermarkets who still give out plastic bags for fruit and veg for example. In France all those plastic bags are compostable. Why not here? I feel frustrated when I see people just buy a plastic bag for their shopping rather than bring one. So many things could be sold in paper bags and cardboard boxes.

I have family living in a developing country. Their house if full of second hand clothes. It's all donated from countries like the UK and they are drowning in the excess. It's not needed.

I always used to make my kid's halloween costumes. We used to plan it in advance and paint clothes with washable paint and make papier-mache masks. It was much more fun. I was so happy they weren't walking around in that burnable plastic tat.

I work with the soil. Theres SO much plastic disintegrating in the soil, degrading into micro plastic which is impossible to remove. It gets into our bodies, disrupts our endocrine systems and is now thought to contribute to heart attacks and strokes.

There are so many reasons to change and many of the changes are small, we just need to get on and make them.

In fact, my coffee table is about 9 years old and from B&M.

That's fine, but the fact you think a table lasting 9 years is somehow remarkable speaks volumes.

Yes agree.

I look at B&M, The Range, Homesense and the like as warehouses of tat that arrived here in shipping containers from China and will end up floating around in the ocean for the next 500 years.

And think of the seasonal tat, 'novelty' Christmas gifts, 'joke' secret Santa presents, children's party favours, fancy dress parties - which all encourage the one-off buying and binning of yet more shite.

We're doomed.

Completely agree. I live in quite a rural area. When I occasionally go into our nearest city, it actually depresses me seeing so many people buying load of crap they don't need which will end up in landfill. I've never been particularly materialistic but as I get older (nearly 50), I just want to buy the minimum stuff I actually need.

Well I don't have a lot of money but we still have a few local shops that sell locally made birthday cards for £2 which is only 50p more than the mass produced stuff from Tesco.

I have been known to literally buy someone a danish pastry from a local bakery as a birthday present - or a gingerbread man for a child, rather than the plastic tat if I've only got £2 to spend.
I've also bought second hand enamel badges on ebay, trinkets and bits and bobs over the year from bricabrac shops to save for Christmas.

People don't mind at all.

It can be done.

People like tat though. Always have done, always will do.

I don’t get it at all. But a lot of people’s lives are joyless and miserable (mine included), and buying shit fills a void for some people. I fill my void with watching shit on the Internet.

And some just like a lot of colourful shit and get enjoyment from decorating their houses. I couldn’t give two shits about the environment- I just like to live in a clean space with no tat.

if people want to brighten up their lives with bits of crap from Poundland, let them do it. Life is shit enough.

Books, art, clothes, cooking equipment, plants, electronics, toys, sport equipment, music, musical instruments, telescopes

These are essentials of being human

Decorating our homes, cave paintings, decorating ourselves, music, these all emerged almost as soon as humans.

I agree that sustainability should come first now because the planet faces bigger problems than the need for Easter door wreaths.

If we need something we check charity shops, second hand everything and only then buy new.

Saying this I won’t buy second hand cycling helmets.

A bigger percentage of people won’t buy this stuff in the not too distant, once people have paid their bills, food, pensions, investments for their kids, transport and all the other essentials, football boots say, the £20 Easter door wreath is not going to be worth it.

One thing we subconsciously taught our kids is if something breaks, strap on school bags, they always ask first “can we fix this” not “I need a new”
and usually yes we can fix it, 10 minutes with a very old hunk of a sewing machine and it’s stronger than it started off.

It wrong to judge others mind, because we are all guilty of unnecessary landfill purchases.

I know MN hates B&M, but I've had loads of furniture from there. In fact, my coffee table is about 9 years old and from B&M. It's wooden, not plastic too.
I also buy houseplants and pots etc from there. Also food and general consumables (soap etc). Yeah there are a couple of aisles for homeware and seasonal stuff, but the shop is hardly the plastic pit people on here make it out to be.

As I get older the less I want or need. Not because I have everything (far from it) but you can see the tat so much clearer than when you’re younger. My son is still at that age when he wants ‘stuff’ and I remember being just like it in my early twenties.

My weekly rubbish has gone down hugely compared to just a few year’s ago. I no long have Amazon Prime which was a big culprit in me buying stuff (I can’t justify the p&p on it now). It pleases me greatly to see how little rubbish I have for the binman now, sometimes I don’t even bother putting the bins out that week.

I am in the process of decluttering my house as I just can’t tolerate unnecessary stuff/tat anymore.

I see you're doing your bit by economising on punctuation...

I agree, OP. Friends have just offered me their perfectly good, expensive garden furniture set (£2000+ new three years ago) for free because they feel like a change. It's that plastic rattan stuff. I think they feel sorry for me because we've made do for years with simple wooden chairs which we rub down and paint every few years.

Going to the local authority recycling centre/ dump leaves me feeling shaky. I see people dumping massive amounts of perfectly serviceable stuff — and so much plastic junk. My partner and I are paring down as we get older and avoiding anything plastic or made from artificial fibres as much as we possibly can.

This is great in principle, but overlooks that a good proportion of the population has very little disposable income. So a treat has to be cheap or not at all.

Most of the things you mention such as local arts and crafts are out of the price range for average people.

See also the fact that local arts and crafts people often barely make back the cost of materials, never mind time, and it's not a sustainable living, usually a side hustle or hobby. There are many, many reasons why we're trapped in overblown consumerism.

It's not always possible to "make better choices" unless you're prepared to forgotten societal inclusion. Another little marketing trick.

Its things like cushions and bedding with seasonal things I don't understand. I use the same bedding and cushions all year round..

Also same with ornaments. I have a few Xmas ones which I swap with the other things I have out on display for 340 days of the year. You don't need have summer ornaments ffs.