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throwaway culture is encouraged by

1. singapore's push for digital payment. studies show that people have a tendency to overspend and overbuy when they dont feel the physical cash getting thrown out, just beep and youre good

2. singapore's fully urbanised society, everyone is working their backside off slugging away waiting for their next $$$ raise, and that just leads to lifestyle inflation, if I'm gonna be a slave for the society I may as well make myself as happy as possible in the process

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The author argues that our throwaway culture encourages waste. I agree with this statement as in Singapore, there is a rise in trend of social media usage like Instagram where people often post about their outfits to gain followers. This encourages the throwaway culture as people purchase clothings excessively to make their Instagram feed looks attractive. However, it should not be assumed that everyone in the society practises the throwaway culture as it is mostly the youths who follows the trend and have the desire to gain popularity. There are still many people in the society who adopts a minimalist lifestyle.

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"Without a conscious thought process fuelling our consumption, the act becomes wasteful, even detrimental and futile. Our purchases then become borne out of uninhibited desire, which spells turmoil for the environment."

The author is suggesting that throwaway culture results in detrimental effect on the environment. Hence, I agree to a large extent with the point that wastage that manifests from throwaway culture has a negative impact on the environment. This is due to Singaporeans' preoccupation with relentless consumption. In 2015, Singapore generated 7.67 million tonnes of waste - enough to fill 3,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Additionally, the increasing affluence of Singaporeans has been identified with the rising amount of waste produced. According to the NEA, the increase in total waste produced is "in tandem" with the growing population and its affluence. With the increasing affluence, there is an increased ability to consume more and also the habit of replacing items that are damaged manifests.

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In the essay, the author claims that the values of austerity and taking good care of one's possessions are no longer being considered in the world today. I generally disagree with this point.

Singaporeans, in general, are becoming more affluent in the modern day. In addition, the pervasion of sustainable and minimalist ideals in the modern day (esp. online activity, minimalism as a trend and its influence on the people who usually consume the most - youth) allow more Singaporeans to combat throwaway culture. This can be most notably observed through the shift of Singaporeans' attitudes to owning second-hand items. Locally, secondhand fashion is poised to grow 185 per cent, and many also choose to invest in items that are more durable and sustainable, not only reflective of a more future - oriented mindset (in terms of expenditure and environmental impact) but also their willingness to maintain items they pay for.

However, this might not be the case for all , especially those of lower income / who have lower standards of living. In Singapore especially, where the cost of living surpasses that of many other developed nations, consumerism is becoming a concept that is more and more difficult for all to partake in. They are less able to purchase more steeply priced durable goods, and will have to resort to purchasing lower quality, easily worn-out items that may limit their ability to save and avoid participating in throwaway culture.

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agree with the author's claim that many people are already using tools such as the education and the internet to become more informed about goods and services they buy. This is true in Singapore, many people have a habit of checking reviews or watching a review video on social media before they decide to buy anything. This makes consumer more conscious about what they are consuming, and consider the pros and cons of the goods and services they consuming. However, as some influencers' reviewing video are actually commercials and the influencer might exagerate the benefits of certain goods. Hence, singaporean might not be perfectly informed and still make undesirable consumption decisions unconsciously.

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The author asserts that "fast fashion embodies our throwaway culture, figuratively and literally." I agree with the author's view in relation to my society. In Singapore, we live in a fast-paced society where we feel the constant need to be working or attending to our committments. In fact, Singapore was named the second most overworked city. However, this allowed Singaporeans to earn a stable income and be able to spend on goods and services. They feel the need to spend their income to correspond to the amounts of hardwork they invested. Many citizens then turn to fast fashion, where they are constantly on the lookout for clothes that are trending at that time. Most citizens are no stranger to fast fashion shops like Cotton On, H&M as well as online shops like Shein. They buy clothes that are popular at that time, wearing it a few times then throwing it away to make space for new ones. It is especially easy for this to take place in Singapore where physical stores are located everywhere and technology is readily available for citizens to turn to online shopping. Hence, fast fashion is indeed prevalant in Singapore, especially with the rising affulence. However, we also need to acknowledge the presence of Asian culture in Singapore, where some citizens are less willing to spend money as if there is no tomorrow and would rather save it in the banks for rainy days. These citizens make up a substanial percentage of the population who do not indulge in fast fashion and contribute to throwaway culture.

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The author claims that consumers are showing a growing collective awareness about the consequences of flagrant consumerism. I generally disagree with this in relation to myself and my society. While it is true that in Singapore there is a higher awareness that excessive consumerism is bad, most people either stay unaware of its consequences or choose to ignore it, adopting the mindset that others will do their part to consume less. Many still actively participate in the consumption of fast fashion from popular online retail stores such as SHEIN, and are also guilty of feeding into the overconsumption fuelled by cheap deals on Shopee and Lazada. The general public refuses to change their consumption habits, and this sentiment is reinforced when people see that others are also doing the same as themselves. Hence, I disagree with the view that there is a collective awareness of overconsumption and its consequences in my society.

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I generally agree with the author that our throwaway culture encourages waste. This is because in Singapore, we would want to pursue the latest trends in different areas like electronics or clothing, this results in us throwing away things we see as outdated. For example, there are platforms like Shein which is known for affordable clothing is available for consumers to shop easily to keep up to the trends which allows waste to be generated more easily since they would just throw their "outdated" pieces of clothing. However, there are also increasing trends in Singapore like thrift shopping where consumers can also purchase second hand pieces of clothing from. This allows the clothings to be recycled as they are not thrown immediately but in others' hand to put into better use. This shows that not everyone is always into pursing the latest products, which reduces waste generated.

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The author claims that there has been a growing collective awareness about the harms of throwaway culture. This generally true in my society as Singaporeans are generally educated about the harms of it. In addition, the National Environmental Agency has put in considerable effort educating the general population about the importance of not generating more waste, as our country's landfills may run out of space soon. However, education does not directly translate into action. Although Singaporeans are aware of the harms of throwaway culture, our prioritisation of convenience has greatly hindered the progress to combat throwaway culture. For example, even after the pandemic has settled down in 2022, there seems to not be any decrease in the popularity of food delivery services, even as it wastes tonnes and tonnes of plastic.

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The author claims that the value of austerity have been abandoned. I generally disagree with this as in Singapore, most people still hold on to conservative frugal attitudes which prioritises saving over spending. This is because most are scared of Singapore's cut throat cost of living and are encouraged by the trend in society to save for significant expenditures such as housing and retirement. Thus, the author's belief that values of austerity have been jettisoned due to consumerism does not hold true in Singapore. However, the value of austerity does seem to be deteriorating amongst the younger generations, due to the rise of e-commerce platforms which encourage consumerism. For example, the popularity of Shopee's monthly sales has led to it becoming the top e-commerce platform in Singapore with 12 million web visits in the first quarter of 2021. The growing trend of quick e-commerce sales has therefore encouraged Singaporean's consumerism, especially amongst the tech saavy younger generations who tend to shop online more often. Hence, although I agree that the value of austerity has faded amongst the younger generations in Singapore, it certainly has not been abandoned.

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I agree that Singapore’s throwaway culture does encourage waste.

-With Singapore’s increasingly consumerist culture (evidenced by the the thriving business of Fashion Giants

>>Due to fast-paced work culture, retail therapy

-Buying of seasonal clothing (Keeping up with fashion trends: Cotton and H&M)

>>>Online shopping (Shoppee "10 10" & "11 11" sales)
allows for impulse buying

>>>* Kiasu culture(afraid to lose out) so maybe want to show off their affluence

However, it is not fair to say that all businesses & consumers in Singapore are wasteful

>>Growing environmental movement among millenials in SG
(Minimalist etc)

-Uniqlo is often sources their clothing from sustainable sources and has a return/recycling policies (Effort to appeal to them)

-fashion outlets partner up with Non-profit organisations (Salvation Army, YMCA)

While businesses and consumers have attempted to reduce waste, Singapore’s high wastage has only increased in recent years.  ( In 2015, Singapore generated 7.67 million tonnes of waste - enough to fill 3,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools.) Thus, one might argue that Singaporeans are merely taking surface level measures that have limited impact on waste reduction.

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Erica asserts that without a conscious thought process fuelling our consumption, throwaway culture encourages waste. I agree to a large extent, especially in the context of Singapore's consumerist culture. During festivals like Chinese New Year, a culture is formed whereby Singaporeans are encouraged to purchase new clothes in order to welcome a new year, which results in excessive consumption. Although some may cite the growing popularity of minimalist lifestyle in Singapore, especially with media coverage of Marie Kondo movements. Yet it should be noted that it is difficult to change to such a simplistic lifestyle immediately, in a society like Singapore which favour convenience. Moreover, some follow minimalist lifestyles because it is trending, and would easily abandon it to move on to the next newest trend.

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The author argues that the population at large is using tools such as education and the Internet to become more informed about the goods and services they buy. I generally agree with the author’s views in relation to me and my society. In sg society, the ministry of education places a heavy emphasis in developing its students into future thinkers, as evidenced by its commitment to rolling out civics lessons and programmes since a young age (primary sch) These lessons and programmes cover global and cultural trends including the impact we have on the env from the G&S we consume. Even though these educational initiatives are still present today, there seems to be slow progress on the action front, where students are more informed but many still fail to take action or do little to reduce their waste. However, it is still true that my society is using tools such as education to inform, although its impact is not immediately noticeable.

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"Consumers feel compelled to buy the newest model of phone: once the newest model comes out, it effectively means that the device they currently possess is obsolete"
- stand: disagree to a large extent
- characteristics of Singaporeans: conservative, place heavy significance on the importance of saving, "Asian love for money", thrifty culture
- most Singaporeans feel content with their current phone models and are unwilling to purchase new phones even with the introduction of newer models
- for people who purchase new phones, it is usually when their phones are no longer able to serve their intended purpose of meet the needs of the owner, and many times buying newer models are a more economically sound choice (Phones bought with contract are usually around the same price, e.g. starhub contract plans offer new models of phones for a much higher discount than older models of phones)
- acknowledging other side: there are still some who feels joy in buying newer models of phones, but for these people they usually keep the phones for their children (parents), keep it as a contingency, or sell it

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Throwaway culture encourages waste,
agrees to a large extent as young people in Singapore has a habit of fast fashion.
Buying cheap goods like clothes or low quality items online and then throwing it away after a few uses, contributes to wastage. For example, SHEIN and Lazada. Evaluation: it should be considered that not everyone in Singapore practice throwaway and fast fashion habits. Many preserver and shop responsibly, purchase recyclable goods from environmental friendly producer that contribute less to severe wastage

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agree with the point that consumers are growing collective awareness. in singapore, thrifting has become increasingly mainstream, most notably among teens. with the mantra of recycling vintage clothes, many home-grown thrift shops, such as Loop Garms and Rehearsal
have popped up around the island, with great public reception. evidently, there has been a shift in the perception of pre-loved clothes, as people are getting more environmentally-conscious.

EVALUATION:
the intent of thrifting may actually be shallow; simply because it is trendy. however, at the end of the day, it’s impact cannot be denied

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AQ Question: The author discusses throwaway culture. How far do you agree with the author’s views in relation to you and your society?

Come up with 1 AQ point here. (Title of your post should be your name)