Want the best proof that this trade-based society needs to change and cannot be "fixed"?
Global recycling rates have fallen for eighth year running, report finds - https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/may/16/global-recycling-rates-have-fallen-for-eighth-year-running-report-finds
Only 6.9% of the 106bn tonnes of materials used annually by the global economy came from recycled sources, a 2.2 percentage point drop since 2015, researchers from the Circle Economy thinktank found.
The problem is systemic, they say: the rise in consumption is even more rapid than the growth in global population, and although some companies are increasing the amount of recycled material they use, the majority ignore the issue with no apparent penalties. This means that societies generate more waste than recycling systems can handle.
Even if all recyclable goods were recycled, which is unlikely as many goods are simply too difficult or costly to recycle, global recycling rates would only reach 25%, meaning that consumption must be slashed in order to tackle a growing global waste crisis.
Yah....so recycling is not not solution let us be serious.
The solution?
People and the society needs to change radically but in simple steps.
1. Make the basic needs trade-free. Healthcare, transportation, housing if possible, access to Internet, basic food, etc.. Do it via taxes or whatever you prefer.
2. Give people a Universal Basic Income without strings attached so when some essential service cannot be provided as trade-free, such as housing or food, people can still "trade" for it. You can get the money for this UBI again via taxes, via ending all sorts of unemployment and benefits programs, and so forth.
This way you can have a chance of creating a society where people are not consumers, but humans. So that these humans have the time and mental ability to focus on relevant stuff and not just consume. To volunteer, discover, create, become smarter and saner.
This is the way!
#society #capitalism #money #recycling #plastic #world #TradeRuinsEverything
Global recycling rates have fallen for eighth year running, report finds
Researchers call for investment in ‘circular solutions’ as consumption rises faster than growth in populationDamien Gayle (The Guardian)