Band 9 essay sample | Increase in the amount of garbage reaching landfills

IELTS essay topic

Many countries increase the amount of household garbage going to landfill every year. What are the causes? What can be done to reduce it?

Sample essay

Over the last few years there has been a dramatic increase in the amount of garbage produced by each household. All of this eventually ends up in the landfill. Overflowing landfills have become a major health hazard. They pollute the land, air and water. Several factors have contributed to the increase in garbage production.

Consumerism is on the rise. Societies all over the world are becoming more and more materialistic. We are buying stuff without even wondering whether we actually need it or not. One of the reasons behind this trend is the increase in household incomes. As families become richer, their spending on consumables also increases. They are amassing things and when their cupboards overflow, they just throw them away.

Gone are the days when we used to reuse items until they wear out. Use and throw – that is the latest trend. Buy it. Use it once and then throw it away. From bottles to nappies, we are now living in the age of disposables. Take for, instance, the case of nappies. A child uses tens of thousands of nappies before she turns three. All of these end up in the landfills.

The only way to reduce this problem is to create awareness about the environmental impacts of our actions. We need to realize that throwing stuff away is no longer a fashionable thing to do. We must realize the environmental impacts of our actions and make a conscious effort to reduce our carbon footprint. One way of doing this is to produce less waste. Both the government and the media can create awareness among the people about the dangers of overflowing landfills.

To conclude, unless we make a conscious effort, it will not be possible to reduce the amount of waste we produce.