The less we buy, the less we waste

Although waste has started to pile up again on the streets due to the fuel crisis and the ensuing logistic difficulties in collection, recycling companies, environmental and activist organizations, including the community-based platform Froz, are noticing a reduced amount of the overall waste generated by citizens and businesses. The reason behind that? The current socio-economic crisis. Shifting consumption habits There is a direct link between consumption rates and waste generation. The higher our income per capita is, the more we consume, and the more we generate waste. One of the most devastating consequences of the current socio-economic crisis is the reduced purchasing power of the Lebanese people. Instead of throwing huge amounts of food (which, according to the Waste Management Coalition, constitutes over 50 percent of Lebanon’s waste) like they did in times of “plenty,” people at restaurants are making sure not to over-order and to ask for the leftovers