We don't inherit the Earth, we borrow it

So I decided to donate it to them so some of its components can be recycled. After all, one of their mottos is "We’ll recycle it for free. It’s good for you and the planet."

My decision did not come out of a vacuum. I first learned about the concept of donating and receiving household appliances when I lived in the U.S. There are many applications that allow such appliances to be donated and then given away again for free.

One of the things that contributes to Americans’ recycling habit is the fact that it can be quite costly to get rid of bulky appliances, and one can be fined for placing them in wrong places. For example, having a company take away a mattress could cost around $20-50. In some cities, people need to pay around $1.2 just for throwing out a 13-gallon bag of trash. Some environmental companies also do not collect trash if it is not properly sorted.

Over the last century, humans’ consumerism and consumption has created an amount of waste larger than the total amount produced over the last 2,000 years combined. If we as a species continue to go down this path, we will ruin our living environment in just another two centuries.

The U.N. estimated there were at least 44.7 million tons of electronic waste plaguing the earth in 2016. Only 20% of this waste was being properly treated, according to the U.N. estimate. Experts have predicted that the amount of global waste will increase by 70% by 2050, unless there are drastic changes implemented.

In Vietnam, economic growth and urbanization, along with lifestyle changes, have led to a plastic pollution crisis, according to the World Bank. The country produces around 3.1 million tons of plastic waste on land every year, and at least 10% of it, which is not properly treated, seeps into the sea. That has made Vietnam one of the top five sources of plastic pollution in the ocean, and the amount of waste we leak could double by 2030.

Vietnam has committed to circular economy projects to recover resources and recycle waste by 2025. These economic models aim to increase the urban waste collection and treatment rate to 50% by 2030. While those are ideal numbers, appropriate strategies are required to realize such goals.

A shift in behavior for each and every one of us is necessary. That means a lifestyle revolving around reusing and recycling. Slogans alone might not be enough, but making people see the numbers and the economic aspects of it might help raise awareness. For example, a ton of recycled paper means 17 trees would be spared. Some 380 gallons of oil, 4,000 kilowatts of electricity and 7,000 gallons of water would all be saved. Putting things in concrete numbers can help people better visualize the impacts of recycling.

Like the story I told at the beginning of this article, donating something that is no longer used is more than giving it a new purpose. It’s also about extending the lifespan of its materials and reducing the amount of waste produced.

We don’t inherit the Earth from our ancestors -- we borrow it from our children. It’s time we do something to become better custodians of our children’s future home.

*Pham Hai Chung is a lecturer on new media and culture.