Decluttering the American Dream: Minimalism and Its Effect on Junk Production

The American Dream itself was a quest for material prosperity that was made possible by the bigger-is-better philosophy, and home ownership became the ultimate symbol of how well one was doing financially.

We generally grow up learning that more is good and acquiring things means you are successful/happy (within a consumer society), while the emergence of minimalism in recent times has taken that to task allowing for people to live with less and claim their reward outside of material goods.

Now that minimalism has become a popular phenomenon, it can be also said we are in an era to discuss about better waste management and junk producing reduction. The basic principles of minimalism — simplicity, intentionality, and lessening the bogeyman that is consumer culture — are starting to shift the way people purchase things, which is in turn leading to less trash.

The Rise of Minimalism

Minimalism has seen a revival in Western culture, especially in the USA (where it’s nothing new). Books like The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and documentaries for Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things have brought this movement to popular attention. Minimalism, which involves stripping possessions to their bare essentials and retaining only those that serve a meaningful purpose or bring joy and eliminating the rest.

It is this very philosophy that has been lacking in the hyper-consumeristic American society for decades. Reports say that the average American home has roughly 300,000 things and much of it is because we buy impulsively, try to keep up with trends by buying more than we really need, but above all — we equate success with stuff we possess. By forcing people to think more consciously about their consumption, minimalism ultimately aims to halt the overconsumption epidemic and empowering persons to shift focus from consuming goods to cultivating experiences, human relationships, and growing as an individual.

The Effect of Minimalism on the Production of Junk

The most tangible fallout of minimalism is also perhaps the least tangible: less crap. Living a simple lifestyle leads to less shopping and clutter. Rather than consuming massive amounts of disposable goods, we place value in durable products that are made with precision and see an extended lifetime in their owners homes, becoming a fulfilled part of the owner instead.

It teaches you to be more intentional about what you buy and bring into your home, which can significantly reduce waste over time. This is especially crucial in a society where fast fashion, low-cost electronics and wasteful culture often rots to the core from waste. One example: the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has calculated that more than 12 million tons of American textile waste is created annually from the dumping out of the transient clothing. One believes in promoting possession of few items, but with quality that can be mended or re-used and re-purposed which will ultimately restrict the resource churning cycle.

In addition, minimalists often prioritise experiences over things, prompting them to spend less on material goods in favour of pursuits like travel, learning a new skill or pursuing a passion. When people prioritize the non-material aspects of their lives, consume less stuff, and manage to spend little time at home they also do not contribute as much in environmental terms, including junk that would be made if they were forced to buy and get rid of things.

Minimalism and the Decluttering Paradox — How to Change It

Advocates of minimalism claim they are reducing waste, but therein lies the paradox. Minimalism is something many come to through purging, as in getting rid of so much stuff. At this early phase of junk reduction in decluttering, the first wave generated by minimalism confronts waste-management. While a large portion of the stuff that are donated to thrift stores and secondhand shops will not be fit for resale, these stores may still be overwhelmed with items. In search of a minimalist life, landfills might fill with household refuse — from furniture to clothes and kitchens gadgets.

But we have been told time and again by both minimalists as well as champions of sustainable living that the only way to navigate this paradox is through responsible disposal. Rather than simply discarding an item, people are reminded to instead reuse, donate or recycle their items so that the lifecycle of those goods can be extended. From selling and giving away items on platforms like Craigslist, Freecycle and Poshmark to donating used goods to Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity or any number of charitable organizations that accept furniture resale.

Impacts on Consumption Over the Long-Term

It’s the long-lasting effect minimalism will have on junk production and not just the first-time rush of decluttering. When people start to minimalise and develop real consumption habits they tend to buy less things new, which reduces the need for cheap goods made in large scale and the waste that comes from putting them out there. Minimalism inspires a change in thinking and challenges the culture of over consumption ensuring we look at things with more thought of their impact considering sustainability, ethics even survival.

This change in thought can also prompt businesses and industries to reconsider how they produce. Companies could move towards higher value, longer life goods or provide repair services that keep products fully utilised for a longer time. A few companies are, however already leading the way: brands like Patagonia and Eileen Fisher are practicing sustainability by providing repair programs for their products and relying on recycled material.

The role of minimalism in achieving zero waste

Used in tandem with wider societal moves towards sustainability, minimalism has the potential to make a direct impact on one of the largest contributors to waste production — consumption — by promoting reducing purchase, owning and living more intentionally. It does run parallel to other environmental initiatives — the cries for a circular economy, where products are made to be used again and repaired easily with no need for virgin materials (or little trickle going through) and as such also minimal or even non-existing waste.

Beyond just getting rid of your physical junk, minimalism is also an economic counterbalance to the rampant consumer culture that dominates our material world. Minimalists learn to derive more fulfillment from their life, not from spending money on expenses they often don’t need and by taking off the pressure of having to buy all the time and this can align you with a much healthier consumption too.

Minimalism provokes material affluence 20th-century North American style, imagining a life of simplicity and authenticity. And the more who realise this, the closer they get to zero waste which can be achieved by making a conscious effort to consume in a smarter way and dump properly. While the process of decluttering itself likely creates an initial swell in waste, the lasting implications of minimalism point to a future where people purchase less, choose quality over quantity, and contribute lesser and lesser to the growing trash pile. As such, minimalism is not just a simple life philosophy but also a highly effective solution to the systematic problems of consumer-based environmental concerns and waste production.