Disposability was heavily promoted in the early stages of industrialization, especially as capitalist ideologies took hold. The economic benefits of a throwaway culture were prioritized over long-term environmental consequences. What began as an innovative concept quickly became a matter of convenience, with disposability now deeply ingrained in daily life. While disposable products contribute to pollution, resource depletion, and climate change, their convenience often overshadows these negative effects. One reading last week introduced planned disposability, where products are intentionally designed for short-term use, such as plastic utensils and cups. Similarly, planned obsolescence ensures products degrade or become outdated quickly, encouraging frequent replacements. This strategy is evident in industries like fast fashion and technology, where companies design products to lose efficiency over time, pushing consumers to buy new ones. Another reason people overlook disposability’s consequences is the increasing desire to avoid dealing with waste. For example, to eliminate dishwashing, people opt for paper and plastic plates. Society’s discomfort with waste fosters a reliance on disposable items, driven by a growing emphasis on cleanliness and sanitation. A class reading highlighted the social hierarchy in manufacturing jobs outside the U.S., where young women are often overworked and then discarded once deemed unproductive. The dehumanization of workers mirrors the way disposable products are treated—valued only when useful and discarded when deemed unnecessary. This unsettling parallel underscores the broader implications of disposability beyond physical waste, raising ethical concerns about how society perceives and treats both objects and people.