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"Oliver Keating" wrote in
message ...

There is an old expression - "waste not, want not"

But it appears in our consumer society where everyone is going
nuts with
"buy, buy, buy," it is the fashion to have a new car every
couple of years.
Just as with everything else, we buy, we throw away, we buy we
throw away.
The cycle will only come to an end when we abruptly run out of
resources.

Not often heard these days, but many years ago, someone coined
the term 'Effluent society'. It's even more appropriate now,
than it was at the time.

We waste things on a horrendous scale these days. Many scrapped,
not because they no longer work, or are uneconomic to repair,
but perfectly good items, simply because they are not the
latest, they feel like a change, or they don't fit in with the
latest colour scheme, etc, etc.

A neighbour had 3 fiited kitchens installed, over a period of 5
years.
Each time most of what came out went down the tip. Even
perfectly good Cookers, fridges, and washing machines etc. Not
to mention all the cabinets, and work surfaces.
A few items were sold, but unless they went within a few days,
off they went.

I tend to keep things, especially household items, until I can
no longer repair them.
Either because the spares are no longer obtainable, or the
spares simply become too expensive.

Natural resources though, will continue long into the future.
ATM we are still using those that are reasonably easy to
extract. Oil being one example.
Even when a field is considered exhausted using current methods,
there is still plenty left which at present prices is too
uneconomic to extract, but the technology exists to do it. Which
will happen if oil prices rise high enough.

As for coal. Still plenty of that worldwide. We as a nation have
loads of it.
600 years worth, the last time I recall a figure being
mentioned.

No. Resources will not run out. At least not in the foreseeable
future, but many will become very expensive.
Mike.