Modifying Mindless Consumption

Do you give much thought to what you buy?

I have been thinking about the life-cycle of what I buy and about the ceaseless waste-stream to which I contribute.

It isn't pretty.

Considering some pre-purchase questions has set me on a path to modify a life-long pattern of mindless consumption.

I began to ask questions like, "What will become of this plastic container holding my iced latte?"

"In a consumer society there are inevitably two kinds of slaves: the prisoners of addiction and the prisoners of envy."~ Ivan Illich

Before buying an item, I have been trying to be mindful of:

• How it is packaged?
• What will I use it for? 
• How long will I use it?
• Who else might use it? 
• How might it be re-purposed?
• Where will it go when I'm done using it? 
• Where does it end up?
• How long until it's decomposed?

I am not trying to motivate myself with guilt, rather I am looking for rules of thumb to modify mindless behavior.