Consumer behavior in a Mexican city bordering the United States and its relation with household solid waste generation

摘要

The actual production system has changed the humanity towards a society of consumption, whose main value consists in goods possession. In this conspicuous consumption many fast obsolete products are produced, and this promotes the frequent disposal of goods or parts of them. This attitude has originated a consumption pattern that consists on buying and disposing in really short times because of fashion, prestige or imitation, leaving behind consumption for real needs. In this context a research was carried out in a neighborhood in the city of Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico. This research tries to explain how solid waste is a part of the chain that allows merchandise distribution in a bordering city and sets the relation between consumption and household solid waste generation. For doing this, an ethnographic study was carried out in two phases in the selected neighborhood. Solid waste generated by the neighborhood was characterized during the first phase, this was done in order to know the amounts and the characteristics of the wastes generated. During the second phase of the study, a member of each family that composed the sample of the neighborhood was interviewed, this was done to know the consumption habits in relation to the amount of money expended, shopping frequency, preferred materials, reasons because they buy those products, etc. With the results of this study lifestyles of the inhabitants were defined, it was also established the influence of these lifestyles on its relation with the environment. Lifestyles explain the consumption habits and the environmental knowledge the families have and that leads to the kind of purchases they make. An environmental education program is proposed to impinge on the lifestyle and promote sustainable practices to generate a positive attitude toward environmental protection