The Cost of Convenience
Updated: Sep 11
In this article, we will explore a brief history of consumerism in Yarmouth, dig into some of the hidden costs of rising convenience, and find ways to break this cycle.
We live in an age of remarkable innovation. New technologies emerge almost daily - in less than a decade generative AI has become impossible to ignore, there is an at home recycling appliance that can process plastics once considered unrecyclable, and researchers have developed a possible way to remove "forever chemicals" from our water.
These innovations are exciting, and they offer hope that maybe even the most difficult environmental challenges can be solved. They also raise an important question: How did we get to the point where we need to invent technologies to recycle plastic products and remove toxic chemicals from our water in the first place?
A (not so) Brief History
Before European settlement, the Wabanaki Confederacy, including the Abenaki people, lived in what is now Yarmouth. The forests, river, and ocean that sustained life were viewed through a relationship of kinship and stewardship, rather than as resources to be dominated or possessed. European settlers brought a different worldview and land became something to own and profit from.
This area was initially settled as The Town of North Yarmouth. This is because it was a part of Massachusetts and the town name differentiated itself from Yarmouth further south (Yarmouth, MA). Maine gained statehood from Massachusetts in 1820 and Yarmouth succeeded from North Yarmouth in 1849 (for the purposes of this post, "Yarmouth" refers to the land of present-day Town of Yarmouth, Maine).
In the late 1700’s, Yarmouth had a school, tavern and cemetery. There was no electricity or combustion vehicles. There was no plastic. Anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions came largely from the rearing of livestock and fires which were used for cooking and lighting.
The closest urban center would’ve been Portland, which was over an hour's journey by carriage. In the late 1800’s this distance was seen as an asset for Yarmouth, as it offered a spot “away from the noise and tumult of the city and yet within such easy reach” (Aldredge, Images of America: Yarmouth, pg. 107).
Before the Industrial Revolution, manufactured goods were made largely by hand or with manually powered tools. As a result, manufactured goods were expensive and not as common as they are today. People repaired broken items, repurposed materials, and reused what they owned - not because environmental impact was the priority, but because replacing things was often too costly.
There are records that detail the cost of goods in Massachusetts in the late 1700’s that we can explore to contemplate shifts in the cost of living over time. For comparison purposes, I have chosen to compare a teacher's salary because the core responsibilities of teaching have remained broadly consistent over time, even though the tools, curriculum, and administrative demands have evolved.
Imagine you are a schoolteacher. Here in Maine, in 2026 an entry level teacher’s salary averages about $45,000. In 1795 Yarmouth - the annual salary for a teacher was $399.60 ($10,628.19 today).
Item | Cost in 1790's (would be cost in 2026) | % of 1795 salary | % of 2026 salary |
Boots | $6.00 ($159.58 today) | 1.50% | 0.35% |
Pants | $3.75 ($99.74 today) | 1% | 0.22% |
Socks | $0.73 ($26.50 today) | 0.18% | 0.06% |
Clock | $60 ($1595 today) | 15% | 3.5% |
A pair of socks in the 1790's wasn't necessarily expensive because the manufacturer was greedy, it was expensive because someone had to spin the yarn, weave the fabric, and sew every stitch.
The cost and availability of goods made it so people simply couldn't consume at today's scale.
After the Industrial Revolution, patterns of production and consumption shifted dramatically, which led to significant changes in the prices of goods. For example, the price of socks fell to $0.41 by 1860, representing a 44% decrease from 1790. This downward trend extended to most manufactured goods, however there were a few exceptions such as gloves, linen, and silk - which experienced price increases.
In contrast, the prices of nearly all unprocessed food products rose during the same period, suggesting that industrial advancements primarily benefited manufactured goods while agricultural products were more affected by rising demand and other market pressures. Interestingly, potatoes saw the most significant increase, with prices rising by 133% between 1830 and 1860 (potato famine?).
The rise of mass-produced consumer goods transformed the way people used and disposed of everyday items. As products became more affordable, it often became more economical to replace broken or worn items than to repair them, leading to a dramatic increase in waste.
This shift in consumer habits also created a shift in disposal systems. While communities have long had designated areas for waste, modern sanitary landfills are a relatively recent innovation, dating back to just 1937. Before then, the waste stream looked very different. Most discarded materials consisted of broken ceramics and glass, shells, bones, and other items that could not be reused, repaired, or fed to livestock. Plastic started to become more prevalent in the early 1900's - a timeline that lines up with the emergence of modern landfills.
For centuries, repair and reuse were the norm, driven by limited access to goods and the high cost of replacing them. As disposable products became more common over the past 150 years, the volume and composition of waste changed significantly, requiring new systems for waste collection, management, and disposal.
The Manufacturing of Stuff
You may know that Yarmouth was once a mill town and home to the largest groundwood pulp mill of its kind - in the world.
Mills during the industrial revolution were unique as they utilized the power and energy from moving water (in this case the Royal River) to process materials. This mechanization dramatically lowered the amount of human labor required to make goods. This was also when dams started to pop up along American rivers as a way to control or harness this energy further.
Although these Royal River mills were using regenerative power (hydropower), these companies also participated in the large scale dumping of toxic chemicals and other materials into the water. Dams also disrupted the natural water flow, negatively impacting the local ecology.
From Repair to Replace
In the early 2000’s, there are more than 12 establishments to purchase manufactured goods and food in Yarmouth. Electricity is used daily and most people own combustion vehicles. Plastic is unavoidable. Globally, anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions come largely from transportation (gasoline and diesel), manufacturing (energy needed to make goods), material extraction and creation, agriculture and land use change (livestock, deforestation), and heating and cooling our buildings.
Now, would I trade modern conveniences such as plumbing or electricity? Absolutely not. It is a great joy to be able to take the Metro Breez or drive into Yarmouth from Portland in under 20 minutes, instead of an hour by carriage. However, it may be worth considering if our lives have gotten too convenient.
How did our economy shift from business models that prioritized reuse and refill to one where it is now nearly impossible to find a business that practices these principles?
Once manufacturing became streamlined, businesses in the 20th century discovered something even more profitable than making durable goods: making products people would have to buy over and over again. One of the best examples of this would be Coca-Cola.
When soda became a popular beverage, it was apparent that the glass bottle was expensive to mass produce. Their solution was to create a model of refilling bottles, and one bottle would be reused about 50 times. Coca-Cola operated under this model for 70 years before starting their switch to aluminum cans and plastic bottles. 10 years after the switch to disposable products, the EPA released a profile analysis that confirmed that refillable packaging was better for the environment and the Non-Returnable Beverage Container Prohibition Act was proposed. The beverage industry, including Coca-Cola, lobbied against this bill and they were successful in preventing it from being passed. Why did they spend so much money lobbying against this prohibition act? Because advancement in technology and manufacturing made it more profitable to create a system of single use.
Even the values around food have shifted with the rise of convenience. My uncle recently recounted how his parents were sustenance farmers in Italy, and how their experience had a profound impact on his relationship with food. Although he grew up in New York City, where food was plentiful and readily accessible, his parents ingrained a specific appreciation and value for food: never waste, eat everything on your plate, and throw nothing away. They were accustomed to a system of subsistence, living exclusively on what their property could produce. It’s a great example of how values around waste have shifted over time . In 2026, food waste accounts for the highest percentage of waste in Maine, over 25%. And that figure doesn’t include organic material that is diverted from the waste stream through programs such as Agri-Cycle and Garbage to Garden.
Another example of a market designed around disposability is the fashion industry. In the era of the internet, fashion trends change rapidly, creating constant pressure for consumers to keep up. To meet this demand, 'fast fashion' companies aim to produce as many garments as possible as quickly as possible, often resulting in lower-quality products that last an average of only 10 wears before starting to fall apart. Beyond generating significant amounts of waste, the fast fashion industry has other troubling impacts, including poor working conditions for the people who manufacture these garments.
In addition to the pressure to keep up with fashion trends, we have shifted into a culture where there is always something new to acquire or collect. Products and brands frequently go viral on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, driving consumers to purchase items that often lose their appeal once they are no longer considered 'trendy'. These products are then donated or discarded. However, even donated items may sit unsold on shelves before eventually being thrown away by donation centers due to the overwhelming volume of low-demand goods.
Now, don't get me wrong - I LOVE a good trinket. However, I take great joy in hunting around thrift stores, garage sales, vintage malls, flea markets for my trinkets.
Today's environmental challenges weren't created overnight. They are the result of centuries of technological progress, economic change, and a culture that has been shaped to value and rely on convenience and disposability.
Of course the goal isn’t a return to how life was in the 1700s. Modern medicine, electricity, plumbing, and transportation have transformed our quality of life for the better. History can remind us that there are other ways of thinking about and managing consumption. For most of Yarmouth's history, people reused, repaired, and repurposed because they had to. Today, we have the opportunity to make those same choices intentionally. In a disconnected and fast paced world, taking a few minutes to mend something can become a small ritual that forces us to slow down. It also creates a wonderful opportunity to connect with others and share skills.
Manufacturing accounts for roughly 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and many of the biggest solutions lie with industry and policymakers. But consumers still have influence. Every time we repair instead of replace, shop secondhand, borrow instead of buy, or choose products designed to last, we send a signal about the kind of economy we want to support.
JOIN US: The Town of Yarmouth Repair Meetup
I am very excited to announce a repair meetup here in Yarmouth on October 17th!
Is there something around your home that needs fixing? Maybe it’s a cherished item you can’t quite bring yourself to discard, or an appliance or gadget you know could be repaired but don’t know where to start.
Bring it to the Yarmouth Repair Meetup, where volunteers will help you repair or mend your broken items - and who knows, maybe you’ll learn a thing or two along the way!
Give your things a second life:
When: October, 17th from 10:00am - 1:00pm
Where: Community Room - 200 Main Street, Yarmouth, ME - Use Rear Parking-lot
Cost: Free
Drop in anytime during the event! For the best chance of getting your item repaired, we recommend coming early, as repairs are handled on a first-come, first-served basis.
Learn more on the event webpage.
Image found throughout this article were either captured by Christy Phillips or sourced from The Town of Yarmouth or the Library of Congress.
