Russia

Consumption

Municipal waste quantity depends on consumption: the more people consume, the more waste is created. The level of consumption depends on the affluence of the country. In the Soviet Union, people consumed much fewer commodities than in market economies. This was connected to the fact that the Soviet government considered military industry to be of high priority, and the closed, state-planned economy caused a permanent deficit of consumer products. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the closed state-planned economy in Russia was changed to an open market economy. The 21st-century Russian economy is developing predominantly at the expense of primary production (such as oil, coal, gas extraction, and wood harvesting). However, the level of home production has decreased radically from 1991, and the level of mass consumption has increased through the number of imported products. According to the United Nations, in terms of living standard, Russia was 71st among 182 countries in 2009 and gradually rising. Correspondingly, mass consumption is also increasing. Per capita income also increased from $102 per month in 2001 to $530 per month in 2009, while consumption expenditures on commodities and services increased from $55 to $271 per month during this period. The portion of expenditures on foodstuffs in the overall expenditures structure is an important indicator of the population's living standard: the higher the welfare of a [Page 770]person or a family, the smaller the share of expenditures spent on purchase of food, and vice versa. In 1992, Russians spent 72.6 percent of their income on food, compared to 45 percent in 2008. At the same time, consumption of durable products (e.g., household appliances, computers, and automobiles) is increasing. In 2008, Russians purchased three times as many durable consumption products compared to the 1992 level. In connection to significant growth of expenditures on consumption of products and services, many researchers argue of a consumer boom in Russia and agree that the Russians have a high desire for consumption.

...