Our appetite for new products also contributes to the problem. We are addicted to buying new things. As consumers, we want the latest clothes, the best TVs, and cell phones with the newest features. Companies tell us to buy, buy, and buy. Advertisements persuade us that newer is better and that we will be happier with the latest products. The result is that we throw away useful possessions to make room for new ones. In the U.S., when consumers get rid of electronics, 80 percent of them go to a dump. Only about 18 percent of electronics are recycled.