Waste

Environmental cartoon – consumer waste

Escape from the waste land cartoon

An environmental cartoon showing a builder’s skip being used as a boat to escape from a land covered in waste – a wasteland.

The illustration is concerned with the amount of waste and rubbish generated by our consumer society.
The people in the image are escaping from the polluted land by using a builder’s skip as a boat. Such skips are in my mind associated with over consumption, as they are often to be seen outside houses that are being refitted with more modern and fashionable fittings (especially in the kitchens and bathrooms).

This cartoon reflects my interest in environmental issues such as consumer waste and the climate emergency.

First version drawn: 1991
This square version: 2020

Cartoon reference number: a445b
Environmental cartoon – packaging

Environment cartoons
Non-biodegradable packaging

A cartoon about environment-friendly materials.
A discarded polystyrene container talking to animals, saying that it likes nature so much that it’s decided to stay around for a long time.

An illustration about biodegradable packaging materials, litter, recycling, waste, consumerism, bio-decomposition, environmental impact

Cartoon reference number: env069b
Environment cartoon about recycling plastic bags

Recycling plastic bags cartoon

Does recycling make a difference in our efforts to cut waste?

A cartoon showing a person who feels happy because she is ‘doing her bit to save the planet’ – although recycling plastic carrier bags is not enough.

A comment about token gestures towards environmentalism – the delusion that reusing carrier bags will make a difference or have a significant impact on consumption and waste.
The cartoon is also about the trend for natural cotton shopping bags that carry slogans – either of an environmental nature of as an advert for a shop (which by implication is working towards a better environment due to the natural cotton bag)

Cartoon reference number: a394
Environment cartoon. Toxic waste cartoon

Toxic waste cartoon.
Flower growing in toxic waste container
The flower is wilting and dying

Cartoon showing a plant growing in a canister of toxic waste.
The flower has the earth as its centre, with its petals in the form of people.
The petals are falling off as the flower dies.

A cartoon about environmentalism, ecology, green politics, toxic chemical waste, pollution, silent spring, pesticides, ecological collapse

A previous version of this cartoon appeared in New Internationalist magazine some time in the 1980s.

Cartoon reference number: a329
Litter cartoon and gardening cartoon – wind-blown plastic bags caught in trees

Litter cartoon. Plastic bags caught in a tree

Cartoon showing wind-blown plastic bags caught in the branches of a tree.

A gardening cartoon showing brightly coloured plastic carrier bags adding a splash of colour to a winter garden

The joke is that the man in the cartoon is trying to see something positive about the litter, which most people would see as an eyesore.

Cartoon reference number: a266

See my book of gardening cartoons here.
Environment cartoon. The Four Truck Drivers of the Apocalypse

Environmental cartoon
The Four Truck Drivers of the Apocalypse
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

The cartoon shows lorries carrying cargoes that are symbolic of the ills of contemporary western society (with other societies fast catching up).
One lorry carries toxic waste, another logs from logging activity that is depleting the world’s natural resources, another carries weapons, arms and armament while the last one carries the catering facilities for the others – fast food or convenience food

Based on the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
A cartoon about environmental degradation, war, man made disaster, over consumption, resource depletion, the end of civilisation as we know it

Cartoon reference number: env048
Environment cartoon. A disused quarry used as a landfill site

Environment cartoon.

A disused quarry being used as a landfill dump for waste products.

A cartoon about environmental impact, indigenous peoples, exploitation, ecological impact, ecology,recycling, waste disposal, waste management.

For a colour version click here: Landfill cartoon

Cartoon drawn: 1991

Cartoon reference number: env068
Environment cartoons: a cartoon about environment-friendly packaging

Environmental cartoon
Environment-friendly packaging cartoon

For a more recent, colour version of this cartoon click here: Non-biodegradable packaging cartoon

A cartoon about environment-friendly materials. A discarded polystyrene container talking to animals, saying that it likes nature so much that it’s decided to stay around for a long time.

A cartoon about packaging, litter, recycling, waste, consumerism, bio-decomposition, environmental impact.
Drawn: 1991

Cartoon reference number: env069
Pollution cartoon. Evolution cartoon. Evolution from fish to humans, and the consequences

Evolution cartoon
Pollution cartoon

Cartoon showing evolution from fish to humans. The humans then pollute the water, forcing fish to leave the water and initiating a new phase of evolution in the fish

A cartoon about evolution, pollution, environment, ecology, industrial waste, effluent.

Cartoon reference number: env070
Cartoon about waste – escaping from waste in a rubbish skip (dumpster)

Environment cartoon: waste in the consumer society

A cartoon about waste disposal, the accumulation of waste in a modern consumer society, pollution

A family escaping a land that is overflowing with rubbish, by rowing away in a rubbish skip.
The land has become one giant rubbish tip or rubbish dump.

Cartoon reference number: env067

A colour cartoon similar to this one can be found here.

Waste

Escape from the waste land cartoon

An environmental cartoon showing a builder’s skip being used as a boat to escape from a land covered in waste – a wasteland.

First version drawn: 1991 This square version: 2020

Cartoon reference number: a445b

Environment cartoons Non-biodegradable packaging

A cartoon about environment-friendly materials. A discarded polystyrene container talking to animals, saying that it likes nature so much that it’s decided to stay around for a long time.

An illustration about biodegradable packaging materials, litter, recycling, waste, consumerism, bio-decomposition, environmental impact

Cartoon reference number: env069b

Recycling plastic bags cartoon

Does recycling make a difference in our efforts to cut waste?

A cartoon showing a person who feels happy because she is ‘doing her bit to save the planet’ – although recycling plastic carrier bags is not enough.

Cartoon reference number: a394

Toxic waste cartoon. Flower growing in toxic waste container The flower is wilting and dying

Cartoon showing a plant growing in a canister of toxic waste. The flower has the earth as its centre, with its petals in the form of people. The petals are falling off as the flower dies.

A cartoon about environmentalism, ecology, green politics, toxic chemical waste, pollution, silent spring, pesticides, ecological collapse

Cartoon reference number: a329

Litter cartoon. Plastic bags caught in a tree

Cartoon showing wind-blown plastic bags caught in the branches of a tree.

A gardening cartoon showing brightly coloured plastic carrier bags adding a splash of colour to a winter garden

Cartoon reference number: a266

See my book of gardening cartoons here.

Environmental cartoon The Four Truck Drivers of the Apocalypse The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Based on the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse A cartoon about environmental degradation, war, man made disaster, over consumption, resource depletion, the end of civilisation as we know it

Cartoon reference number: env048

Environment cartoon.

A disused quarry being used as a landfill dump for waste products.

A cartoon about environmental impact, indigenous peoples, exploitation, ecological impact, ecology,recycling, waste disposal, waste management.

For a colour version click here: Landfill cartoon

Cartoon drawn: 1991

Cartoon reference number: env068

Environmental cartoon Environment-friendly packaging cartoon

A cartoon about environment-friendly materials. A discarded polystyrene container talking to animals, saying that it likes nature so much that it’s decided to stay around for a long time.

A cartoon about packaging, litter, recycling, waste, consumerism, bio-decomposition, environmental impact. Drawn: 1991

Cartoon reference number: env069

Evolution cartoon Pollution cartoon

Cartoon showing evolution from fish to humans. The humans then pollute the water, forcing fish to leave the water and initiating a new phase of evolution in the fish

A cartoon about evolution, pollution, environment, ecology, industrial waste, effluent.

Cartoon reference number: env070

Environment cartoon: waste in the consumer society

A cartoon about waste disposal, the accumulation of waste in a modern consumer society, pollution

A family escaping a land that is overflowing with rubbish, by rowing away in a rubbish skip. The land has become one giant rubbish tip or rubbish dump.

Cartoon reference number: env067

First version drawn: 1991
This square version: 2020

Environment cartoons
Non-biodegradable packaging

A cartoon about environment-friendly materials.
A discarded polystyrene container talking to animals, saying that it likes nature so much that it’s decided to stay around for a long time.

Toxic waste cartoon.
Flower growing in toxic waste container
The flower is wilting and dying

Cartoon showing a plant growing in a canister of toxic waste.
The flower has the earth as its centre, with its petals in the form of people.
The petals are falling off as the flower dies.

Environmental cartoon
The Four Truck Drivers of the Apocalypse
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Based on the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
A cartoon about environmental degradation, war, man made disaster, over consumption, resource depletion, the end of civilisation as we know it

Environmental cartoon
Environment-friendly packaging cartoon

A cartoon about packaging, litter, recycling, waste, consumerism, bio-decomposition, environmental impact.
Drawn: 1991

Evolution cartoon
Pollution cartoon

A family escaping a land that is overflowing with rubbish, by rowing away in a rubbish skip.
The land has become one giant rubbish tip or rubbish dump.