Every time this topic pops up, I'm reminded of the scene from Continuum (I checked it out recently, it's in the third episode of the first season). There, a time traveller from the future buys a bluetooth headset and reflects on the 'ridiculous amount of packaging for something so small'. "No wonder you had a trash problem [in 20th century]".

(I recommend the show strongly, btw. While often more "fi" than "sci", it has an extremely good discussion of the interaction between people, government and private interests. In the show's universe, corporations have bailed out the failing government and formed a Corporate Congress...).