Plastic packaging.

[Brandane]

No wonder we are drowning under a sea of plastic. The manufacturers of all things bad for us have a lot to answer for. I was suckered into buying this today, thinking there might be a reasonable ratio of chocolate to packaging. Not realising how much fresh air I was buying....

 

[ianrauk]

I was just reading about THIS on the BBC about the problem

 

[HMS_Dave]

I've posted this on the forum before.

Pre-peeled and wrapped in plastic. Because biodegradable banana skin just isn't good enough...

 

[PeteXXX]

As well as the promises of reducing/removing plastics from goods, another annoyance is manufacturers using non-recyclable clear film and black plastic trays whilst spouting their Green credentials.

 

[NorthernSky]

yeah the food manufactures love a good bit of air, especially the sweets and breakfast bars
the box is far too big and the foil is nearly twice the size of the product, all to make it look like you're getting more

 

[annedonnelly]

When trying to avoid plastic when shopping there is just SO much stuff that you can't buy.
One of the worst things about recent restrictions is not being able to get to a market where I can buy fruit & veg loose. I do have a couple of fruit shops locally but they don't have the choice that the markets do.

 

[fozy tornip]

Nothing short of scandalous.
Every time I visit Marks & Sparks Plastics Hall to stock up my plastics cupboards at home it's a job to find a single plastic tub or plastic wrap or plastic tray or plastic bottle or plastic bag that hasn't been contaminated with comestibles.
Filthy.

 

[ClichéGuevara]

It's annoying, as it takes ages to accumulate enough to parcel a bike up.

 

[tyred]

Why does everything need so much packaging though. In the case of food, it can help preserve it I suppose but other things I just ask why.

When I was young, you went into the hardware shop and bought half a pound of three inch nails or whatever. Now you seem to get just a few wrapped up in small packets of plastic. Seems pointlessly wasteful.

I recently replaced the rear brakes on my car and the shoes were wrapped in plastic, the fitting kit was also wrapped up in plastic and all inside a cardboard box and the cardboard box was wrapped in more plastic. I don't see why a set of brake shoes need so much packaging. Also, in the olden days I would have had new linings riveted on to my existing shoes which would have been less wasteful again.

 

[MontyVeda]

When trying to avoid plastic when shopping there is just SO much stuff that you can't buy.
One of the worst things about recent restrictions is not being able to get to a market where I can buy fruit & veg loose. I do have a couple of fruit shops locally but they don't have the choice that the markets do.

Marks & Sparks is the nearest place for me to buy a single carrot and onion... i just wish they'd stop washing the carrots though. They last such much longer when they're mucky and might even buy them in pairs.

 

[Electric_Andy]

I do try to buy loose veg. I can usually get loose carrots, onions and broccoli but that's about it. I suppose it's a good sign that the loose veg has often run out, whilst there are still plenty of pre-packed on the shelf; it shows that perhaps lots of people go for the loose stuff first.

 

[annedonnelly]

I do try to buy loose veg. I can usually get loose carrots, onions and broccoli but that's about it. I suppose it's a good sign that the loose veg has often run out, whilst there are still plenty of pre-packed on the shelf; it shows that perhaps lots of people go for the loose stuff first.

Or just that they don't offer the loose stuff. All the supermarkets round here have stopped selling mushrooms loose & most of the apples are packaged

 

[Drago]

It's not even as if recycling salves your conscience because recycling new plastic consumes more energy than making new material. Sure, out of landfill, but not without another environmental cost that usually overlooked.

 

[HMS_Dave]

Plastic in its various forms is an incredibly useful resource. It enables us to make long lasting, lightweight, relatively strong items of use for not a lot of money. Sadly, it is also incredibly misused...
There is very little need for plastic bags, packaging or that of similar use other than it is very cheap. Wax lined paper, paper bags, cardboard and natures very own packaging, such as oranges, bananas and potatoes is all you really need. Slightly more expensive, but recyclable, maybe slightly less convenient in that they may break in damp conditions but then, plastic bags can fail randomly! Too me, its not a huge leap of faith to ditch wasteful plastic use...