The uk is a throwaway society?

[Psamathe]

Oh, FFS - what is this bloody addiction to putting plastic everywhere!!!!
...

I know what you mean. One of my anoyances is cucumbers wrapped in plastic. Why in the UK do all supermarkets wrap their cucumbers in plastic. Netherlands and France survive witghoyt any wrapping on cucumbers.

I've even written to Waitrose about it and just got their standard "we are making every effort to reduce ...".

Just an indication of the "do as I say, not as I do" We (as a nation) hate the pollution, waste, etc. but nothing actually happens to improve it. Maybe we need a law like Germany(?) that gives us customers the right to return needless packaging to supermarkets - I'll be first in the queue.

Ian

 

[ColinJ]

I just went to rip up a completed crossword puzzle book for recycling, and was having trouble ripping up the cover. On closer inspection, I found that it had a printed plastic overlay!

Perhaps it is to stop people accidentally tearing the covers off their books...?

 

[KnittyNorah]

Maybe we need a law like Germany(?) that gives us customers the right to return needless packaging to supermarkets - I'll be first in the queue.

I used to LOVE that when I lived in Berlin! It wasn't the returning (I don't think I ever saw anyone doing that ...) of packaging, but the fact that you could unpack from its outer packaging, the thing you'd just bought, right there and then, in a special area behind the checkouts.

When I returned to the UK I used to do that in the supermarket with cat food, as the boxes containing 24 or 36 or however many sachets of wet food were impossible for me to carry as packed, but the sachets themselves, freed from the regimentation of the boxes, would slide and nestle down nicely in my backpack, and thus the weight would be be easy to carry. Security would often look at me strangely but no-one ever said anything to me!

 

[raleighnut]

I know what you mean. One of my anoyances is cucumbers wrapped in plastic. Why in the UK do all supermarkets wrap their cucumbers in plastic. Netherlands and France survive witghoyt any wrapping on cucumbers.

I've even written to Waitrose about it and just got their standard "we are making every effort to reduce ...".

Just an indication of the "do as I say, not as I do" We (as a nation) hate the pollution, waste, etc. but nothing actually happens to improve it. Maybe we need a law like Germany(?) that gives us customers the right to return needless packaging to supermarkets - I'll be first in the queue.

Ian

I've bought 'nude cucumbers' and they don't last as long in the fridge, a shrinkwrapped one will keep for a week or more but the bare ones only a couple of days

 

[steveindenmark]

In the Spring, here in Denmark. A lot of the villagers get together and bring coffee and cake for a couple of weekends. Someone draws up a plan and we split up into groups and collect any rubbish we can find for miles out into the countryside. Lots of villages and towns in my area and probably all over Denmark. During the year you see scouts and often cyclists searching the countryside for cans and bottles. Not only is it a social activity, it protects the wildlife and keeps the countryside clean. The klds love it.

 

[ColinJ]

In the Spring, here in Denmark. A lot of the villagers get together and bring coffee and cake for a couple of weekends. Someone draws up a plan and we split up into groups and collect any rubbish we can find for miles out into the countryside. Lots of villages and towns in my area and probably all over Denmark. During the year you see scouts and often cyclists searching the countryside for cans and bottles. Not only is it a social activity, it protects the wildlife and keeps the countryside clean. The klds love it.

We saw that taking place near here on my last forum ride. Groups of volunteers up on the hilltops around Haworth. I have been disgusted on many rides by the amount of litter up there. Those good people each had one or two binbags full of what they had picked up and there was still plenty more!

We called out our appreciation as we passed them.

 

[Sallar55]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-64205460

You forgotten about Scotland. Its already in force. Years ago we done the Great Divide Mtb route, going into small towns you could see signs that say. Schools have adopted this road and please don't throw trash out of your car. Can you see that happening in the UK.

 

[Jameshow]

We saw that taking place near here on my last forum ride. Groups of volunteers up on the hilltops around Haworth. I haven disgusted on many rides by the amount of litter up there. Those good people each had one or two binbags full of what they had picked up and there was still plenty more!

We called out our appreciation as we passed them.

Kids go up on the moors to drink, do drugs and other stuff....
You see many on a summer evening going up to top withens via Brontë falls.

 

[the_mikey]

There are two distinct problems. One is littering - that's just because a lot of Brits are contemptible scumbags. Can't really get away from that fact.

The other is flytipping. This is related partly to Brits being scumbags but also - I think - to local authority charges for disposing of waste, and in turn local authority funding and political stuff.

But mainly it's Brits being scumbags

Tradespeople also avoiding the cost of waste collection, hence a lot of people burning waste or simply dumping it wherever they feel they can.

 

[Gillstay]

I used to LOVE that when I lived in Berlin! It wasn't the returning (I don't think I ever saw anyone doing that ...) of packaging, but the fact that you could unpack from its outer packaging, the thing you'd just bought, right there and then, in a special area behind the checkouts.

When I returned to the UK I used to do that in the supermarket with cat food, as the boxes containing 24 or 36 or however many sachets of wet food were impossible for me to carry as packed, but the sachets themselves, freed from the regimentation of the boxes, would slide and nestle down nicely in my backpack, and thus the weight would be be easy to carry. Security would often look at me strangely but no-one ever said anything to me!

Yes, I noticed in Germany toothpaste and similar don't come in a box. Tesco , Sainsburys and the rest all say they are doing their best.....pish.

 

[ColinJ]

I discovered recently that the labels on my jars of peanut butter are made of plastic - WTF - what possible excuse is there for that? What is wrong with a paper label!

Hmm, it was back to a paper label for the latest jar... Was it some sort of consumer-acceptability test? Very odd!

 

[Dogtrousers]

Tradespeople also avoiding the cost of waste collection, hence a lot of people burning waste or simply dumping it wherever they feel they can.

From a cycling point of view this is the most obvious and depressing. More than once I've come across lanes completely blocked with a dumped load of what looks like house renovation waste: Old bathroom sets, doors, rubble, tatty furniture kitchen units and so on.

There's a lane near Swanley known to me and a cycling friend as "Dead Horse Lane" due to the fact that it we found it closed due to the dumping of ... well, you can guess.

 

[tom73]

Yes, I noticed in Germany toothpaste and similar don't come in a box. Tesco , Sainsburys and the rest all say they are doing their best.....pish.

The tube is the real problem as is all single use plastic.

 

[Juan Kog]

The tube is the real problem as is all single use plastic.

Old tooth paste tubes can be cut up to make a tyre boot . Ok. that still leaves a lot of single use plastic.

 

[presta]

I'd like to go back to aluminium toothpaste tubes so that you can roll them up, I thought to myself as I rolled up an aluminium tube of tomato puree.