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I think he might be referencing things like shrink wrapped banannas, or plastic boxes around Tupperware containers, or when you buy a bag of something and every

by lovich 8y ago

I think he might be referencing things like shrink wrapped banannas, or plastic boxes around Tupperware containers, or when you buy a bag of something and every single individual piece has it's own wrapping inside the bag. There is a lot of completely unnecessary packaging that companies use because it gets them a 0.02% increase in profit and they don't have to pay the actual costs of the plastic pollution they are creating

ianai 8y ago
There’s not going to be one solution to all things. That’s a strawman argument. I’m for allowing for ways to not use so much plastic. The technology exists - for instance, the oatmeal cubes I buy at Trader Joe’s could be charged to me one at a time and at the time they leave their container. It’d take take some doing, but it’s doable. For people not willing or able to provide a container then sell them the old plastic covered cubes of oatmeal in boxes two at a time. And charge them more.
- stephengillie 8y ago
  > the oatmeal cubes I buy at Trader Joe’s could be charged to me one at a time and at the time they leave their container. The Internet of Things can help this to become a reality, with sensors on the box lid and an internet connection. Why charge a customer only once when you can charge them twice?
  - ianai 8y ago
    I’ll rephrase: could be charged to me one at a time when they leave their container
    - stephengillie 8y ago
      When you buy the box of oatmeal cubes, you're buying the right to buy oatmeal cubes. When you remove them from the container is when you actually purchase the cubes. Similar to a Costco card, or buying a phone to access apps in the app store.
- monetus 8y ago
  I didn't get the impression he was arguing, just trying to bring clarity.
- jimnotgym 8y ago
  Exactly. In the UK right now there is a push to sell wine and gin in plastic kegs. Take your own bottle and fill up for less. Packaging these products in bulk significantly simplifies distribution and reduces cost.
rapnie 8y ago
Exactly. Supermarket have added a lot of plastic packaging supposedly for our 'convenience', like adding separator sheets between slices of cheese, or strawberries in a plastic container instead of the cardboard they used to be packaged with (so you can judge the quality better?). Or the convenience of the cashier, so they can see you packed the right vegetables in the sack. And probably they use plastics instead of paper because its cheaper, and they can scrape a penny off the price. A lot of the power on what packaging is used is still in the consumer's hands, though. Just don't buy those cookies that are individually wrapped.

by lovich 8y ago

ianai 8y ago

There’s not going to be one solution to all things. That’s a strawman argument. I’m for allowing for ways to not use so much plastic. The technology exists - for instance, the oatmeal cubes I buy at Trader Joe’s could be charged to me one at a time and at the time they leave their container. It’d take take some doing, but it’s doable. For people not willing or able to provide a container then sell them the old plastic covered cubes of oatmeal in boxes two at a time. And charge them more.

stephengillie 8y ago
> the oatmeal cubes I buy at Trader Joe’s could be charged to me one at a time and at the time they leave their container. The Internet of Things can help this to become a reality, with sensors on the box lid and an internet connection. Why charge a customer only once when you can charge them twice?
- ianai 8y ago
  I’ll rephrase: could be charged to me one at a time when they leave their container
  - stephengillie 8y ago
    When you buy the box of oatmeal cubes, you're buying the right to buy oatmeal cubes. When you remove them from the container is when you actually purchase the cubes. Similar to a Costco card, or buying a phone to access apps in the app store.
monetus 8y ago
I didn't get the impression he was arguing, just trying to bring clarity.
jimnotgym 8y ago
Exactly. In the UK right now there is a push to sell wine and gin in plastic kegs. Take your own bottle and fill up for less. Packaging these products in bulk significantly simplifies distribution and reduces cost.

rapnie 8y ago

Exactly. Supermarket have added a lot of plastic packaging supposedly for our 'convenience', like adding separator sheets between slices of cheese, or strawberries in a plastic container instead of the cardboard they used to be packaged with (so you can judge the quality better?). Or the convenience of the cashier, so they can see you packed the right vegetables in the sack. And probably they use plastics instead of paper because its cheaper, and they can scrape a penny off the price. A lot of the power on what packaging is used is still in the consumer's hands, though. Just don't buy those cookies that are individually wrapped.