4 ms·

Single stream recycling is a really poor idea. A better set of ideas that might actually help: Reduce - as suggested elsewhere, eliminate parts of the packagi

Single stream recycling is a really poor idea. A better set of ideas that might actually help: Reduce - as suggested elsewhere, eliminate parts of the packaging that aren't strictly required (outer seals, etc). Reuse * Create a set of standardized, rugged, containers that seal around foods. * Actually use them to pack foods in standard containers. * Which are then returned for cleaning and reuse. Recycle * Many bins, one for each type of allowed recyclable plastic. * Also a compost bin * Which would be different from a yard waste bin * Make sure the reusable containers are also easy to recycle. * Also, make an easy to read (human and machine) /large/ 'number' label. Ban difficult to recycle things such as plastic fused to paper.

titzer 8y ago
> * Create a set of standardized, rugged, containers that seal around foods. We used to actually have this: it was wooden/plastic crates and boxes, pallets, burlap bags, and glass milk/juice/beer bottles. We're moving backwards, and it's all due to economics. Reuse of those materials back then was motivated by the cost and difficulty of producing those containers. It simply was not economically feasible to produce a single-use crate or glass bottle--too expensive. Economics and the wonder-engine of capitalistic progress has now given us the ability to manufacture trillions of single-use containers for literally less than a penny a piece. It's just far cheaper and less of a headache to just produce, wrap, and then toss the waste. No one wants to deal with all the niggling details of carting bottles back and forth, washing, them, filling them. Just too much of a pain in the ass. So we get what we have now. Clean, no fuss, no mess. Just toss it. In many ways, our older economies--full of poor working saps who had to lug bottles back and forth--was far more sustainable than today's system. But today we're rich and lazy and awash in our own trash. Progress!
- MandieD 8y ago
  Germany and neighbors still do some deposit bottles and jars, and at least in Germany, are better at the re-intake than they were 15 years ago. Unfortunately, we've also lied to ourselves about our Gelbesacks (packaging recycling bags) to the extent that there are a lot more things in single-use containers and a lot of fruit and veggies are in pre-weighed, plastic-wrapped packages.
  - titzer 8y ago
    I know, I live in Germany. The Pfand and bottle reuse system is pretty nice.

titzer 8y ago

> * Create a set of standardized, rugged, containers that seal around foods. We used to actually have this: it was wooden/plastic crates and boxes, pallets, burlap bags, and glass milk/juice/beer bottles. We're moving backwards, and it's all due to economics. Reuse of those materials back then was motivated by the cost and difficulty of producing those containers. It simply was not economically feasible to produce a single-use crate or glass bottle--too expensive. Economics and the wonder-engine of capitalistic progress has now given us the ability to manufacture trillions of single-use containers for literally less than a penny a piece. It's just far cheaper and less of a headache to just produce, wrap, and then toss the waste. No one wants to deal with all the niggling details of carting bottles back and forth, washing, them, filling them. Just too much of a pain in the ass. So we get what we have now. Clean, no fuss, no mess. Just toss it. In many ways, our older economies--full of poor working saps who had to lug bottles back and forth--was far more sustainable than today's system. But today we're rich and lazy and awash in our own trash. Progress!

MandieD 8y ago
Germany and neighbors still do some deposit bottles and jars, and at least in Germany, are better at the re-intake than they were 15 years ago. Unfortunately, we've also lied to ourselves about our Gelbesacks (packaging recycling bags) to the extent that there are a lot more things in single-use containers and a lot of fruit and veggies are in pre-weighed, plastic-wrapped packages.
- titzer 8y ago
  I know, I live in Germany. The Pfand and bottle reuse system is pretty nice.