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Well, the market demand is driven more by what sells than by what people say if you ask them. And there's a reason for that: When you ask people how they'll beh

Well, the market demand is driven more by what sells than by what people say if you ask them. And there's a reason for that: When you ask people how they'll behave, they'll give you an answer that reflects their aspirations as much as it does their actual behavior. Possible scenario: People will tell you they prefer low-waste packaging when you ask them in a survey. But when they're at a store trying to pick out an item, they still end up perceiving the item in the small paper box as being lower quality than the one in the giant clear plastic clamshell whose contents are clearly visible. So, regardless of what they said they prefer, in reality they might still tend to go for the high-waste packaging.

frankbreetz 8y ago
This is true, this is why the government must be the answer here. They can tax things to help with the cost of properly disposing of single-use plastic or they can outright ban them. This would make the market more realistic because the cost would include disposal of the items. People, in general, are bad at long term thinking, and they aren't going to pour hours of research into what type of packaging they are going to use. People also think that their singular actions are not going to have that much effect on the bigger picture. While this may be true, everyone cannot think this way.
- jdietrich 8y ago
  >They can tax things to help with the cost of properly disposing of single-use plastic or they can outright ban them. This would make the market more realistic because the cost would include disposal of the items. That cost is, depending on the market, about $80/tonne. Pricing in the cost of disposal would add about 0.04 cents to the cost of a plastic bag and 0.24 cents to the price of a large bottle of soda. Plastic is not a problem. It has never been a problem and it never will be a problem. Eliminating plastic packaging is at best a complete waste of time and at worst totally counter-productive. Climate change is a catastrophe; we have already passed the point of no return, and can now only choose how severe that catastrophe will be. http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/studies/pdf/eucostwaste.pdf http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/studies/pdf/eucostwast... https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/2e935b70-a32c-48ca-a0ee-2aa1a19286f5/files/landfill-cost.pdf https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/2e935b...
  - frankbreetz 8y ago
    Then one must ask why are we not responsibly getting rid of our plastic? Why is there plastic in every corner of the planet[0]? Why is there trash covered islands that humans don't live on and should be pristine[1]? Maybe banning plastics is not the answer and responsible disposal is the correct answer, but there is currently a very large plastics problem that must be addressed. [0]https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-47947235 https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-47947235 [1]https://www.forbes.com/sites/ericmack/2017/05/15/henderson-island-pacific-garbage-patch-plastic-trash/#16136cd95026 https://www.forbes.com/sites/ericmack/2017/05/15/henderson-i...
RobertoG 8y ago
".. they still end up perceiving the item in the small paper box as being lower quality than the one in the giant clear plastic .." You are right, but I suppose you mean "we", like in "we the people".
FerretFred 8y ago
I'm old enough to remember when breakfast cereal came in cardboard outer boxes with the product in a waxed paper bag inside, so the product was still visible. I don't believe that was recyclable (and back then we didn't do that anyway) but nowadays it could probably be burnt as fuel. The worst packaging I ever saw was a chicken curry and rice meal in 2 compartments, each covered in non-recyclable clear film. In addition, the rice container was non-recyclable while the chicken container was (!) We now hear statements that black plastic containers are not always recyclable, so maybe I should have just thrown the whole lot in the garbage anyway...
- justin66 8y ago
  With the recent improvements in China's waste management, and the concomitant crackdown on "recycling" imports, my local recycling services here in the midwest have advised people not to recycle such black plastic, regardless of the recycling number on the plastic. In a way it's a shame, in a way it's an annoyance, but realistically it seems possible only a fraction of that black plastic was ever truly being recycled anyway.

frankbreetz 8y ago

This is true, this is why the government must be the answer here. They can tax things to help with the cost of properly disposing of single-use plastic or they can outright ban them. This would make the market more realistic because the cost would include disposal of the items. People, in general, are bad at long term thinking, and they aren't going to pour hours of research into what type of packaging they are going to use. People also think that their singular actions are not going to have that much effect on the bigger picture. While this may be true, everyone cannot think this way.

jdietrich 8y ago
>They can tax things to help with the cost of properly disposing of single-use plastic or they can outright ban them. This would make the market more realistic because the cost would include disposal of the items. That cost is, depending on the market, about $80/tonne. Pricing in the cost of disposal would add about 0.04 cents to the cost of a plastic bag and 0.24 cents to the price of a large bottle of soda. Plastic is not a problem. It has never been a problem and it never will be a problem. Eliminating plastic packaging is at best a complete waste of time and at worst totally counter-productive. Climate change is a catastrophe; we have already passed the point of no return, and can now only choose how severe that catastrophe will be. http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/studies/pdf/eucostwaste.pdf http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/studies/pdf/eucostwast... https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/2e935b70-a32c-48ca-a0ee-2aa1a19286f5/files/landfill-cost.pdf https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/2e935b...
- frankbreetz 8y ago
  Then one must ask why are we not responsibly getting rid of our plastic? Why is there plastic in every corner of the planet[0]? Why is there trash covered islands that humans don't live on and should be pristine[1]? Maybe banning plastics is not the answer and responsible disposal is the correct answer, but there is currently a very large plastics problem that must be addressed. [0]https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-47947235 https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-47947235 [1]https://www.forbes.com/sites/ericmack/2017/05/15/henderson-island-pacific-garbage-patch-plastic-trash/#16136cd95026 https://www.forbes.com/sites/ericmack/2017/05/15/henderson-i...

RobertoG 8y ago

".. they still end up perceiving the item in the small paper box as being lower quality than the one in the giant clear plastic .." You are right, but I suppose you mean "we", like in "we the people".

FerretFred 8y ago

I'm old enough to remember when breakfast cereal came in cardboard outer boxes with the product in a waxed paper bag inside, so the product was still visible. I don't believe that was recyclable (and back then we didn't do that anyway) but nowadays it could probably be burnt as fuel. The worst packaging I ever saw was a chicken curry and rice meal in 2 compartments, each covered in non-recyclable clear film. In addition, the rice container was non-recyclable while the chicken container was (!) We now hear statements that black plastic containers are not always recyclable, so maybe I should have just thrown the whole lot in the garbage anyway...

justin66 8y ago
With the recent improvements in China's waste management, and the concomitant crackdown on "recycling" imports, my local recycling services here in the midwest have advised people not to recycle such black plastic, regardless of the recycling number on the plastic. In a way it's a shame, in a way it's an annoyance, but realistically it seems possible only a fraction of that black plastic was ever truly being recycled anyway.