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They mentioned bamboo, and I'm surprised nobody has done this, but you could build a machine to weave extremely sturdy and reusable boxes out of bamboo fiber. T
by throwaway892238 4y ago
They mentioned bamboo, and I'm surprised nobody has done this, but you could build a machine to weave extremely sturdy and reusable boxes out of bamboo fiber. They would of course be more expensive, heavier, and bulkier, but they would pay for themselves may times over in time. Reusing them could be as simple as a return center or pick-up service. As padding, you could stuff the empty space in the box with shredded bamboo. They'd be weather-resistant, tough, flexible, and stronger than steel. And growing more stock takes a fraction of the time and cost compared to trees.
- phkahler 4y agoWhat if all the bamboo grown is already used for other things? A whole new box industry would need new supply.
- hosh 4y agoBamboo is a grass, and very fast growing. Some of the running species are vigorous enough to be considered invasive outside its native ecosystem. (The running bamboos spread via rhizomes, a couple feet deep, making them extremely difficult to get rid of once established). They can grow, be harvested, and regrow again faster than many trees, even if those trees are coppiced. They also produce a woody like construction material that is more durable than some of the fast growing trees (such as balsa). Point being, growing more bamboo is easier than growing more trees in order to supply something like cardboard.
- RC_ITR 4y ago>They would of course be more expensive, heavier, and bulkier, but they would pay for themselves may times over in time The most expensive parts of any thing are almost always human labor and energy (for transportation mostly), so it is unlikely that this would be true from any holistic point of view.
- crazygringo 4y agoGenerally speaking, in today's economy reuse is a bug, not a feature. We could already reuse thick plastic packaging instead of cardboard, but we don't, because it's so much more expensive to collect, clean/sanitize, sort by 40 different sizes, and store in a warehouse. Heck, we could already reuse glass soda bottles the way they still do in many developing countries around the world, instead of recycling them to melt them down and form new bottles. But again we don't, because the cost of collecting separate streams for each brand of soda bottle is too expensive in the developed world. So while the idea of reusable bamboo packaging could be appealing, them problem is in the reuse part sadly. Much more economically efficient to produce something one-use, put it in a general recycling stream, and then re-form.
- cmarschner 4y agoGlass recycling (as in refilling) is done all over Europe. I’m surprised it’s not done where you live. So it’s certainly done in the developed world.
- stephencanon 4y agoYeah, the dairies here in New England do it as well.
- greedo 4y agoThere's a dairy that delivers in parts of the midwest that uses glass bottles for their milk products. They charge a $2 deposit when you buy the milk. Pretty good milk in my opinion, though more expensive than the bulk milk, but I like supporting a local dairy, and knowing I'm not filling up a landfill lets me sleep better at night. https://www.burbachscountrysidedairy.com https://www.burbachscountrysidedairy.com
- klooney 4y agoStrauss family farms does that in the SF Bay Area, available at all the fancy grocery stores.
- toomuchtodo 4y agoOberweis Dairy in Northern IL does the same. I’ve been told that it gives the product a premium feel, which helps justify the price premium.
- jjtheblunt 4y agoSame in Phoenix (Danzeisen Dairy i think), and Oberweis around western suburbs of Chicago at least.
- lotsofpulp 4y agoHow does the landfill usage compare to the extra energy used to transport the greater mass of glass? And the extra energy use of the frequent stop and go of a smaller residential delivery truck moving heavy liquids and glass, and the resulting brake/tire dust.
- sieabahlpark 4y ago