New reports from U.S. EPA and the Product Policy Institute finally have confirmed that product and packaging waste contribute forty-four percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. The report looked at product produced within the U.S. and those that are imported into the U.S. The new reports help make the connection between product waste stream and greenhouse gas emissions.
High Tech Garbage Compactor
Trash is a reality of our existence. There always will be some kind of garbage generated by people. The question is, just how do we reduce the amount of garbage that we need to contend with on a daily basis? There must be some method that we can communicate to manufacturers, and retailers that produce an excess amount of waste to end their practices. The fastest way is to stop buying their goods and boycott the retailers that sell those offending products. Why do we need blister packs? Why do we need all of those little ties? Or even plastic bags to haul the loot home in? Electronic manufacturers in my opinion are the worse culprits. I just bought a replacement head set for an xbox 360. It came in a plastic blister pack. It cost $19. It took a very sharp knife and some patience to wrest it from its plastic fortress. Why would the manufacturer spend so much money, plastic, and effort on a blister pack for a $19 item? Is theft such an issue? If it is, then treat it like cigarettes, behind the counter from those grabby little 10 year old hands. Plastic shopping bags are another pet peeve. I get it. You want your logo on the bag. But, you can print your logo on a brown paper bag. Not quite as shiny, but still readable. And do you think I really want to walk around town with your logo hanging off to the side of me? I wouldn’t want to be caught dead advertising where I’ve been shopping, or even letting the neighbors know what I’ve been up to. We have a way to reduce our carbon footprint by eliminating the amount of trash we produce. Get rid of the blister packs, plastic bags, and start reducing our consumption of products we don’t really need. Then again, we could go back in time, get a goat and throw the garbage in the back yard for the goat to eat. But, even a goat would have a tough time with those plastic blister packs.
John Vlahakis
Yes, some of that plastic packaging is a nightmare to get into.
I believe they do it to reduce loss during shipping. The packaging is SO protective, you can toss the stuff around without even hurting it.
2 problems that need solving:
1) Somebody please invent a way for us to get INTO this packaging a little easier! It’s RIDICULOUSLY hard right now.
2) Give us a way to recycle all these plastic containers! From the TOUGH indestructable wrap around AA batteries to the highly crushable container that holds my fresh organic strawberries.
There’s got to be a place for this stuff after it’s done it’s job for me!
And I’m SURE that place is NOT the nearest landfill!!!!!