My biggest pet peeve when I go shopping is excess packaging. Boxed snacks with little individually wrapped portions inside, shrink-wrapped flats of plastic water bottles, tiny toys in huge clam shell packaging with cardboard inserts, they all drive me nuts.
Although I see some small signs of change lately from manufacturers, there is still a lot of room for improvement. What can we do to send a message to manufacturers that we don't want this waste to continue?
-Email the manufacturers of your favorite products and ask them to make packaging that can be reused for something. Once upon a time, jelly came in juice glasses with a disposable top. After eating the jelly, you could drink out of the glass. Flour came in cloth sacks that could be used as dish towels. Let's bring this practice back.
-Buy staples in bulk and store them in reusable containers. When companies sell fewer of their over packaged offerings, they will have to change their ways or risk losing sales.
-Purchase the new, concentrated versions of things like laundry detergents, which come in smaller containers. Manufacturers actually prefer these nowadays anyway, as they help them to save on shipping costs.
-Find ways to reuse containers that products come in. Cat litter buckets can be used as planters after drilling holes in them, for instance. Remove labels from jars and coffee cans and use for storage. Plastic food trays or small boxes can be used to organize drawers.
-Give locally made handcrafted toys rather than the over-packaged plastic junk made overseas whenever possible.
-Buy a filter and filter your own tap water. Stop buying those ridiculous bottles!
-Purchase a used item. Yard sales and thrift stores are good places to buy household items that are still in great shape, and they usually don't have any packaging!
The practice of over packaging is not going to change overnight. After all, packaging is designed not only to protect the products we buy from damage and theft, but also to entice us to buy the products. However, with a clear message from consumers, and the pressure of increased shipping and packaging costs, change will eventually happen. In the meantime, don't forget to recycle any excess packaging you can't avoid!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Packaging, Schmackaging
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10 comments:
Betsy,
I agree with you, that extra plastics and packages are costing us extra money and damages the environment at the same time. We often buy from whole foods or international grocery stores which allows bulk buying in your container or with less packaging, although it can be expensive sometimes.
I know what you mean. There is so much packaging on everything you buy. The other day I got a razor, on rebate of course, and the tiny thing had a clear outer package that was almost impossible to open, then another hard plastic inner package. And none of the plastic was able to be recycled.
Zengirl,
Buying in bulk at stores like Whole Foods can be expensive. I found a grocery store in my area called Winco that has inexpensive bulk items. I don't know if you have one in your area. If you do, you might try buying bulk items there!
Anon,
That's really disgusting when there is so much over packaging, and then they don't even use recyclable plastic! I would email them and give them a piece of my mind! I've cut my hand open before trying to get that hard plastic packaging open, too!
'Email the manufacturers of your favorite products and ask them to make packaging that can be reused for something. '
:)
Music to my ears!
Betsy,
We do not have Winco in Northern California where we live but I often shop at international grocery stores and they tend to be more cheaper and often time you can bag your own grains.
I totally agree!!! I am actually old enough to remember the flour sacks and jelly jars...It was so much fun to re-use them...The flour sack patterns were really cute and so versatile...plus the material lasted forever! Gas stations also had free giveaway or practically free useful stuff. That's where all my kitchen stuff came from...silverware, dishes, storage containers etc. Blue stamps and S&H Green stamps earned by purchases could be redeemed for things one couldn't afford otherwise!
JunkkMale,
I see by your website that this is an issue dear to your heart. Thanks for reading and commenting. It's nice to hear from a like mind!
Zengirl,
I like shopping in the international grocery stores too. You find so many cool new foods to try there!
Anon,
I hope that this economic meltdown will encourage a return to those more practical, less wasteful days of yore.
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