Plastic frustrations...

I would also like to reduce my plastic footprint and I try to recycle as much as possible. It is hopeful to learn that a movement is already underway, spear headed by young children who consider some packaging to be excessive. However, I must admit that I am privy to beautifully packaged items: imagine receiving Super Lumina wrapped in banana leaves! 

Agree ++ Eloise - 'tis immensely frustrating to shop at Tesco and have all that plastic foisted on you. Dammit, I even had to buy croissants today in a beautifully presented colour cardboard box with a large plastic window so I as a consumer could appreciate the pastry wonderments in all their glory. I bet the French wouldn't faff about with all that crap...! 

Where you do get to buy things loose at the supermarket, they offer you a bag to put the produce in - only downside is it's a bloody plastic bag - whereas a paper bag would do just fine - though I guess the checkout person would have to peek in the bag to establish what to charge for, which might take valuable seconds... 

Duncan Mann posted:

Agree ++ Eloise - 'tis immensely frustrating to shop at Tesco and have all that plastic foisted on you. Dammit, I even had to buy croissants today in a beautifully presented colour cardboard box with a large plastic window so I as a consumer could appreciate the pastry wonderments in all their glory. I bet the French wouldn't faff about with all that crap...! 

Where you do get to buy things loose at the supermarket, they offer you a bag to put the produce in - only downside is it's a bloody plastic bag - whereas a paper bag would do just fine - though I guess the checkout person would have to peek in the bag to establish what to charge for, which might take valuable seconds... 

There’s another thing, in Tescos here I can buy a single pastry / croissant for (say 80p) and can put it in a (mostly) paper bag; or for £1.05 buy two and get a lovely oversized plastic box!

I think what I find most frustrating is they keep talking about how they want to improve things, reduce packaging, etc. then do the opposite!

The other thing that gets me... I went to a food festival and there was a farmer / butcher selling prime organic burgers and sausages.  Now you’d think the people that went to that kind of event would be likely quite keen on the environment.  So how do they package their produce: a polystyrene tray!

You should have seen the look a cashier gave me when I rocked up with a basket - with a single red onion in it.  Asked me if I needed a bag.

Yes - agree re the food festivals - will be interesting to see if Michael Eavis gets on top of this for Glastonbury 2019, though whether I'll get a ticket is another matter! 

Roll on the plastic free aisles in supermarkets - the Dutch are showing us the way! Where I live in the Cotswolds there are a number of towns opening plastic free grocers, though whether they do this on a price competitive basis remains to be seen. 

I guess the problem with multipacks is two fold... first the supermarkets probably pay Heinz (or whoever) different price for 4 individual tins vs a multipack of 4.  Second if tins were all individual it would stop the supermarkets ripping customers off by pricing individual cans at 2 for 50p rather than £1.05 for a multi pack of 4?

I bought some organic carrots that came in a plastic bag. I turned it over and I was dismayed that the packaging could not be recycled! I hope that there is a push to make all 'necessary' packaging recyclable/bio-degradable (it's sometimes convenient to grab a bag of carrots as opposed to weighing out my own).

I agree entirely, you get the what were doing about the environment in one ear, but see little evidence of it being put into practise.

I apprears to me theres scant concern over the environment along with precious little controls over how far food has to travel. Here in France things go out of season & dissapear & theres also gluts so the price drops. But we grow a lot of our own fruit  veg & lambs are in the next field.

I cant remember where it was, but Ive seen pieces of string threaded through vegatables, God knows why - Sainsburys I think. Its such a waste I really dont like.

In a recent article Waitrose explained that a plastic sleeved cucumber lasts 10 days, an uncovered one 3 days. So there is a shelf life limit there. But it makes me mad that suppliers decide what I want, especially root vegetables that have been tumble or pressure washed so that they are bruised and rot in days. Lemons in bags of four when I only want one.

Removing coffee creams from chocolate assortments...

Apparently the "public" want it, nobody asked me!

notnaim man posted:

In a recent article Waitrose explained that a plastic sleeved cucumber lasts 10 days, an uncovered one 3 days. So there is a shelf life limit there.

In some cases that’s true, but it seems the default is “bag it” when the default should be loose and bag what needs bagging.  Root veg, citrus, etc. can quite happily be sold loose.

Minh Nguyen posted:

I bought some organic carrots that came in a plastic bag. I turned it over and I was dismayed that the packaging could not be recycled! I hope that there is a push to make all 'necessary' packaging recyclable/bio-degradable (it's sometimes convenient to grab a bag of carrots as opposed to weighing out my own).

I think it is likely to take concerted action, indeed legislation at a national or supranational level to tackle the issue of plastic packaging - akin to the imposition of costs ultimately borne by the consumer for plastic carrier bags; this has been remarkably effective in reducing the usage of plastic carrier bags in the UK and other countries.

There are already starch based biodegradable versions of plastic packaging available - I'm not a scientist, so don't necessarily have a handle on why these aren't used more commonly?  

Duncan Mann posted:

Minh Nguyen posted:

I bought some organic carrots that came in a plastic bag. I turned it over and I was dismayed that the packaging could not be recycled! I hope that there is a push to make all 'necessary' packaging recyclable/bio-degradable (it's sometimes convenient to grab a bag of carrots as opposed to weighing out my own).

I think it is likely to take concerted action, indeed legislation at a national or supranational level to tackle the issue of plastic packaging - akin to the imposition of costs ultimately borne by the consumer for plastic carrier bags; this has been remarkably effective in reducing the usage of plastic carrier bags in the UK and other countries.

There are already starch based biodegradable versions of plastic packaging available - I'm not a scientist, so don't necessarily have a handle on why these aren't used more commonly?  

The council in my area now require me to dispose of my food waste in biodegradable bags to allow it to be compostable. I would consider this to be a step in the right direction. Let's hope that the legislative's pass the appropriate motions.

Eloise posted:

notnaim man posted:

In a recent article Waitrose explained that a plastic sleeved cucumber lasts 10 days, an uncovered one 3 days. So there is a shelf life limit there.

In some cases that’s true, but it seems the default is “bag it” when the default should be loose and bag what needs bagging.  Root veg, citrus, etc. can quite happily be sold loose.

Quite, I'm not condoning it.

Eloise posted:

So, being aware of the problems with excess plastic, I’m trying to reduce my usage of plastic without completely turning my life upside down so here’s my frustration...

All the supermarkets claim to care about this issue but do nothing about it: why is it carrots, potatoes, etc. cost more sold loose than prepackaged?  Why have they started to put things like pieces of ginger in pre packed plastic bags?  Why can’t between the supermarkets and the manufacturers they do away with multi-packs?

I do buy most fruit and veg from the market so less of an issue there... but I’m sure many of you recognise the other issues.

I ask the question the othe way round: given that loose fruit and veg is cheaper than that wrapped im plastic, why, oh why, do consumers buy them? Whilst I don’t believe that supermarkets are blameless - far from it - but in this case they do seem to be supplying what consumers want...

Having these things pre packed in selected quantities that entice the cost concerning shopper into buying them, contributes to so much wasted food that we throw away when we realise it's too much and past it's " sell by date ".

TOBYJUG posted:

Having these things pre packed in selected quantities that entice the cost concerning shopper into buying them, contributes to so much wasted food that we throw away when we realise it's too much and past it's " sell by date ".

 

Not applicable to food,, and neither ‘Best before” nor “Use by” forms of indication of minimum durability are necessary for fresh fruit and veg - the consumer can decide - however they kick in when the food is prepacked, which is then often unnecessarily prompting the consumer to discard the food early because the packager has to err on the side of caution, adding to food wastage.

The only possible answer I can see is that some consumers prefer their food to look neat at the time of purchase.

Innocent Bystander posted:

I ask the question the othe way round: given that loose fruit and veg is cheaper than that wrapped im plastic, why, oh why, do consumers buy them? Whilst I don’t believe that supermarkets are blameless - far from it - but in this case they do seem to be supplying what consumers want...

But that’s the point I was making... the loose fruit and veg is *more expensive* than the loose stuff.

1kg carrots in a bag — 47p; loose 60p per kg.

Why oh why? (Except to get people who want 2 carrots to buy 1kg of them and so add to the food waste issue as well as the plastic waste issue!)

Of course, no one will change unless they are forced to.

I was on the phone to Waitrose HQ the other day, asking why they sell swedes individually wrapped in plastic, with a sticky label saying ‘Essential Swede’. Total madness. The nice man said he’d pass my comments to the head of packaging, or some such position. 

We are now worrying about teabags. Nearly all of them are stuck together with plastic. PG Tips go plastic free soon, but we don’t like them. So I guess it’s loose leaf. Like in the old days. 

Eloise posted:

Innocent Bystander posted:

I ask the question the othe way round: given that loose fruit and veg is cheaper than that wrapped im plastic, why, oh why, do consumers buy them? Whilst I don’t believe that supermarkets are blameless - far from it - but in this case they do seem to be supplying what consumers want...

But that’s the point I was making... the loose fruit and veg is *more expensive* than the loose stuff.

1kg carrots in a bag — 47p; loose 60p per kg.

Why oh why? (Except to get people who want 2 carrots to buy 1kg of them and so add to the food waste issue as well as the plastic waste issue!)

Of course, no one will change unless they are forced to.

Now that is odd, and explains the confusion between our posts: In my local Tescos and M&S the loose stuff is invariably cheaper (except possibly if marked down to shift stuff at end very end of day). And I’m as certain as I can be that it was true of Safeway/Morrison in a previous home location.