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Friday 14 March 2008

Packaging - my pet subject!

I am a bit of a plastic bag nutter, meaning I hate the things. I can't understand why anybody would want to stuff their shopping into these. They pull your arms out, lengthening them in the process, the handles dig into your fingers and they have a tendency to split when you don't need it. And they are such a killer of wildlife and a general drain on our oil resources.......
Why can't the supermarkets at least give away biodegradable and compostable plastic bags? I did some research and they are not that much more expensive than the oil based ones. They are sturdy and carry your goods home. They take around 6 weeks to fall apart when you put them into your compost or in a landfill site.

Is it laziness, ignorance, stupidity....? Personally I use a trolley and a rather chic one at that. I don't think I look silly and even if I did, I don't care as my posture and health are more important to me than looks. Plus they are environmentally friendlier than plastic bags...

Anyway, I am now looking for compostable bubble wrap and biodegradable jars. Do you think I can find any? Nope! Scrolled through page after page on the web, read loads about what could be done and how easy it is to produce the things (especially the jars) but I can't find a supplier that sell small quantities. And there is not one producer here in the UK, they're based in USA.

What's wrong with the British? Why don't we care about our environment and our future? Is it because we live on a small island? Can't we get the bigger picture? Are we so self absorbed that we just don't care?

There will be a time when our landfill sites are full and we HAVE to think about alternatives. Better start now as in 2 years it will be too late....

Anyway, enough ranting and raving. Does anybody know where I can buy my jars? 1/2 oz or 1 oz. size...

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sorry, can't help you on your jars but here is some cool paper made from ...elephant poo. It is my favorite product lately. The concept is so strange but what a cool concept.
http://sattlerclothing.com/blog/2008/02/25/elephant-poo-paper/
Enjoy your blog!

Cebra ethical skincare said...

That's nothing new. Elephant poo paper has been around for a couple of years and the sale supports Thai co-ops - if you buy from the correct source!