supermarkets and packaging

[dandelion]

Just read an interesting article in the Guardian today. They sent 3 people out to the major supermarket chains asking them to unwrap their shopping and leave all the wasteful packaging at the check-out (a suggestion made by environment minister Ben Bradshaw apparently). Brilliant idea! But of course it's even better to grow your own food ;)!

[dandelion]

[ACE]

If they start using the smart bins that will cost you extra, I will be doing it all the time.

[muddy boots]

One thing I can't quite come to terms with is Tesco and their bag for life - plastic!  Whatever happened to their great brown paper bags? >:(

[EmmaLou]

I think that is a great idea!

Today I didn't put my loose fruit and veg into the little plastic bags they give you in tesco. Got some funny looks at the checkout, but I didn't care!

I am going to try to reuse bags as well - forgot to take any old ones today so had to use new plastic bags. Naughty me!

[Heldi]

I have got two or three of those big blue bags from Ikea. 50pence each I think..A couple of 90 odd pence bags from Lidles,really big and dead useful, carry loads of stuff back and forth to the lotty in those,a 99p bag from Aldi ,quite stylish in black   :D, very roomy, and a few of those little green bags that Asda were selling a while back.No so good as they don't hold as much although they have been handy on camping trips. I don't ever need a carrier bag.  I just take my bag assortment into the shop and I don't give a monkeys if it takes me any longer to pack. It doesn't when I think about it because I'm not desperately trying to prise one of those plastic bags open every 2 minutes and getting in an irritated strop.. I feel really good leaving all those carriers bags behind. Though I feel guilty for not doing it sooner...especially after living in Germany where there wasn't even a sniff of a carrier.

Just do it folks...who cares what anyone else thinks and besides it might be me in the queue or someone else like minded. Think it through.

The co- op bags are bio degradeable so they are the only ones allowed  ,I use those for my bin.

I have often left all the useless packaging behind. But then I feel guilty because it'll probably not get put in a recycle bin . Which it would at home.

Why are the bigger packs of bog roll wrapped in plastic?  Admittedly I'll use those bags for the bin aswell but I don't really like it. Not bought a bin liner in years.

I absolutely hate all those plastic tags on clothes and things. I had to get rid of 6 from a couple of pairs of tiny gloves for my daughter. Whats wrong with a bit of string and a safety pin...I would use the safety pin and put the string in the compost.

Oh and if you get your shopping delivered...what do they bring it in?  Crates,boxes or carriers?

[Hyacinth]

The co- op bags are bio degradeable so they are the only ones allowed  ,I use those for my bin.

well, my bin's biodegradable too - it's black, bucket-shaped & I got it from the co-op ::) ;)

[Merry Tiller]

Whats wrong with a bit of string and a safety pin

It's all about cost I'm afraid, besides, the packaging industry paid my mortgage for 8 years ;D

[dandelion]

But it's not just the carrier bags. It's the way the food is packaged too: shrink-wrapped cucumbers and celeriac etc. At my local Sainsbury's it's often impossible to buy loose leeks. They are trimmed and packaged in polythene, which is really annoying  :(  because often I just want to buy one leek to use in a soup.

[Merry Tiller]

often I just want to buy one leek to use in a soup

Buy? ??? :o

[dandelion]

I didn't grow leeks in my first year  :-[. But I will next year!

[Merry Tiller]

I didn't grow leeks in my first year  Embarrassed. But I will next year!

;D 8) ;D

[Heldi]

Totally agree about all the shrink wrapped stuff. Especially veg. Once you get the stuff off and use what you need the rest goes off.

Moulded plastic. Extra cardboard frilly bits. Polystyrene. 

What about the way toys are packaged these days? Screwed down with little bits of plastic. Hundreds of plastic tag/tie thingies. Loads of moulded plastic. Cardboard. Stuck with reems of sticky tape.  Have to have scissors,screwdriver and brute strength when it's present opening time.

Someone told me it's all to stop the shop lifters. Surely it's more to do with making the thing look attractive in the first place?  And the fact the products have to travel half the world to get into the shop.

Whats this thing about keeping all the packaging incase you want to take it back? I'm sure I've had a shop assistant tell me to keep the box a vacuum cleaner came in incase it went wrong within the guaranteed period. It wouldn't be accepted back otherwise. That kind've puts paid to leaving all your packaging in the shop doesn't it? Especially if you want to return something because you just don't like it and not because it's broken, which alot of shops allow these days.

[froglets]

I use my green crates from Safeway - the crates lasted longer than they did.

No bags, much easier to carry and stuff doesn't roll about in the back of the car on the way home ( yes I know, carbon miles etc)

They get used for all sorts of stuff transporting & are the best two lots of 99p I've spent.

[Phee]

I think this is the article that dandelion was referring to.

[Mrs Ava]

I heard on Good Food Live that Easter Eggs are one of the worse for packaging as it is something like 14% chocolate, and the rest is the plastic and card packaging!

[EmmaLou]

What about the way toys are packaged these days? Screwed down with little bits of plastic. Hundreds of plastic tag/tie thingies. Loads of moulded plastic. Cardboard. Stuck with reems of sticky tape.  Have to have scissors,screwdriver and brute strength when it's present opening time.

I have now taken to buying the majority of my daughters xmas presents/birthday presents from charity shops. The advantages are: No packaging, item would probably have been chucked in the bin, also helped out a charity at the same time. I also got her a free bike (someone left it outside their house with a sign on it saying "Please take or it will be taken to the dump"). I have had to do some work on it, but she will love it! Probably helps that my daughter is only 3 and doesn't really care where her toys come from. :)

[Emagggie]

Went to local newly refurbished Asda yesterday, had a moan at the checkout because I couldn't find things and was told that they are now selling more pre- packed and ready made food which must mean loads more packaging.
I have also seen the binmen pick up our recycing bags and sling them on the cart with the black bags on more than one occasion. :o
It seems we can't win here.
I do reuse carriers for poop scooping and also bringing stuff home from the lottie though.

[Heldi]

I guess we are all going to have to do what those reporters did in the article. I don't feel like I'm doing enough.

[manicscousers]

we try to recycle as much as we can,
we could do with a few more places doing brown paper bags for veggies etc, yes, we do occasionally have to buy them  :)
we re use our plastic pop bottles, cut 1/4 to 3/4, top half for little cloches in the poly, bottom half for beer traps in the poly, put the top half, with lid, on top of canes, top half, minus top, upside down in the ground next to plants for water, cardboard, t bags, everything we can in the compost bin, heaps and around plants, all you can do is your best  :)

[triffid]

When not 'shopping' on our plot, it's either...

down to the greengrocers' with a rucksack on my back (thus still two hands free to marshal Small and Tiny Triffid!)

or

at Waitrose with their clever scanning-handset and the very nice, heavyweight cloth bags they supply to account holders and which will actually take the weight not just of any shopping I can stuff into it (all fruit & veg go in loose) but also of Tiny Triff who plays at hiding in it and thinks it's hilarious when you pick her up in the bag ...   ;)