What are common practices that you feel are wasteful? What's a solution?

Brookswood said:
Come now Paco. Surely you realize that any political division over recycling glass bottles is simply nonsense invented by people who want to divide us for their own benefit.

The best way to handle waste is certainly up for discussion. But, it’s not worth fighting over. That fighting is the real waste.
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Has anyone else thought about all the wasted resources resulting from cell phone use and mindless scrolling?

You're at a traffic light, light turns green, car just sits there because the driver is distracted with their phone. Every car at the light has just burned an extra fifthteen seconds of fuel, repeated thousands upon thousands of times daily. Pull in a parking lot, check your phone, cars running, one minute, two, three, twenty, whatever.

How about at home? Televisions on but you're scrolling on your phone. Turned on the shower but got sidetracked with your phone, wasting water and electricity. Fridge is open and you're staring at your phone, sink waters running but staring at your phone.

It all adds up. The solution is easy.
 
Something we discovered by accident. Misa got some 1 ply Toilet Paper, and I pointed this out to her. She was amazed because it was so much cheaper, worked just as well, and we helped save a tree. solution : buy 1 ply, not 2 or more. :)
 

Jules said:
We (British Columbia) pay a 10 cent deposit on all drink containers - glass, aluminum or plastic. This includes each plastic bottle used for bottled water. It’s refunded when you return them and they are reused/recycled. Ontario doesn’t have the deposit on their water bottles, tsk tsk. I don’t know about other provinces.
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We have that in South Australia where I live too.

Really good scheme. Been in place for at least 40 years.

Nothing to do with politics here.
 
Paco Dennis said:
Something we discovered by accident. Misa got some 1 ply Toilet Paper, and I pointed this out to her. She was amazed because it was so much cheaper, worked just as well, and we helped save a tree. solution : buy 1 ply, not 2 or more. :)
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You sir, are completely mad.

On another topic - waste... when I was living in Germany I was surprised to find that when it came to packaging waste, the stores were responsible for providing services to take it back. So, for example, if you bought a bookshelf from IKEA, they had to have facilities out back to take back the cardboard and polystyrene packaging.

You'd see people taking their products to the car, and unbox it there. They'd then immediately put all the cardboard etc. into provided containers.
 
If the price of food keeps going up (and I suspect it will) people are going to have to be more conservative with waste. I waste very little food. I buy and fix only what I can eat. And, if any is left over it goes in the freezer to be used later. Right now I have a portion of sauerkraut and two of pork & beans in my freezer. I freeze my bread and only defrost a few slices at a time and it never goes stale.

I think one of the biggest wastes is the long commute that many people have to do to find work. I don't have a fix for that.
 
VaughanJB said:
On another topic - waste... when I was living in Germany I was surprised to find that when it came to packaging waste, the stores were responsible for providing services to take it back. So, for example, if you bought a bookshelf from IKEA, they had to have facilities out back to take back the cardboard and polystyrene packaging.
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That’s a great idea!
Grampa Don said:
I think one of the biggest wastes is the long commute that many people have to do to find work. I don't have a fix for that.
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If people settled for smaller homes instead of the McMansions in the suburbs, they could be closer to work. They’d save gas, money and time. That’s not our lifestyle anymore.
 
Styrofoam is everywhere (Coffee cups, food containers, and in product packaging, and the downsides are many:

It takes up to 500 years to biodegrade.
Fifty potentially hazardous chemical byproducts are released during it's manufacturing.
It’s made from Styrene, which is a probable carcinogen.
When Styrofoam is burned, it releases harmful chemicals into the air.

Because it’s lightweight, Styrofoam that is not disposed of properly may travel and wind up in waterways, where it may eventually be eaten by fish or other sea life and cause harm to those animals. It is recyclable on a large scale, but there is no money in it because for every $1000 you spend to recycle it, you only get about $200 back (It's mostly air, except for the bad stuff).

In the past, paper coffee cups were used, crumpled paper for packaging, and paper plates for picnics and camping. You could even take a reusable coffee cup to the coffee shop and ask to have it filled.

Though Styrofoam technically is recyclable, the vast majority of it winds up in landfills, or worse, polluting the seas. We really need to stop using it for so much. It's a huge waste problem.
 
bobcat said:
Styrofoam is everywhere (Coffee cups, food containers, and in product packaging......
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Not where I live it isnt.

stryofoam cups, chips containers etc are now banned as are plastic straws. And single use plastic shopping bags - you bring your own or buy paper or re usable ones at the checkout.

I do have a re usable travel coffee cup that I use wherever possible.
 
On food waste: I mark my groceries best buy date with a sharpie so I can see it clearly. Every so often I go through and take out things near or over the date. I keep them out where I can see them to use up.
Right now I have a jar of marinated artichoke hearts, a can of oysters, a small canned ham, and a can of anchovies. None of those are cheap so I definitely want to use them soon.

We have a garden so we save scraps for compost and I throw some in a bag in the freezer for broth. I save bones for broth.
 
January said:
Not where I live it isnt.

stryofoam cups, chips containers etc are now banned as are plastic straws. And single use plastic shopping bags - you bring your own or buy paper or re usable ones at the checkout.

I do have a re usable travel coffee cup that I use wherever possible.
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Great news. I hope the rest of the world will follow your example.
 
bobcat said:
Styrofoam is everywhere (Coffee cups, food containers, and in product packaging, and the downsides are many:

It takes up to 500 years to biodegrade.
Fifty potentially hazardous chemical byproducts are released during it's manufacturing.
It’s made from Styrene, which is a probable carcinogen.
When Styrofoam is burned, it releases harmful chemicals into the air.

Because it’s lightweight, Styrofoam that is not disposed of properly may travel and wind up in waterways, where it may eventually be eaten by fish or other sea life and cause harm to those animals. It is recyclable on a large scale, but there is no money in it because for every $1000 you spend to recycle it, you only get about $200 back (It's mostly air, except for the bad stuff).

In the past, paper coffee cups were used, crumpled paper for packaging, and paper plates for picnics and camping. You could even take a reusable coffee cup to the coffee shop and ask to have it filled.

Though Styrofoam technically is recyclable, the vast majority of it winds up in landfills, or worse, polluting the seas. We really need to stop using it for so much. It's a huge waste problem.
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Plastics just might be the smoking gun that takes us out. How we have treated it, wasted it, and scattered it everywhere is having its toll. From a recent article.

Microplastics found in every human testicle in study​


Scientists say discovery may be linked to decades-long decline in sperm counts in men around the world

Damian Carrington Environment editor
Mon 20 May 2024 10.34 EDT
Share


Microplastics have been found in human testicles, with researchers saying the discovery might be linked to declining sperm counts in men.
The scientists tested 23 human testes, as well as 47 testes from pet dogs. They found microplastic pollution in every sample.

The human testicles had been preserved and so their sperm count could not be measured. However, the sperm count in the dogs’ testes could be assessed and was lower in samples with higher contamination with PVC. The study demonstrates a correlation but further research is needed to prove microplastics cause sperm counts to fall.
Sperm counts in men have been falling for decades, with chemical pollution such as pesticides implicated by many studies. Microplastics have also recently been discovered in human blood, placentas and breast milk, indicating widespread contamination of people’s bodies. The impact on health is as yet unknown but microplastics have been shown to cause damage to human cells in the laboratory.

2 min. read

Microplastics found in every human testicle in study
 
Paco Dennis said:
Plastics just might be the smoking gun that takes us out. How we have treated it, wasted it, and scattered it everywhere is having its toll. From a recent article.

Microplastics found in every human testicle in study​


Scientists say discovery may be linked to decades-long decline in sperm counts in men around the world

Damian Carrington Environment editor
Mon 20 May 2024 10.34 EDT
Share


Microplastics have been found in human testicles, with researchers saying the discovery might be linked to declining sperm counts in men.
The scientists tested 23 human testes, as well as 47 testes from pet dogs. They found microplastic pollution in every sample.

The human testicles had been preserved and so their sperm count could not be measured. However, the sperm count in the dogs’ testes could be assessed and was lower in samples with higher contamination with PVC. The study demonstrates a correlation but further research is needed to prove microplastics cause sperm counts to fall.
Sperm counts in men have been falling for decades, with chemical pollution such as pesticides implicated by many studies. Microplastics have also recently been discovered in human blood, placentas and breast milk, indicating widespread contamination of people’s bodies. The impact on health is as yet unknown but microplastics have been shown to cause damage to human cells in the laboratory.

2 min. read

Microplastics found in every human testicle in study
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Very disturbing. Plastics are everywhere, and they last a lifetime. It's even in the food we eat, including fish. If we don't find a solution soon, it may be too late.
 
Mandatory recycling dumpsters at all apartment buildings.

This issue has irked me for years. If you live in a house, chances are you will have three trash bins: one for trash, one for recyclables and one for green and/or compost waste.

Renters produce TONS of recyclables but very few cities require a big, blue recyclables-only dumpster at apartments. Why? IDK. Maybe because apartments are served by different private companies? My answer to that is, so what? Any company can drive recyclables to the recycling dump just like everyone else does.

As for foods, maybe the U.S. should start rejecting canned food imports from certain countries? IDK. But every time I see a can of veggies from China, I wonder, "Are we really so short on American peas that we need to import canned peas from CHINA?"

I don't think we are short of American peas, but some company saw an opportunity to make some $$ on cheaper China peas and so they jumped at the chance.

I wonder, when the 99 Cents Only Store shut down, how many thousands and thousands of canned foods went off to landfills somewhere? And does any law track that when a business closes?
 
Grampa Don said:
If the price of food keeps going up (and I suspect it will) people are going to have to be more conservative with waste. I waste very little food. I buy and fix only what I can eat. And, if any is left over it goes in the freezer to be used later. Right now I have a portion of sauerkraut and two of pork & beans in my freezer. I freeze my bread and only defrost a few slices at a time and it never goes stale.

I think one of the biggest wastes is the long commute that many people have to do to find work. I don't have a fix for that.
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Maybe a Freezer Subsidy program for families would help?

Example: My late brother was a low income person and when his area was in a "we're-all-going-to-die-tomorrw-if-we-don't-cut-down-our-electricity-usage" campaign, his utility company was giving away free refrigerators. He applied for one and they delivered a brand new energy efficient frig and took the old one away.

Why couldn't we do that with families and individuals who are low-income? A freezer is a very practical thing to have for buying foods on sale and freezing them for later use, but many low income people cannot afford them. Even the small ones are $150 to $200, but many people would struggle to afford that.

You'd also have to give people a PDF or an app on what to freeze and how to freeze it because it's rather an old-fashioned skill.
 
RadishRose said:
Buying water in plastic bottles.
Use tap water and refillable bottles.
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I agree. I have so much iron in my well water, that I could make steel with it. I could have a whole lot of filters and chemical cleaners, but I buy store water. Yet for most of the nation, the water is extremely drinkable. Some how buying "power water , "pure spring"water, etc in a plastic bottle is pretty stupid. I remember the first time I saw bottled water in a store, I thought who would be dumb enough to buy what came out of your tap.
I think I'll start selling "fresh forest air" in a bottle.
 
Amazon needs to pickup old cardboard boxes when they deliver more orders.
Maybe not every time but when you have a good stack of boxes.
Or they could have a scheduled pickup day for each area!
I watched as a garbage truck picked up recyclables in Fl. after we had separated everything into paper glass, etc. it all went into the same place in the truck- with the garbage.
I asked the driver about that and he laughed and told me that they have homeless people out at the dump who separate everything.
I laughed at his joke too but it shows that a lot of the time recycling just makes people think that they are doing something good.
If there isn’t money to be made from it then it ain’t t happening.
 
C50 said:
Has anyone else thought about all the wasted resources resulting from cell phone use and mindless scrolling?

You're at a traffic light, light turns green, car just sits there because the driver is distracted with their phone. Every car at the light has just burned an extra fifthteen seconds of fuel, repeated thousands upon thousands of times daily. Pull in a parking lot, check your phone, cars running, one minute, two, three, twenty, whatever.

How about at home? Televisions on but you're scrolling on your phone. Turned on the shower but got sidetracked with your phone, wasting water and electricity. Fridge is open and you're staring at your phone, sink waters running but staring at your phone.

It all adds up. The solution is easy.
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The traffic control system in our area has all been set up through the years and is very inefficient. They need to look at all of the traffic controls to see if there is a more efficient way to direct traffic.
We sit at traffic lights that restrict the flow on the main streets while nobody even enters from the secondary streets.
Everytime that happens I think about how people complain about pollution and fossil fuels when it is all being wasted because the traffic is not being controlled in the most efficient way.
 
GP44 said:
Amazon needs to pickup old cardboard boxes when they deliver more orders.
Maybe not every time but when you have a good stack of boxes.
Or they could have a scheduled pickup day for each area!
I watched as a garbage truck picked up recyclables in Fl. after we had separated everything into paper glass, etc. it all went into the same place in the truck- with the garbage.
I asked the driver about that and he laughed and told me that they have homeless people out at the dump who separate everything.
I laughed at his joke too but it shows that a lot of the time recycling just makes people think that they are doing something good.
If there isn’t money to be made from it then it ain’t t happening.
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GP44 said:
Amazon needs to pickup old cardboard boxes when they deliver more orders.
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I've been saying this for a long time. Where to fit them though? Unless people break them down? Not sure how it would work.
 
hearlady said:
But the food banks and others won't take expired food. It's best left on the side of the road near a tent city.
Food waste is an incredible problem!
I am a master of leftovers.
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There is one food pantry that will take cans with expired dates. The lady who runs it knows the food is good way past what is marked. She's happy to get the donations.

If I can use, and I do, these past the dates the manufacturer has put on cans so can those who are going to the pantries. What did everyone due before dates were added?
 
Here is something I found on the net:

David Attenborough has delivered a heartfelt message to children around the world on how they can help save the planet: “Live the way you want to live but just don’t waste.”

At the first screening of the BBC’s forthcoming blockbuster nature series, Seven Worlds, One Planet, the 93-year-old offered his advice to a five-year-old in the London audience. The boy was overwhelmed by nerves when handed the microphone, so his father asked his question on his behalf: “What can he do to save the planet?”

“You can do more and more and more the longer you live, but the best motto to think about is not waste things,” Attenborough replied. “Don’t waste electricity, don’t waste paper, don’t waste food. Live the way you want to live but just don’t waste. Look after the natural world, and the animals in it, and the plants in it too. This is their planet as well as ours. Don’t waste them.”
 

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