Drowning in Packaging
We send 1.4 billion pounds of waste to landfills per day in the US. 40% of it comes from packaging—much of it very convenient, but entirely unnecessary.
Packaging is one of my pet peeves. It’s either, too big, too much or impossible to open. I just don’t understand why a plastic bottle of Advil needs to come in a paper box that’s sealed with a cellophane wrapper. Or why a calculator needs to come in a form-fitted plastic container that’s hermetically sealed and could survive a nuclear blast. And while there are companies out there that are cushioning their shipped items with air pockets or biodegradable packing peanuts, there are still much too many using styrofoam and other particles that just fill our landfills. – When you shop, do you take the type of packaging into consideration? I have been trying to purchase items that can either be repurposed, reused or recycled. In our home we are now also separating all of our garbage into organic waste that can be composted, recyclables and trash. The trash is mostly plastic wrappers, and this really bothers me. I’ve definitely become more aware of the amount of waste we produce and am looking for ways to lessen our impact. This video has some good suggestions. What are you doing to minimize your garbage amount?
There is an innovative grocery store in Austin that is entirely packaging free. Would you shop here? Do you already buy items in bulk? Comment below to add your tips on reducing waste.
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Great post! You got me thinking about a situation I had not really thought about.
Thanks for reading my post, Terri. – This is an issue I think about all the time. We need to come up with solutions to the enormous amounts of waste we generate in this country.