Obserflections & Reflevations

[waitingman]

Just a few thoughts that occur while I'm out & about... hope I can remember it all now I'm in front of the computer

Prompted by a comment from L-SP about the futility of banning plastic straws while so much other shit is being tossed in the ocean... Why do we make so many things out of plastic that used to be made from something else - especially glass? Why do sodas/soft drinks now come almost exclusively in plastic bottles, in all sizes? Glass is far more biodegradable than plastic & has been the receptacle of choice for everything from medicines to Coca Cola for hundreds of years. Surely it can't be that much more expensive to make a glass bottle than a plastic one? That way, if you don't want to put your empty bottle in the bin, it will break down into its component elements a hell of a lot sooner than a plastic bottle ever will. Beer & wine still come in glass bottles, so...

And plastic straws? When I was a kid, straws were made of waxed paper, so they didn't get soggy & unusable before you finished your drink. In these more turtle-aware days, the plastic straw is being replaced with paper ones... but no wax, so you might as well not bother using one

I don't remember thinking that buying a glass bottle of soda/soft drink, with a wax paper straw was a costly extravagance all those years ago, so I don't see why we can't revert to that combination now... After all, it's not like a bottle of Coke has become any cheaper over the years - plastic or not. And if it does, somehow, raise the price of a soft drink, well I'm sure the international Dental association will be happy about that

Same for laundry detergent... If you want the liquid stuff, get it in a glass bottle, or use the powdered stuff that comes in a cardboard box. If you dissolve the powder in some water at the bottom of your washing machine before dumping the weekly load in, you won't get those annoying clumps & nuggets of powder, nor those white soapy streaks on your dark clothes. Honestly, it's not that hard to do... but I understand it's the fact that 99.9% of humanity doesn't read instructions, then complains when things aren't right, forcing manufacturers to come up with easier, more idiot user-friendly, but environmentally dodgy 'improvements'

In short - Hey World!! Stop making so much plastic shit!!! There's nothing really wrong with glass bottles & paper bags. Both are re-usable/recyclable, but more importantly, both are biodegradable & more animal friendly than plastic will ever be. When did you last see an animal trapped in a paper bag?, Or a cardboard box?

Enough... Now get off my lawn!!!

Comments

Why?

[paserbyp]

When I see this kind questions then I understand person who asked is angry and doesn’t know what to do?

Angry only because powerless… Doesn’t know what to do only because everything happens because of money an d profit.

So, first of all, need to stop be an angry and second of all find out how to make profitable straw from paper compare with straw from plastic and if you don’t know then don’t be angry again…

Re: Why?

[waitingman]

I'm not angry... well, not now... not yet

I'm not really in a position to do anything about the problem, as I'm not a business magnate, nor a manufacturing giant, nor a media mogul... so I can't design & make a viable alternative, pay for it, or then advertise it

But if, by raising my voice a little or in this case, writing my little 'blog entry on a public forum, I can make just one person, other than myself, think twice about the issue... & if that person can influence just one other person... & that person can... well, you get the idea

Re: Why?

[paserbyp]

“I can make just one person, other than myself’

Fishing with hope… I don’t want be sarcastic, but… well, you get the idea…

[anais_pf]

I agree with you that plastic is evil and must be eliminated. But I understand some of the reasons why it is so prevalent. It is much lighter than glass and therefore much cheaper to ship, so manufacturers love it. It does not shatter when dropped and so seems safer to the average user. As for the plastic straws, when I have advocated for their elimination (as has been proposed where I live), the tiny but very vocal percentage of disabled users who need sturdy plastic straws (they claim paper collapses too easily) in order to be able to drink at all, lay into me as being ableist and insensitive to their needs. When I say we could have a few for those who need them they say they don't want to ask for them because that is ableist. When I say you could bring your own reusable straw they say they are too disabled to deal with washing them and carrying them around and etc. But really, we need to stop making and then throwing away all this plastic, because there is no "away" and the oceans are drowning in it.

[waitingman]

So how did disabled people drink in the decades/centuries before plastic straws? That leads us down another rabbit hole regarding the survival rates of the disabled now vs then... quality of life... etc which I'm extremely reluctant to go down!!

Simply stop making the things, then see how quickly these naysayers adapt...

[anais_pf]

Yeah, I have no idea how they survived. I do know that handicapped people used to stay more at home or in institutions in the past and now they are more able to be out and about amongst the public, thanks to various accomodations in buildings and transportation, which is good -- but they should be able to cope without plastic straws! I haven't gotten into it when they begin to argue because no matter what I say, I'm ableist and should shut up. Personally, I have two metal straws and six or eight reusable silicone ones that we use at home for all of our straw needs (which are few to begin with) and if I wanted a straw at a restaurant I would bring one of my metal ones.