About Contact Help Login Register

Product packaging

Posted by duncan, 1843 days ago


If you want to learn about organic food, diapers/nappies or just how to be green then why not join today?

Browse all - UK, US, Aus

This is an advertisement.
contact us to advertise
locally on this site :)
Latest comments Latest comments

Energy In The 21st Century by ClezeripLover

Skup samochodow by Anonymous

Lockheed C-130 Hercules (Av... by ClezeripLover

Desingularization Strategie... by ClezeripLover

The Earth After Us: What Le... by ClezeripLover

twiteera by Anonymous

a5SiMT Anonymous

You’re the one with the br... by Anonymous

Re: Christmas Decorations t... by ecosrights

Re: Re: Vegan running shoes by Anonymous

Reading article "Product packaging" - Reply to this / 22 comment(s)
This is an interesting article about excess packaging of entertainment and electric goods. Having been through a couple of birthdays already, it seems that the idea of heavy-duty plastic ties to hold toys in their boxes is here to stay.

Wired points out that it's there to stop theft, but I thought that's what the door scanners were for, or the plain-clothes store detectives, or the RFID tags.

The real point, though, is that manufactures deem it acceptable to package up their goods in cardboard, clear plastic and plastic ties. In some cases I've seen those plastic ties actually screwed into the packaging. Of course, the only way for consumers to send a message to manufacturers is to stop buying them, but shop big companies be that deaf to their customers?

http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,70874-0.... 

Reply to this
Comments

Comments

  1. Yikes! by vicki2, 1843 days ago

    I couldn't agree more. It's obscene the amount of packaging for products that don't even require padding or protection against breakage. Buy a computer cord and you've got to get a razor blade to get it out of thick, hardened plastic and cardboard. There's no point!

    Reply to this comment

    1. Re: Yikes! by ecosrights, 1843 days ago

      It wouldn't be so bad if you could recycle the packaging afterwards, but most schemes wont take the plastic.

      Next thing we'll know is that they are packaging books in plastic cases so we can't flick through them in the shops.

      Reply to this comment

      1. Skup samochodow by Anonymous, 1 day ago

        hey there and thank you for your information – I’ve definitely picked up anything new from right here. I did however expertise a few technical issues using this web site, since I experienced to reload the site lots of times previous to I could get it to load properly. Auto skup I had been wondering if your hosting is OK? Not that I'm complaining, but sluggish loading instances times will very frequently affect your placement in google and could damage your high-quality score if advertising and marketing with Adwords. Anyway I am adding this RSS to my email and could look out for a lot more of your respective exciting content. Make sure you update this again very soon..

        Reply to this comment

  2. too much by vicki2, 1836 days ago

    Yesterday, I cut my hand on the packaging for a scart lead! The plastic was so heavy that I was using a pair of sissors to cut it open and they slipped. Wahhhhhh. Too much!

    Reply to this comment

  3. totally true! by Thumperfive, 1829 days ago

    people have to start demanding less packaging - but to be fair, the reason most of it's there is because of frivilous lawsuits for the stupidest things because they cut their hand on the side of the box or some such thing!

    Reply to this comment

  4. the ONE and ONLY by jules, 1823 days ago

    i've been searching for places that recycle plastics and the only place i know is Ikea in Gateshead.

    i presume other ikeas in the uk also provide this service but there is very little information in the web site at present.

    Reply to this comment

  5. Packaging madness by sopaman, 1821 days ago

    Indeed, it is never ending. The struggle to get an extremely robust item out of its over the top packaging... it is just as bad with food as with toys/electronics.

    One of the many reasons I enjoy getting my meat, fruit and veg. from my local market is that the packaging is so much more sensible. A few paper bags, a minimum of plastic wrapping and that's it. So much less than at the supermarket - it must be cheaper as well as more eco-friendly. But oops - there is no room for branding. Perhaps that is why all packaging is so over the top - it makes it easier to brand!

    Reply to this comment

  6. Wrapping? by jhoffman, 1819 days ago

    You mentioned birthdays and I was thinking - that's another thing. Obviously, I'm not gonna say don't wrap up presents because that's part of the fun, but I wonder how much paper would be saved if everyone recycled the wrapping paper from birthdays and, of course, Christmas...

    Reply to this comment

  7. wrapping. by ninikins, 1819 days ago

    I tend to re-use wrapping because I'm loathe to throw it away but it's often frowned upon by other people as being impolite or "cheap".

    Reply to this comment

    1. Re: wrapping. by suttree, 1819 days ago

      I used to trade CDs with people in America and all over Europe and we always used to re-use wrapping and packaging. It was almost expected that you'd send a CD on with packaging good enough to be used three or four times more.

      The same goes, I think, for buying stuff on eBay or Etsy. When it's down to individuals, people tend to reuse stuff. When it's down to big companies, especially the big online retailers, you get bulky cardboard boxes, plastic wrapping and all that nonsense.

      Reply to this comment

    2. Re: wrapping. by jhoffman, 1818 days ago

      Yeah, that's the tricky thing about this whole business - recycling things. As though extravagance and wastefulness is the Good thing to do... Hmm.

      Reply to this comment

  8. wrapping by ninikins, 1817 days ago

    I do nearly always reuse jiffy bags to send stuff around. just tape it up and paste over the old address. It seems like most people do that but it's more of a cheap option as opposed to a desire to help the environment.

    Reply to this comment

    1. Re: wrapping by jane, 1817 days ago

      Whatever a person's motive, if it means that it helps the environment in the long term, then great! (within reason of course!!!!)

      Reply to this comment

    2. Re: wrapping by Green Diva, 1792 days ago

      That's the thing. Most people just think you're being cheap! They don't even consider that it's good for the environment and the planet.

      Reply to this comment

  9. forget it by jules, 1817 days ago

    forget wrapping pressies, get a nice little robust gift bag and just pop the pressie in!

    Reply to this comment

  10. Yes by Green Diva, 1816 days ago

    This seems to be every parent's nightmare. Trying to open the packaging of toys and what not fo rthe kids. Way overpackaged in my opinion. Plus contributes to the huge waste (trash) problem.

    Reply to this comment

  11. its the non-reusable plastic by Bettina, 1813 days ago

    sealed packages that i hate--tge type that requires sharp scissors to open.

    Reply to this comment

  12. and by Green Diva, 1806 days ago

    And, there's no place to put all that plastic and wiring except in the trash. The cardboard part can be recycled.

    Reply to this comment

  13. Re: Product packaging by ninikins, 1795 days ago

    we can all get a little more creative to recycle stuff. Keep a box aside for jiffy bags and big envelopes, label gthem with a new address and reuse them. you can even put a cute sticker on the envelope askign the reciver to reuse it again.

    Reply to this comment

  14. Well done BT by ecosrights, 1758 days ago

    Well, a refreshing change today.....

    I have just had to buy a new set of phones (the old ones are well adn truely past it and now waiting to be taken to the council tip / recycling point in the hope that they have a special point for electronics) and the packaging was either paper or cardboard (plus 2 wire twists on the cables... I think I can let them off for that)

    No plastic bags or polystyrene to be seen anywhere.... amazing! Well done to BT

    Reply to this comment

  15. Re: Product packaging by ninikins, 1746 days ago

    Finally someone's catching on to the fact that we dont need plastic all the time.

    Reply to this comment

  16. Pleasantly surprised by ecosrights, 1620 days ago

    Well, I never thought I'd say something like this, but all bar one of our son's Christmas presents were in packaging that was fully recyclable (that item was particularly bad as not only was there a lot of polystyrene, but it also says that you shouldn't use rechargable batteries... we're ignoring that!)

    It seems that more manufacturers are catching on that we now want to see less packaging and anything that needs to be there should be biodegradeable. Cardboard was definitely the preferred material, which we're really pleased about (even our wrapping paper was OK as I made a point of having decent recycled paper, which our son decorated with string and paint).

    Reply to this comment

Latest events Latest events

Saltwell Park Fireworks 2010 by ecosrights

Children's Book Week 2010 by ecosrights

Dartford Central Park Firew... by ecosrights

UK AWARE by Volunteer1

Soil Association Organic Fo... by ecosrights

Beginners Kundalini Yoga Co... by MorganMoon

THV Vegan Cake Festival Lon... by To_Happy_Vegans

Live Earth Run for Water by pumpaid

MAGNA MAZDA British Pedal C... by Jim_Stride

UK AWARE 2010 by UKAWARE2010

ecolocal: Yoga image
Back to top    


About ecolocal.co.uk

Ecolocal is free to join - why not register today? Our members can start discussions and comment on all the threads taking place throughout ecolocal.co.uk.

Help us build the best source for healthy living and local news by submitting your tips, events and links so that we can all learn how to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle.