h a l f b a k e r y"Bun is such a sad word, is it not?" -- Watt, "Waiting for Godot"
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I'm appalled at how much stuff my family throws away, particularly plastics. In part this is due to the UK's rather lax attitude towards recycling anything at all, but I would much rather not buy a chunky plastic container every single time I buy, for example, a couple of kilos of dishwasher powder. Ideally
(and this is the idea - thank you for waiting) I would take any old container along to the supermarket, stick the funnel marked 'dishwasher powder' in it and get a measured amount of dishwasher powder dispensed. I would also be given a sticky label with all the usual writing and barcode on for the checkout to scan.
Restore rebounds with Refill Stations
http://twincities.b.../06/24/smallb1.html [FarmerJohn, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004]
Lush soaps and cosmetics
http://www2.lush.co...dex.html?lang=en_US The product sells itself, without packaging. They do wrap your purchase after you buy it, though. [FloridaManatee, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 17 2004]
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Yep. I've always thought plastic could be a great ecological boon for the same reason it's wasteful - it doesn't go away. I've considered this very application, detergent, because, really, you only need one container for the rest of your life - just fill it up when it gets low. |
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Obviously, this won't happen until someone figures out a way to make money from it. |
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Yes, and as reported in the link, it's not easy to make money from it. Over here, some stores refill with some products (usually generic). |
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oye thats mine - give it here. <one bloody nose> |
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Packaging reduction and recycling has been largely successful in Canada and the US over the last decade. <sparing the gory details> I think this idea can be made profitable. (+) |
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I brought a bag of cat litter today that came with a handle. The shop insisted that I put it in a bag so the security didn't think I was shoplifting. |
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Deja vu: didn't someone else just do this one? |
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Anyway, this is *exactly* how all goods were sold two, three hundred years ago. |
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I seem to recall that [UnaBubba] makes a point of returning excess packaging to the checkout clerk, and I recently started doing likewise. I buy catfood tins wrapped in eights, remove the wrapping at the checkout, and hand it to the drone with a polite smile. The expression of total incomprehension is reward enough. |
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Also, baked in much of the developed world. Note German street markets. Just not widespread everywhere. |
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Body shop used to do this for their cosmetics, potions and lotions. Don't know if they still do. |
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Lots of places do this, my local Co Op for one. Take in your empty bottle (or any bottle), fill it up from the store, and pay by the pound. |
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If you think about it, lots of places do this. Gas Stations come to mind; you don't buy gas in disposible containers. Propane too, so it isn't a question of making money from it; people just have to think more when they go shopping, and not expect everything to be provided for them when they get there. |
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And that's why it may not become a reality; people don't think, and they don't like to be responsible. They like to be taken care of. |
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Yes [goff] you are right. Baked along time ago in the UK by 'The Body Shop'. But no-one could be bothered to take their plastic bottles back and just bought a new one.
I think a heavy Tax on packaging is the only solution. (Then we can all buy cheap illegally imported packaging from eastern europe.) |
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angel, are those 8 packs cheaper? I buy them because I can sling them into a carrier bag in one go. as you can imagine most of my weekly shop is pet food. if you give the 8 pack packaging back to the cashier - are you then buying them singly and more expensively or do you pay and then return the packaging? sorry that was a long-winded question. |
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You could compare it to going to our local "fancy" grocery store. They have bins and bins of dry goods and you pull the lever and drop it into a bag and then pay by the pound. Seems you could do the same with anything. Except if you were hiding expensive items inside the detergent. |
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yes. [hippo] have a croissant, plain, simple, sans bag. |
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The self-service food market (Piggly Wiggly) came about as a consequence of inexpensive packaging technologies. It made it possible a store to serve many customers simultaneously with only one or two people on staff. |
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Certain products are usefully sold in bulk. In many cases, however, shifting to bulk sales of products would increase labor costs more than it would reduce packaging costs. |
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Another point to consider: if there are any impurities inside a factory-sealed package, there's little question how they got there. On the other hand, if someone takes to the store a bottle that hasn't been well-cleaned, fills it with product, and then gets sick from that product, who's at fault? How would anyone know? |
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[po]: Second option (pay, then return packaging). |
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The food co-op in my town sells dry goods in bulk like this. It works fine! |
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