h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

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Well, neither really - just saw that article this morning and thought people here might be interested in it.

While we often shop for fruit and veg at the local markets here (and we take bags from home to re-use), we do sometimes also buy stuff at a big chain store that overpackages their produce. In fact, until about four years ago that was the *only* option for buying fruit and veg there, but they have since put in a little 'greengrocers' stand where you can pick and choose what you want and the only packaging is a very thin plastic bag. Except the choice is somewhat limited. For example, stuff like lemons, onions, potatoes, garlic still have to be bought pre-packaged in massive amounts.

There is a supermarket chain here that charges people for carrier bags - does that happen in the UK and elsewhere? I'm sure it must, just that I've only come across it here.

az

I think it's a brilliant idea, and I'm impressed that a govt minister suggested it. Once that would have been the preserve of eco radicals

Well it'd certainly annoy the next people along. But I'm certainly all for a reduction in packaging.

Can't imagine the supermarkets would be keen since the presentation and packaging is a big part of what allows them to sell goods of essentially equal quality at mark up prices. It always amazes me how my mum will automatically buy the thing with 'comfort', 'rustic', 'traditional' or 'farmhouse' on the label.

Thre pre-packaged stuff is often of a poorer quality than the loose stuff too-although you pay more per kilo for it

This is one of those 'for your convenience' things that is really for the supermarket's convenience. You need a way to get the fruit/veg etc from the veggie isle to the checkout where it is weighed. If you keep the stuff loose in the trolley it is less easy to put on the belt - and even less easy for the checkout staff to weigh as they have to pick up and move each item rather than a bag of similar items. I have found that if you leve them loose, half the time they 'helpfully' put them in a little plastic bag for you!

With the pre-packaged stuff, well there it is easier still for them as they don't even have to weigh the stuff, they just scan it on through

Wish I could say I always used a market to buy our fruit and veg, but I really don't have the time to do the shopping at the weekend - whereas I can go to the supermarket on my way home fom work...

I *really* ought to sort out getting a veg box - have been meaning to do it for about a year now.

Going back to when people were talking about Amazon ... I *finally* got my delivery today. Just one recycled cardboard fold-over 'envelope/box' thingy, my stuff, an invoice and a bit of advertising crap. No plastic wrapping, no tape. It says on the box that 90% of all Amazon packaging can be recycled.

az

Kelli, you are Right On when you talk about pre-packaged veggies being for the convenience of the supermarket. Around here, the big box store Walmart has started offering vegetables ONLY in prepackaged containers. You want four tomatoes, you buy four tomatoes. You don't get to turn them over and see if they are bruised or ripe. Oh yeah, you want two tomatoes? You buy four tomatoes. You don't get to. . .

I shop elsewhere for my groceries. Somewhere where I can pick over the produce.

Climate efforts falling short: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/13/AR2006111301152.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/6146236.stm

"Dumfries and Galloway Council has put its new policy on rubbish collection on hold after it sparked public and political outcry"

Bowing to public pressure, the council graciously agreed to delay implementing the changes.

why do people complain about things like that? if their not going t take all your rubbish then recycle what you can!

in cambridge we dont have much choice other than to recycle. one week they will collect our normal rubbish bin along with a recycling box for glass, paper, and tins. the following week they take our green bin full of food stuff, cardboard, garden rubbish etc along with a recycling box for plastic bottles. they will take your green bin if the lid doesnt close but they wont tak your black one and they definetly dont take side rubbish.

what do we do with legistlation like this? we make sure we recycle every thing we can and we have been known to have our normal bin emptyed when its only half full.

Got a similar scheme in Bristol. Think its fine except for a few caveats:

My house is provided 1 bin between 4 people, another one down the road has 1 between 6. Obviously a problem for them.

If you forget to put your bin out one week, you're screwed.

The bin provided for food waste smells disgusting and attracts all sorts of horrible insects.

The people who collect the recycling bins are inconsistent. Sometimes they'll take corrugated brown cardboard, sometimes only thin card.

Got no facility for plastic recycling.

according to the cambridge council website you can get a second bin for 5 or more people in the house. some reason we have 2 but only ever use one.

the green bin does smell especially during the summer.

our bins are on the street so donthave the problem of putting them out.

i think they will take all cardboard here. thin card can go in the paper recycling i think

Cannock Council collect green bins once a fortnight into which goes all unrecyclable household waste, including food. On the other week they take the brown bins of garden waste (no food, earth, turf or diseased plants), a blue box for plastic and glass and one of those woven type bags for paper. They accept thin clearish plastic bags for excess plastic/glass, and also for paper (eg, shredded). But no side rubbish is allowed with the green bin and it has to be shut properly.

It works for me cos there's just me and the dog, but my bin is still probably 2/3 full on collection day, so how a family manages I don't know.

Deb

In NZ households can get a jumbo sized bin, or two I think. However isn't the point to encourage people to reduce not just recycle? Recycling is still resource intensive.


Reduce
Reuse
Recycle

was how it went originally. We missed the first two bits.

An article in the Wall Street Journal of 30 Nov '06 reports that in regard to tightening carbon emissions, "EU officials told their member countries to force industry to make sharper cuts in global-warming emissions, the latest sign of the political and economic difficulty of tackling the environmental problem as pressure is mounting on the Unites States to adopt similar caps. .... Britain, which has been particularly aggressive in pushing for emission cuts by industy, was the only country whose plan was approved by the European Union without changes."

Bravo, Brits! It seems we Yanks (with some help from China) are the ones doing most of the farting in the lift these days ... it's such an embarrassment, too. Perhaps our recent shift in congressional representation will enable us to make some progress in this area.