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ï¿½1 in ï¿½3 spent on waste
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nats

Joined: 12 Jun 2007
Posts: 2374
Location: Swindon but not a Swindonian

Posted: Sat Nov 21, 09 10:24 pm Post subject:
According to WEN, 5 or so years ago 3%-5% of domestic waste was disposable nappies. Maybe we should tackle the problem from the bottom up?!

Mutton

Joined: 09 May 2009
Posts: 1508

Posted: Sun Dec 06, 09 5:59 pm Post subject:

There was an attempt some years back now to massively reduce on blown polystyrene rubbish - padding for computers, washing machines etc.
So instead of all those polystyrene funny shaped things that are tipped in the box, they used popcorn - made from low grade maize if I recall correctly. All went brilliantly for a while - made good packing, was biodegradable - but after a little bit the mice discovered it and the electronic goods warehouses had problems they'd never previously encountered.
Ho hum.

I'd like to see a return to the big vat of X and you take your bottles back to be refilled - but it would probably mean far less variety. Particularly thinking of unperfurmed, hypoallergenic handwash - all those fancy squirty bottles that would refill perfectly well. So many varieties at the moment and I have to keep a sharp eye on the back of the bottle as they will keep changing the formula, and something that was fine on my skin last shop will have something sneaked in that would trigger my ecsema. (Wandering off topic in frustration at why everything has to be branded, hyped and regularly changed, including the layout of the supermarket!)

Incidentally, knew someone who worked out in one of the gulf states for a bit. Climate is so dry they don't bother with warehouses, they just stack all the TVs etc up outside. They come off big container ships, and are then broken down into much smaller loads which are often shipped by sailing dhow along the coast. Very green transport that.

Mutton

Joined: 09 May 2009
Posts: 1508

Posted: Sun Dec 06, 09 6:02 pm Post subject:

nats wrote:

According to WEN, 5 or so years ago 3%-5% of domestic waste was disposable nappies. Maybe we should tackle the problem from the bottom up?!

There is a move afoot to return to washable ones, but new improved design to reduce all the problems with them. Probably still needs the muck scraping off and not everyone will stomach that anymore. (Particularly having seen a snippet the other day of some programme where people were learning about where food comes from, introduced to the cockerel which was then topped. They couldn't cope saying that they bought chicken fillets, not even a whole bird.)

nats

Joined: 12 Jun 2007
Posts: 2374
Location: Swindon but not a Swindonian

Posted: Sun Dec 06, 09 7:15 pm Post subject:

Mutton wrote:

nats wrote:

According to WEN, 5 or so years ago 3%-5% of domestic waste was disposable nappies. Maybe we should tackle the problem from the bottom up?!

We used them, many of my colleagues were amazed that we did.... friends were less amazed they expected it of us!! I did try to convert several people, but I didn't have much success!!

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