Poll: Poll: Would you pay more for non-plastic packaging?

[Diddums]

As I consume stuff I can't help but notice how much plastic I use. It's ridiculous really. In my youger days I wouldn't have batted an eye but as I get older I find I'm becoming more conscious about these things. Obviously plastic is a huge problem and one that I fear we'll never rid ourselves of but I've been thinking a bit about it lately. Glass would be a great substitute for most things but would obviously be more expensive to produce. Personally I wouldn't nind paying slightly more for things if it came in more environmentally friendly packaging, would you?

 

[Diddums]

Nvm. Fixed the OP.

 

[Rroff]

I hate packaging full stop - so much is either needlessly over the top (3x plastic layers when one stiff bit of cardboard would do) plus lots of useless bundled extras that are all additionally packed in their own plastic, etc. or lacking when it needs to be more robust/better supporting the item, etc. i.e. flaps on the outside of the box that instantly come lose in transit.

 

[mikedigitales]

No question, yes, I'd happily pay the pennies it would cost companies to package items in non plastics where possible.

 

[ChroniC]

Why does it have to cost more, is recycling old cardboard and repainting it and expensive process? I think the issue isnt the cost its the competitive nature of having the best packaging to be more sellable. I'd imagine subconciously people will buy the product that looks cleaner and tidier, sadly we are slaves to our own stupidity.

 

[lurkio]

yes

 

[steve45]

Would I consciously pay more for alternate packaging option? No! If the option for non plastic packaging was available for same price or cheaper I'd happily take that option, but i will not tax myself.

 

[explicit4u]

Yes, a million times yes. Non recyclable plastic is pretty much the only thing that ends up in our bins.

 

[Minusorange]

What about food packaging which is probably one of the largest culprits ?

How do you keep it sealed enough in order to keep adequate shelf life ?

I guess from a point of view, that an increase in food being wasted is more friendly to our environment if it reduces plastic waste but we should really be looking at alternatives to something that's eco friendly whilst also having the same benefits of plastic when it comes to food packaging otherwise we're likely to see prices go far too high to offset the amount that's wasted

For general packaging though I see absolutely no reason why we can't give up plastic in place of card/paper products and to switch from plastic bags to fabric/paper bags

We need to clean up our planet - https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/06/plastic-british-diver-films-sea-rubbish-bali-indonesia

 

[peterwalkley]

It would help if they stopped using black plastic which our local authority can't recycle.

The issue isn't so much the west as places like India where they don't have the infrastructure to collect it for recycling.

 

[Deleted member 66701]

no

 

[sovietspybob]

Yes, i've been making a conscious effort this year to avoid single use plastics if possible and it's incredibly hard. I try and buy things in glass as much as possible (mayo, ketchup, olive oil etc) and try and buy loose veg and then stuff in cardboard containers but it's very hard to be environmentally minded when 90% of stuff is wrapped in plastic somehow

Whilst some things will always need to be in plastic (raw chicken for example) there is a huge amount of stuff that doesn't and i'd personally happily pay a premium for that.

 

[jellybeard999]

If I was given the choice of the same item packaged differently, probably not to be honest. If packaging was changed and the cost passed on to the customer, I'd be in favour. The problem is, there'll be the usual extra profit margin hidden in there too, which is probably the larger proportion of any increase!

 

[Jumper118]

no i would pay less for less packing though

 

[D3K]

I wouldn't pay more but I'd like to see changes.

Like the clear plastic slot glued on to sandwich boxes. Or the little thin piece of film around plastic milk cartons. I'd like to see plastic rings removed from 4 packs. Generally if they put a stop to decorative packaging we'd be able to reduce a massive amount. Homogenise packaging like they did with cigarettes, while sticking a boot into marketing/advertising at the same time.

Overall I'd like to see more than just packaging changes in retail. Fine shops for lights left on overnight. I'd also like to see supermarkets fined for fridge doors being open. Not possible to regulate immediately but with IoT we can put a wifi enabled sensor on every fridge door to relay info back to a database.

 

[PiKe]

I don't mind plastic as long as it can be recycled, my bugbear is the thin plastic which cannot be.

 

[Feek]

Not really, no.

 

[LeeUK]

You order loose produce to do your bit on saving the planet from needless plastic packaging and they go and do this...

 

[Haggisman]

Would depend how much, but in principle yes. I already tend to buy the smaller jars of Nutella, as even though they cost more per volume, they can be washed out and then used as tumblers - that's smart packaging, but obviously not appropriate for most products.

 

[x-st]

I would love to say yes, the same way that I'd love to choose organic produce and choose a grocer or a butcher over a supermarket, but practically I couldn't afford to do so. However, if the non plastic packaged produce was cheaper then I'd have no concerns about going that way.