The Ethical Dilemmas Thread

[bluemoon]

I'm constantly facing ethical dilemmas; here's the latest

Is it better to buy ordinary* loo roll in a 2 pack that comes wrapped in paper or recycled that comes in a 4 pack but is wrapped in polythene?

*I nearly put bog-standard, but saved myself just in time.

[Nicos]

Ha!!

I'd go for the first as you can bet your sox that the plastic won't be biodegradeable( unless it says)

[Finedon.Dandy]

Kids Kando packs are cheaper in a brand new holder than in a refill pack!!! I now just buy cheaper refills!

[BrideXIII]

No1.
at least the inners will be recycled as pots for seedlings, and the paper wrapper can be recycled also.

[lynda66]

if you can recycle the polythene, then i'd probably got for that, if not, then the other ..... i get mine from the stall son works on, on the market, recycled soft on your botty, quilted, and not a package in sight ... bonus

[Flummery]

I remember ordering loo rolls for work once, from a catalogue which described them as 'facial quality'. Now I've heard people referred to as '@rse face' before but blimey!

[maytreefrannie]

I'm often puzzled by things which are marketed as eco-friendly - like the blocks we buy which are made from timber scraps and sawdust and are sold as being carbon neutral, but they come wrapped fully in plastic which, when you take it off is really grubby and doesn't come clean by shaking - the dust clings on. Then I'm wondering whether it should go into recycling as I've read that plastic for recycling is exported and in some countries it's cleaned by putting it into rivers - so I guess that would be bad for the river.

Also I'm wondering whether maybe children are employed in sorting and cleaning it.

[maytreefrannie]

Getting back to the bog roll 'basic' debate, it's another thing that bothers me - recycled paper in plastic wrapping. I guess on balance it's better to buy the paper one. Hopefully we're balancing things out a bit by all the plants we grow!

[bluemoon]

No, frannie It wasn't just meant to be about loo roll, the plastic wrapped carbon neutral blocks are exactly the sort of thing I was meaning, the loo rolls are just an example. I worry about 'fair trade' a lot too. I mean, yes, the farmers get a decent living if I buy fair trade coffee, but for much of the year it isn't exactly a labour intensive industry, is it? Would the people (not just the landowner) be better off if I stopped buying coffee altogether and then the land could be returned to subsistence and thus feed several families instead of just one or two lucky ones?

[maytreefrannie]

And there's a local supermarket here which has a big organic display - carrots, brocolli, onions, celery, peppers etc. - all organic and all wrapped in plastic.