excess packaging

[kernowyon]

are supermarkets taking the P*ss??

I kno wthat there have been several threads about this already but just had to pass this on.

just came back from shopping trip to morrisons and in the veg section I spotted vacuum packed sweetcorn which was then placed in a heat sealed clear plastic box.

i just stood there astounded at this and spotted the veg manager walking past, made sarcastic comment (as you do) and his reply was that it was to maintain freshness!!

i then walked away laughing

[Alison]

Personally I wounldn't buy sweet corn at this time of year anyway, what ever the packaging. It's not in season round here therefore has been picked for far too long to have the lovely fresh taste it should have.

[Alice]

YES the packaging is ridiculous and I can't cope. I went to replace the batteries in my digital camera. They were in a box that I needed a knife to get in to, then they were in some shrink wrapped plastic that I needed a knife to get in to. WHY ?????????????

[TPeers]

To keep you safe from those mentally unbalanced souls who reckon to put glass in the cereal and poison in the tea.

[shirlthegirl43]

Personally I wounldn't buy sweet corn at this time of year anyway, what ever the packaging. It's not in season round here therefore has been picked for far too long to have the lovely fresh taste it should have.

Madmax here - best packaging I ever had around sweetcorn was in Brazil. On the beach when they were cooked fresh. In their leaves. 1973 that was!

Regarding synthetic packaging - it should all be returned to the supermarkets and as they package it, they should deal with it.

And those mentally unbalanced souls who place 'additives' in the food, that is an issue for Patricia Hewitt to solve.

Off now to scoff the handfull of Alpine Strawbs that came from the garden 2 minutes ago. All in natures packaging.

[Two_Sheds]

To keep you safe from those mentally unbalanced souls who reckon to put glass in the cereal and poison in the tea.

and glass in the batteries...?

I reckon it's to make more money for packaging manufacturers and oil companies. You probably pay a third more for veg that is shrink-wrapped rather than loose. I've never yet found glass in my bananas...

[rustylady]

Do what we do - Take your own bags (so you don't need to use plastic carriers). Pay for your produce, then remove the packaging you don't need and leave it for them to dispose of. It costs them money to get their rubbish taken away - they may get the message if enough of us leave it with them.

[andrewo]

I remove all the packaging I don't want, really irritates them but what the hey. I tend to use the paper sacks that mushrooms come in - this really annoys them as you have to point out that they do contain mushrooms. Of course, I draw the line at putting ice cream in a papersack but really what is the desperate need to isolate all vegetables and fruit in plastic? Come on, if enough of us say no to plastic, then maybe they will actually turn back the clocks and have proper greengrocers in Asda, or Morrisons or Sainsburys or any of the evil, faceless shops that pervade this land.

[shirlthegirl43]

I remove all the packaging I don't want, really irritates them but what the hey. I tend to use the paper sacks that mushrooms come in - this really annoys them as you have to point out that they do contain mushrooms. Of course, I draw the line at putting ice cream in a papersack but really what is the desperate need to isolate all vegetables and fruit in plastic? Come on, if enough of us say no to plastic, then maybe they will actually turn back the clocks and have proper greengrocers in Asda, or Morrisons or Sainsburys or any of the evil, faceless shops that pervade this land.

Was actually wondering if it was worth emailing the supermarkets and requesting that they supply paper bags to put the loose veg in (sorry, mine aren't ready to eat yet) so that the packaging can be recycled. Guess if we all did it there might be some notice taken.

[Mrs Dobby]

Good idea that Shirl! Recycling the bags into compost is a much greener idea, and producing paper sacks has got to be better for the environment than plastic ones too!

[shirlthegirl43]

Good idea that Shirl! Recycling the bags into compost is a much greener idea, and producing paper sacks has got to be better for the environment than plastic ones too!

In America, the person who packs your shopping for you asks if you would like paper sacks or plastic bags. Then they wheel the trolley to the car park and load the groceries into the car for you - civilised lot over there

[Snadger]

In America, the person who packs your shopping for you asks if you would like paper sacks or plastic bags. Then they wheel the trolley to the car park and load the groceries into the car for you - civilised lot over there

And all from the home of Kentucky Fried chicken and that Scottish American chap who sells burgers!

[Stacey]

I use my own bags too where ever I shop.I get a lot of funny looks, a few positive remarks. And in my 2 fave shops Lush and Soundbytes (Local veg). they are completely happy with it. The only fresh produce i get from the supermarket is bananas but even that is rare so I dont think i can make much of a point of leaving the packaging there. I still might though,every little helps and all that

[Paulottie]

Best idea is to reduce your use of supermarkets; plan your crops to optimise you harvests and then preserve what you can. An allotment can supply most of your needs and it pays to be generous when you are doing well because, often we find lottie folk pay it back when times are lean for us. If we do run out-we source spuds by the sack(which we can always share) and spend a bit more to visit a greengrocer with paper bags, local produce and a nice smile. If we were on a tight budget i'd try a (farmer's) market.

[SimonCole]

Are you sure that paper bags are more ecologically sound than plastic ones?
Bare in mind that they are heavier and have higher transport costs that increases the carbon dioxide signature and other transport pollution.
They still require chemical processing to produce.
They also require more trees to be cut down, which has implications on forestry management and such ecosystems. For example, if a paper shortage arises we could see hardwood forests being converted to softwood ones that don't support the same amount of wildlife, firstly due to the nature of their species and secondly due to methods such as short rotation harvesting.

This is just a suggestion and I would like some hard evidence before I convert to a plastic-free attitude.