111–120 of 362 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
An American family I visited a while ago would use paper plates and plastic forks for every meal at home to save on dishes. I was shocked, but they seemed to think it was standard behaviour in the US. Is it?
I have heard similar stories from other people who visited USA. So it does seem to be a normal behavior.
The offset in reduced plastic use by consumers will be more than compensated with the rapidly growing e-commerce market. I am terrified of the amount of plastic my Amazon purchases bring with their packing. It is a step in the right direction, but the govt. should invest and provide alternatives, perhaps use existing research institutions to come up with new, eco-friendly packing materials, and popularize them.
This is nothing. I was entering my workplace yesterday and as usual, the guard at the first checkpoint rummaged through my backpack. I was shocked when he said the plastic bag I was using to protect my notebooks from rain could not be taken inside. Upon asking for an explanation, he said plastic bags are outlawed and we cannot risk them in company premises. I had to keep that bag in my vehicle trunk and then was allo…
Instead, government could've imposed ban on the consumer products which are wrapped using plastic material. Almost 50% plastic come directly from such consumer products sold by all FMCG companies. Such plastic material which is used as a wrapper (e.g. mineral bottles, wrappers of chocolates, biscuits, wafers, tobacco, etc.) is often useless and people tend to throw it right away. I agree that "we", the people need to…
Instead, government could've imposed ban on the consumer products which are wrapped using plastic material. Almost 50% plastic come directly from such consumer products sold by all FMCG companies. Such plastic material which is used as a wrapper (e.g. mineral bottles, wrappers of chocolates, biscuits, wafers, tobacco, etc.) is often useless and people tend to throw it right away. I agree that "we", the people need to…
The articles here state that plastic used for storage and packing of goods is also banned. Including packing of tooth brushes. https://www.firstpost.com/india/maharashtra-ban-war-on-plast... http://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/maharashtra-plastic-ba...
I think this is a good step but what a lot of countries lack is also proper disposal of trash. Landfills are a poor solution, better are clean trash burning facilities[1] that also produce energy as well as proper pre sorting. China is building the largest in the world which is to open in 2020. [2] [1] https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/13/science/earth/13trash.htm... [2] https://www.sciencealert.com/china-is-building-t…
I also don't understand why plastic in a landfill is all that bad. The fact that it is biodegradable is a positive here - it won't break down into toxic substances.
Evaluating environmental impact is a complex process. Everything we do has multiple consequences. I believe global warning is the most serious environmental disaster we are facing today. Plastics use significantly less energy in production and transportation (because of lower weight and less material needed.) With an eye toward AGW, how can paper packaging and burning refuse be seen as a responsible choice?
It is critical that we consider the effects of our consumption habits in a serious and reasonable fashion. I just don't see the anti-plastic panic to be rational or constructive.
You could even do it this way: write the law such that an institution, whose job is to eliminate these externalities, is created, and then funded only with taxes on said products.
There's two competing special interest groups to keep each in check so in theory it's even a institution which shouldn't have too much bureaucratic inertia.
There are economists who endorse the idea, it's called a Pigouvian tax--the most notable economist is Mankiw.
I think this is a good step but what a lot of countries lack is also proper disposal of trash. Landfills are a poor solution, better are clean trash burning facilities[1] that also produce energy as well as proper pre sorting. China is building the largest in the world which is to open in 2020. [2] [1] https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/13/science/earth/13trash.htm... [2] https://www.sciencealert.com/china-is-building-t…
The "ban single-use plastic" hype train seems illogical to me. Having your city littered with garbage is a government services problem - they should provide convenient waste disposal receptacles, empty them frequently to be disposed of properly, and give citations to litterers. We should not be cheering this short-sighted law. I also don't understand why plastic in a landfill is all that bad. The fact that it is biod…
Remember, everything we do has multiple consequences.
Instead, government could've imposed ban on the consumer products which are wrapped using plastic material. Almost 50% plastic come directly from such consumer products sold by all FMCG companies. Such plastic material which is used as a wrapper (e.g. mineral bottles, wrappers of chocolates, biscuits, wafers, tobacco, etc.) is often useless and people tend to throw it right away. I agree that "we", the people need to…