85% of People Want Global Ban on Single-Use Plastics • Hacker News Board

Re: 85% of People Want Global Ban on Single-Use Plastics

#81

Post by hughesjj » Wed, Jun 05, 2024, 7:27 PM UTC

ars wrote: post #40

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #3

Is there a good substitute for cling wrap? I mostly store food in reusable containers. And I try to use foil as much as possible. But some things are irregularly shaped and need a tight seal, and I’ve struggled to find a good alternative.

You use foil instead of cling wrap? And you do this for environmental reasons? I'm struggling to understand here, why in the world would you do that? Foil consumes thousands of times more resources than plastic wrap.

Yup, and you can't recycle food stained foil, nor compost it like a pizza box

Re: 85% of People Want Global Ban on Single-Use Plastics

#82

Post by skrebbel » Wed, Jun 05, 2024, 7:27 PM UTC

Can anyone explain to me how this works in practice? Eg if i now buy meat or cheese or pre-cut vegetables or bread at the supermarket, it’s in plastic packaging. What do legislators propose we replace that by? I understand (and use) reusable shopping bags but keeping sliced ham fresh sounds less practical. For clarity, I’m not skeptical, I’m all for the strictest plastic ban that’s remotely practical. But I don’t get how it would work. Do we all take tupperware into the butchers?

Re: 85% of People Want Global Ban on Single-Use Plastics

#83

Post by kragen » Wed, Jun 05, 2024, 7:27 PM UTC

ars wrote: post #40

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #3

Is there a good substitute for cling wrap? I mostly store food in reusable containers. And I try to use foil as much as possible. But some things are irregularly shaped and need a tight seal, and I’ve struggled to find a good alternative.

You use foil instead of cling wrap? And you do this for environmental reasons? I'm struggling to understand here, why in the world would you do that? Foil consumes thousands of times more resources than plastic wrap.

thousands, really? that seems unlikely; it certainly isn't thousands of times cheaper

Re: 85% of People Want Global Ban on Single-Use Plastics

#84

Post by L-four » Wed, Jun 05, 2024, 7:27 PM UTC

If we could get the total cost of product disposal built into the checkout price. I think single use plastics would solve it's self along with a litany of other garbage disposal problems.

Re: 85% of People Want Global Ban on Single-Use Plastics

#85

Post by dumbo-octopus » Wed, Jun 05, 2024, 7:27 PM UTC

lowkey_ wrote: post #41

I was skeptical of whether it was representative of 85% of the global population, or just the first-world. I've often thought (and heard that) environmental concerns are secondary to economic, and that people in less prosperous countries don't care as much about environmental concerns as people in first-world countries who are secure in most areas of their lives. Surprisingly, this data says the opposite! Sample size…

The response rate is so low as to be entirely meaningless. If you're content with sampling only 0.000001% of the population, you can get any results you want by simply selecting for the people who care the most by taking a bunch of time to lecture the individual if they seem like they'd vote the other way (oh no, you have to leave? but we didn't even have time to submit your vote yet... :( ), and wording the question in such a way to make the answer you want be the only reasonable response.

Re: 85% of People Want Global Ban on Single-Use Plastics

#86

Post by donatj » Wed, Jun 05, 2024, 7:28 PM UTC

AlexandrB wrote: post #14

I'll admit I was a little skeptical of plastic bag bans here in Canada, but it's had a noticeable effect on how much random garbage ends up stuck in hedges and fences where I live. Adapting to it wasn't too bad and good reusable bags are a lot more ergonomic and don't tear as easily when carrying heavy loads.

I'm skeptical. As it was pointed out to me, what percentage of things going in those plastic bags is already wrapped in a plastic bag, 90%? The single most useful plastic bag on the outside seems negligible in comparison.

Re: 85% of People Want Global Ban on Single-Use Plastics

#87

Post by com2kid » Wed, Jun 05, 2024, 7:28 PM UTC

Carrok wrote: post #26

lykahb wrote: post #18

A ban like that sounds good. But what would replace those plastics? For the take-out food containers a common alternative is PFAS-treated paper. Is it much better for the health environment?

Local restaurants here have started using DeliveryZero which is a reusable container program, you just take the containers back to a drop point. That and plenty of places use non-PFAS-treated thicker paperboard. Those are also great in my experience.

Sadly it looks like DeliveryZero is still using plastic. :( I'd really love to see some companies using non-plastic takeout containers, especially for hot foods.

But even with cold foods, every study that has come out has shown microplastic shedding even from water bottles.

Re: 85% of People Want Global Ban on Single-Use Plastics

#88

Post by eitally » Wed, Jun 05, 2024, 7:28 PM UTC

peterhadlaw wrote: post #10

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #3

Is there a good substitute for cling wrap? I mostly store food in reusable containers. And I try to use foil as much as possible. But some things are irregularly shaped and need a tight seal, and I’ve struggled to find a good alternative.

There are beeswax based resuable clingwrap alternatives although I haven't tried them myself

We've tried it. I wouldn't call it a cling wrap replacement because it's a wax-coated paper and therefore not watertight/airtight in the same way plastic wrap is. It's fine for some things, but we never found ourselves choosing that when we could use a rigid container. It's very good as an external wrap for a sandwich you first wrapped in wax paper, though.

Re: 85% of People Want Global Ban on Single-Use Plastics

#89

Post by textninja » Wed, Jun 05, 2024, 7:28 PM UTC

I’m taking this with a grain of salt because 85% of people adopting such a hardline environmentalist stance defies reason. I think the poll’s design and authors probably had something to do with it. Context matters!

Re: 85% of People Want Global Ban on Single-Use Plastics

#90

Post by legitster » Wed, Jun 05, 2024, 7:28 PM UTC

AlexandrB wrote: post #14

I'll admit I was a little skeptical of plastic bag bans here in Canada, but it's had a noticeable effect on how much random garbage ends up stuck in hedges and fences where I live. Adapting to it wasn't too bad and good reusable bags are a lot more ergonomic and don't tear as easily when carrying heavy loads.

Our neighborhood has a stretch where people park and dump litter profusely. I go out once a month and clean it up. (Soooo many vape pods)

I think the biggest change is mostly in perception. Old plastic bags were lighter and blew around so they were very visible. The newer heavier "reusable" plastic bags use a significant amount more of plastic - they are heavy enough to stay near where they get dropped and sink to the bottoms of puddles. You don't see them floating around in the wind but they still get littered a ton.