Noone wants to hear this one because... we are spoiled and the alternative fucking sucks...
Diapers and wet wipes. Most are not biodegradeable. That one is the one I am guilty of that bothers me the most.
this post was submitted on 24 Aug 2023
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I would expand that and say small kids in general are super wasteful. They consume a lot of resources, produce a lot of trash (and noise) and are a significant source of stress and sleep deprivation, both of which are suspected of causing cancer. π
As someone who chose to be child free for many reasons, faeces everywhere, noise, trash and sleep deprivation are high on the list.
Not to leave out the methane.
Wet wipes are a ridiculous waste.
Bidets are very accessible.
and after overdoing it on the spicy foods, bidets are a true life-saver
sent from my bidet
Biodegradable wet wipes are a thing. They are a bit rougher but not bad.
Biodegradable nappies/diapers exist too but they are awful. Similar to try cloth or reusable (with a changeable lining). Awful.
One of those coffee pods.
I know some companies recycle them - the aluminium ones. Not sure how that factors in to the waste equation though.
This oneβs done to death, but kCups.
Also, plastic water bottles.
A more novel pick would be those plastic ez floss picks.
Other than just flossing with string, is there a good reusable floss holder?
Some people may have motor limitations that make flossing difficult. Or just find it gross
My ADHD does not allow me to floss regularly with standalone floss. It's either those or I'll do it maybe once a month.
They are a bit more expensive than the plastic ones but they make plastic free ones.
Get a 3d printer and make one I guess Β―β \β _β (β γβ )β _β /β Β―
Kcups are less wasteful than a coffee in a disposable cup from a gas station or drive thru every day.
I also don't get kcups in general. In what situation are the soft and paper-based Senseo pads not superior? He holders are easier to clean, they store better since they're squishy and they come in smaller packs anyways. Plus they're cheaper.
Why would someone go for those cups instead? π
Those are cool, never seen or heard of them before in my part of the US. We use reusable kcups, so we put a filter and grounds in mesh/plastic shell. We like them because we can choose single servings of anything, like our local beans or herbal stuff like teeccino. But yeah Senseo pads look pretty great.
The coffee from nespresso cups is definitely better than Senseo. Not sure about k cups as I donβt have experience with them.
Those little plastic floss things are my weakness seriously. Nothing is better to floss with, objectively. I cannot use traditional floss to save my life. Itβs the only wasteful thing I use maybe besides straws
The tiny, plastic, fish-shaped soy sauce bottles you get with takeaway sushi.
Not as bad as the others, but it's been on my mind... My wife bought a box of Ding-Dongs (my daughter begged her) and inside, each one was individually wrapped. They could have put them all in one tray.
Every box of sweets in Japan are like that. There's an outer layer of plastic, an inner layer and every sweet is individually packaged. It feels so wasteful.
I got some chineese chocolate from a colleague, and it was a plastic wrapped paper box wih 10 smaller boxes on the inside. These smaller boxes were an orb shaped chocolate wrapped in aluminium foil, wrapped in a small plastic bag.
Your not meant to eat them all in one go though, and theyd get stale pretty quick if they weren't individually wrapped.
Resealable bag. Problem solved.
I bought a family pack of chocolate croissants the other week and the packaging was plastic, then they divided them in 3 smaller packets and inside they were individually packed. I don't really understand
Carton of toothpastes
All those individually wrapped candies EDIT: MicroSD cards!!!
Howβre are sd cards wasteful?
I think they mean the packaging. Micro SD cards usually come in a package that's 10x the volume of the card, itself.
Though, I'm not sure there's a decent way around that one. It's really difficult to ship and stock incredibly small products like that.
Have to make sure those small products don't get lost somehow
the large packaging is so they don't grow legs and walk out of stores or warehouses. some retailers require larger packaging, plus those non-recyclable trackers embedded inside for anti-theft systems. some of those larger blister packs and hangers are comically large.
I think MicroCenterβs house brand flash media is sold βlooseβ, or in minimal packaging, at the register. The USB sticks are for sure, and I think the SD and microSD too (though in a plastic carry case).
Why does the packaging need plastic though? It's absurd to me that coffe cups and stuff have to be degradable and made out of wood/carton (which is a good thing). And yet for a product where it shouldn't matter "hey let's use as much plastic as we can for this packaging".
I've been keeping SD cards in a drawer unprotected for years and I have yet to see one break.
coffee cups
You want to know the ridiculous thing about that - the coffee cup thing is a complete con. They can't be recycled as paper/cardboard because they have a polymer coating to allow them to maintain their structure.
Individually package candy is a Japanese specialty, like, they seemingly pride themselves on how much they're being wasteful.
Anything sold single dose.
Condoms
Condoms prevent kids though, and those produce metric fucktons of waste
Packets of tears.
Wrapping straws.
I would add straws themselves. People always complain about the paper straws that are ass, because they are. But straws themselves are. I don't think i ever drank anything and thought: you know what would make this drink better? A straw.
Idk man iced coffee without a straw just seems weird. Really anything iced, I just donβt want ice coming up to my teeth/lips/mustache when I drink itβ¦but coffee especially.
I use (and usually have with me) reusable straws, but I hate when Iβm out and about and get an iced coffee with a sip-spout.
Also, while on the topic, as a mustachioβd man, straws also prevent the beverage from getting trapped in my facial hair, or facial hair ending up in my drink.
taco sauce packets at taco john's are a lot worse in the 'waste per packet per quantity of sauce' category.
Condoms
(people here really don't understand jokes)
Every sperm is sacred