Why is plastic tat even allowed to be produced and sold?

[Bbnel]

Like the stuff that comes in party bags and last 24 hours? With the state of the climate surely these sort of things (and many other products I am sure) should be banned worldwide? I am sure it’s not that straightforward, and is not as easy as just banning it. And there is probably an endless list of other things that could be banned. Just with Xmas coming up and all the stocking fillers etc I am just feeling a bit sad that we are still pushing this consumerism worldwide

Yanbu at all.

Totally agree. YANBU.

Can I add to this? The more expensive stuff that also lasts no time at all. Drives me nuts

YANBU

Yanbu. I don't get why plastics are not being banned/phased out/taxed to fuck if not 100% necessary.

I agree. I just went and bought smaller Xmas stockings so I’m not tempted to fill them up with crap. Went to the park the other day of a teddy bears picnic and the kids got a bag with goodies in it. Only a coupe of bits but WHY?!

Absolutely. All this energy spent recycling. And the fact that we still get unwanted post baffles me too.

Agree. I wanted to buy my DD a magazine as a present on my way home tonight but they all had plastic tat so I didn't. So unnecessary.

YANBU

YANBU but you’d have to get China to agree

More chance of getting people here to stop buying it

They will never be banned, sales grow the economy.

Best way to prevent them being made is for everyone to stop buying them in the first place. If there's no demand they will stop making them and focus their efforts elsewhere

Agreed! Also clothes that barely make it through the wash

Yanbu it's all crap.

It's made because people buy it

Back when I were a lass and dinosaurs roamed Earth, you left a party with a piece of cake wrapped in a paper napkin.

There is a huge amount of consumerism that needs to be turned back.

When demand evaporates, manufacturing will stop

YANBU at all. Our next door neighbour loves all the tat, they have a house, garden and driveway full of it. I can always tell when she's raided B&M and more Barbie pink items have appeared somewhere. All the plastic Halloween stuff they stuck outside and I just though, it's all going to be wrecked and end up in the bin, never to be used again. It would solve so many problems if companies weren't allowed to produce this stuff, but most of it comes from China and we all know their stance on climate change 🙄. Maybe if levies were placed on it and it no longer became affordable people wouldn't buy it.
I make home products for a living, and they last year's (I've got a lot in my own home). When people moan at me about my prices I wish they would realise I don't sell single use products, they are high quality and will last. Unlike what they can go buy from The Range/Poundland/Primark/insert cheap shop here.

Agreed, and also about the junk mail. All that paper, ink, energy etc...and it goes from my letter box straight to the recycling.

I’m dreading an influx of plastic tat this Christmas, and am currently thinking of alternatives to suggest to our lovely family for presents for the kids.

Yeah, don't buy it. Agree the expensive plastic is even worse. DD1 got a toy for birthday once a few years ago, it was a rather shit toy (not a lot of playing in it) but she like it until it broke after ~10mins of play. Completely shit. It went in the recycling but how bloody pointless. Those little bouncy balls you get in party bags last for longer than that.

I completely agree, most of it's poorly manufactured, so items don't even work, things like whistles and the warbling birds you put water inside.

As a side note, I found that House of Marbles do some fairly eco-friendly stocking filler type toys (if anyone's looking).

Because someone somewhere is making that plastic tat and being paid for it and using that money to feed their families.

If only life was simple OP!

Because people love plastic tat.

Yes I realise it pays people’s wages but I just wish it didn’t. The economy is so instrinsically linked to consuming as much as possible of the worlds resources. It feels like too big a problem to now reverse. I was watching Anne of green gables and just thinking, that’s is what we need to go back to in a way. Children don’t really need bedrooms full of plastic toys, we all could manage just fine without it. Asking people to stop buying it to reduce the demand is obviously going to help, but I don’t think enough people care. So what is the alternative. Could our country and other countries ban the importing of these products? Probably. Ot as it would offend other government 🤷‍♀️

Janina if you had a toy that broke after 10 minutes of play why on earth did you not return it to the retailer or contact the company rather than putting it in the recycling. You would have been entitled to a refund under your statutory rights as 'not fit for purpose' and the manufacturer really needs to know if their products break so easily so they can amend the design if needed.

YANBU. It has to stop.

Stop buying it, end of problem.

No consumer demand means that they don't make it.

Why do people believe that the governments and manufacturers are going to change the products? It' the consumer that will make the change by changing their purchasing habits.

Because capitalism.