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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to think singe use plastics should be banned?

96 replies

LunasSpectreSpecs · 11/12/2017 08:41

Actually, I don't think I'm unreasonable at all, and am sure anyone who saw Blue Planet will agree.

We don't need disposable coffee cups, you can get reusable ones for around £1. When you're buying carrots or garlic in the supermarket, why are you taking a wee plastic bag to put it in? Plastic straws are also totally pointless - if you truly have some sort of condition which means you NEED a straw then get paper ones. 5p carriers should be banned - bags for life only.

In fact, other types of plastic should be taxed too. Christmas cracker gifts - mostly plastic and then chucked after an hour.

OP posts:
rcit · 11/12/2017 09:27

Needs to be tackled at corporate level, along with lots of other environmental crimes.

Annorlunda5 · 11/12/2017 09:31

My grandfather believes that they shouldn't stock individual bottles of fabric conditioner/washing up liquid etc. He thinks all the liquids should be stored in like a vat (I guess), and you buy an empty bottle and fill it up. Then when you have finished with that bottle, you go back and refill it. Keep doing so until the bottle is basically useless, then buy a new empty refill bottle. You'd need different bottles with different barcodes for each liquid, different sizes I suppose... but still would use less bottles than at the moment.

It's just an idea he mentions now and then...

treaclesoda · 11/12/2017 09:34

People need both the carrot and the stick to change behaviour, I think.

So things like re-fillable are a great idea but there probably also needs to be an incentive in terms of cost to make it an attractive prospect to the 'person in the street'.

PurplePillowCase · 11/12/2017 09:34

annor in some healthfood/eco stores you can buy ecover products like that.

PurplePillowCase · 11/12/2017 09:36

I think the plastic bag ban has already done some good. a lot less plastic bags up in the trees along motorways.
also there are lots of plastic products that are just not necessary at all. like nappy bags. just why?

SleepyHeadThisTime · 11/12/2017 09:36

Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes

Can't emphasise enough how much I agree with you op

Annorlunda5 · 11/12/2017 09:38

I'm not sure how the reusable coffee cup thing would work though. Surely if I took one into Costa and asked for a medium large or whatever... It would need to go in one of their own cups as the cups are the correct measurements for the sizes they price for?

Unless Costa stocked only reusable ones, but then wouldn't you need one in each size?

OR coffee shops could sell reusable ones that have 3 markers down the side for their 'small/medium/large' so it can be refilled for different coffees later... Wouldn't each coffee shop need their own cups? Could I take my Costa reusable to Coffee Republic and get it filled up there? I don't think so because different shops have different sizes for their drinks. A large in one is a medium in another.

All the little things would need some thinking over.

treaclesoda · 11/12/2017 09:41

It would need to go in one of their own cups as the cups are the correct measurements for the sizes they price for?

They could make it in one of their own (washable) ones and pour it in?

It wouldn't work if it's some sort of fancy concoction with the foam floating on top I suppose, but anyone terribly concerned about that probably won't be buying a takeaway coffee anyway.

I have read that some shops refuse to use customer's reusable cups claiming that it is against health and safety legislation. So that is a whole other area that would need tackled, the overzealous 'health and safety' excuse.

Ifailed · 11/12/2017 09:41

10 billion (BILLION!) plastic bottles sold by Coca Cola in 2016

I doubt if Coca Cola forced people to buy those bottles, so it's down to us to make a choice.

FacelikeaBagofHammers · 11/12/2017 09:42

ifailed I agree, it just gives you a sense of scale to the problem at hand!

treaclesoda · 11/12/2017 09:43

By which I mean that if you give them your cup and they fill it with a medium coffee but there is still a little bit of coffee left in the bottom of their cup, then that's a risk that you take by using a refillable cup. But I think if you are committed to re-usable stuff you probably wouldn't mind too much? Unless they make a gigantic coffee and charge you for it, knowing full well that it's not going to fit.

I suppose if you know the measurement of your cup, and the staff know what size their cups are, they should be able to make a pretty decent guess?

bananafish81 · 11/12/2017 09:44

Everyone has containers, runs them through dishwasher then fills up at supermarkets with milk, oj, tinned tomatoes etc. It would be an adjustment but doable in this day and age.

So if you don't go to the supermarket, but use online shopping, do the delivery vans carry the vats around with them? Or get lots more vans on the road so that instead of just unloading everything, each van collects every house's empties and puts them back in the van to take to the warehouse?

HuskyMcClusky · 11/12/2017 09:44

Annorlunda, I see where you’re coming from, but in practice, it seems to work.

Reusable coffee cups are pretty common around here; I have one (a KeepCup). I’ve used it in lots of different coffee shops without problems. I assume they just fill it to wherever they think is equivalent to what they normally sell in each size?

That said, I’m in West Oz with no Starbucks/Costa.

AlmostAJillSandwich · 11/12/2017 09:47

The viral video of that poor polarbear has really upset me.

treaclesoda · 11/12/2017 09:51

On the reusable theme, has anyone tried these? I would be really interested in a reusable alternative to kitchen roll, because I must admit that I am so used to it that I would find it difficult to live without it.

OhThisbloodyComputer · 11/12/2017 09:57

I hate packaging.

It's so pointless. We don't need all that gubbins anyway.

It's just creates extra work

About five years ago I went to an exhibition where this company from Birmingham had invented a type of biodegradable packaging (made from some kind of corn derivative)

Oddly, it was the Daily Mail that led the charge against plastic bags. And packaging and plastics.

Why doesn't Mumsnet start a campaign against the junk mailers?

illuminousopptomist · 11/12/2017 09:58

I think stepsaway has an important point. It is no good trying to get water out of an ocean liner with a bucket if there is a gaping whole at the other end with water coming in a 1000 times faster.

I think actually making small changes is a lazy option I think we need to force the government to place serious sanctions on countries causing the most problems but also help them too. Not sure possible this would be though.

whiskyowl · 11/12/2017 10:01

"So if you don't go to the supermarket, but use online shopping, do the delivery vans carry the vats around with them?"

We already had a system like this for deliveries - with milk bottles. Part of the problem is that everyone thinks in terms of "owning" plastic bottles, when perhaps the answer lies in a robust, clean load of bottles that cycle through houses and are collected again.

PurplePillowCase · 11/12/2017 10:03

They could make it in one of their own (washable) ones and pour it in?

that's what they do when I turn up with my flask.

needmymouthsewnup · 11/12/2017 10:03

I remember seeing a clip a while ago about edible cutlery - I think this explains it:

(hope the link works).

When we lived in the US, we noticed that at every restaurant you went to, they automatically gave you a straw. I also remember seeing a statistic about how many straws end up in the ocean and it was breathtaking. I think there's a campaign called #stopsucking to highlight this (www.strawlessocean.org/) - again, hope the link works.

You're right OP, but I am also guilty of things like using too much cling film instead of storage boxes etc. I guess we all need to review our habits rather than just blaming big corporations.

needmymouthsewnup · 11/12/2017 10:04

Sorry, link fail. Trying again...

www.strawlessocean.org/

Fanciedachange17 · 11/12/2017 10:05

Zero Waste Home by Bea Johnson is a good read and full of lots of ideas we can all adopt. She also suggests more ways to put pressure on junk mail companies and the like.

OhChill · 11/12/2017 10:07

Yanbu!

I’m trying to go plastic free, (am struggling with replacing cling film though...).

I’m so glad Blue Planet has managed to get this issue across to people! I read that more people in their twenties - early thirties watched Blue Planet than watched X Factor.

Fanciedachange17 · 11/12/2017 10:08

FWIW I always choose the loose veg over the packaged and try to only buy stuff in glass bottles. I compost all my peelings and left over food so I don't get that comment about disposing of a lettuce being 50 more environmental damaging than the plastic bag?

Fanciedachange17 · 11/12/2017 10:10

We use the local dairy who supply milk in glass bottles. It's lovely as well.