to think teens are a lost cause when it comes to plastic waste??

[OtraCosaMariposa]

We have had a group of 16 and 17 year olds here all afternoon playing video games. About 9 of them. Not long after they arrived one of DS's friends announced he was doing a co-op run for snacks. They arrived back with 2 (single-use) carriers full of plastic water bottles, and two tubs of Haribo, each containing 28 mini bags of sweets.

So much packaging.

These are some of the same young people who were skipping school last term to attend climate change protests. I did point out that they would have probably got more sweets by getting 4 large bags of Haribo. Blank faces.

Mine all have Chilly bottles, possibly in response to my refusal to allow another single use plastic water bottle through the door. Don’t most teens have some version of these?

I'm surprised. All the kids I know of that age have chilly bottles, or similar, and keep cups for coffee on the go. Our school recently had a job lot of bottles distributed to 6th form, and they have now, as a school, stopped using plastic cups at all. Not even re-usable ones with lunch.

Why did they bother with water bottles when you presumably have a tap and cups?

Your teens need educating. Every teen I know is very conscientious when it comes to waste and consumption.

I'm 23, so not that long ago a teen, have a reusable water bottle, bamboo toothbrush, bamboo coffee mug and am currently researching into investing in reusable nappies for our baby on the way.

I'm well aware of the plastic waste problem. Just because a few young people you know dont care doesn't mean were all ignorant to it.

Having said that, buying a load of sweets for treat isn't too bad, but a habit of buying bottled water should be nipped in the bud!

Judging by the high school kids who walk through my estate every day to the local shop YANBU. Recycling bins outside every house but apparently the pavement is the place to leave your pot noodle cartons, bloody loads of them, every day. The council even put up more general waste bins along the route, they don't even use them.

Why did they bother with water bottles when you presumably have a tap and cups?

The mystery of teens. We had a supply of squash, hot drinks, cold drinks. DS definitely has a reusable water bottle. I'd imagine his friends do too.

Must just be yours.
The ones I gave birth to are like the plastic police these days, and the 300 I teach are the same.
The homegrown ones have Chilly bottles for school and the kids at school made their own recycling bins when we didn't have enough provided.

This group get together usually once a week at someone's house. This week was our turn to draw the short straw. Other parents have had the pleasure in the past weeks. The "snack run" is a feature of the afternoon regularly.

It's not the sweets - it's the fact that they chose the most over packaged sweets they possibly could

it's the fact that they chose the most over packaged sweets they possibly could

Yeah, they did it deliberately to kill the planet and wind you up. Get a grip.

They didn't produce the packaging, Haribo did. Kick off at them for making a ridiculous wasteful mess.

Don’t most teens have some version of these?
I’m a mature student and find that most of the people in my lectures have plastic single use bottles or single use cups from Costa

My 14 year old is very on it when it comes to this stuff. Gives me some hope that the next generation are learning to be better than we were.

The sweets I can understand, the water bottles, not so much.
My teen would be horrified by that.

The park next to my house is ample evidence that teens do not care about plastic waste. I regularly pick up packets of crisps, chocolate, sweets, bottles and cans. Luckily, I run a local waste recycling session so keep them all for that! I am jow the "weird mum" who comes to the park with a carrier bag for them.

*now the weird mum

Also, I think it is a class issue as well. Poor kids can't afford to replace a £15 water bottle if it gets lost, but they can afford 3 for £2 bottles from Poundland.

I completely agree that it’s largely a class thing. My DD and I were watching a news segment on environmentalism and she said to me that at her school, the kids that are ‘very middle class’ are the ones who care whereas the rest don’t give a damn