Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask what one thing you would ban to help the environment?

422 replies

AngryBirdsNoMore · 21/05/2023 09:29

Following on from @GADday’s well meaning thread about disposable sanitary products being an option to phase out to help the environment - what one thing would you ban to help the environment?

Let’s not get into sanitary products again. That thread makes clear that disposable sanitary products are probably here to stay for a range of reasons…

Ill go first:

Private planes. I’m struggling to think of any reason why they’re necessary especially for short flights.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
7
Lilifer · 21/05/2023 11:54

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

KimberleyClark · 21/05/2023 11:55

When I was working the road distance from my home to my workplace was 4 miles. Yes walkable in theory but would add 2-3 hours to my working day. No thank you.

Lilifer · 21/05/2023 11:55

This whole thread just smacks of "Let them eat cake" 😐

Giselletheunicorn · 21/05/2023 11:56

Bottled water. It simply didn't exist as a thing when I was a kid. You took flasks, you used drinking fountains at school. If you needed to buy a drink on the go, you bought something in an aluminium can or a carton.

We absolutely should bring back water fountains in public buildings as standard.

Also plastic tut found in party bags. That stuff is instantly forgotten by the kids and ends up in the bin after 2 days.

Daftasabroom · 21/05/2023 11:56

@InanimateObjects the vast majority of CO2e emissions come from burning fossil fuels. It's so fundamentally stupid to focus on the energy companies, they're just fulfilling demand. That study is a crock of shit. It effectively absolves every SUV driver, every person who sleeps with the window open and heating on, every industrial manufacturer of any responsibility because they can just claim BP or Shell or whoever made me do it.

Which is not very helpful is it?

Pestispeeved · 21/05/2023 11:57

InanimateObjects · 21/05/2023 11:36

The per Capita carbon footprint in India is a fraction of the UK and China is about the same.

Yes, but given there are a billion Chinese, what the UK population does will make no difference if they, and the US (who have roughly 1/3 population of China but emit 5 times as much per person) etc don't change their behaviour. We could emit zero and it wouldn't significantly change global trajectory, only highly populous and polluting countries changing their behaviour will enable any change in outcome.

China has reduced pollution emissions by 39.6% in the last decade. Is the UK doing as much?

aquashiv · 21/05/2023 11:58

Packaging

SleepyHedgehog · 21/05/2023 11:58

Single worldwide ban for biggest impact (carbon, biodiversity, plastic waste, social justice):
All fishing using a net bigger than approx 3x3m

Lots of other things i agree with on here too but I'm intrigued how the ocean gets forgotten because we don't walk around in it. It's obvious really as psychologically you won't apply as much brain air time to something you never see.

TheCountessofFitzdotterel · 21/05/2023 11:59

Dungaree · 21/05/2023 11:46

Flights. I'd give everyone a small allowance of a free hundred miles every 5 years that could be accumulated but nobody needs to see a relative or have a foreign holiday more than future generations need to live.

Mileage. I'd limit every adult to a hundred miles a week in a car. Use trains or buses, live closer to work or change your work. Again nobody needs to travel by car more than future generations need to live.

Live closer to work…. because every workplace has a wealth of affordable housing next to it and convenient access to public transport isn’t at all a factor in house prices?
Ffs.

cushioncovers · 21/05/2023 11:59

Humans. Far too many of us taking far too much. Myself included.

InanimateObjects · 21/05/2023 12:01

Daftasabroom · 21/05/2023 11:56

@InanimateObjects the vast majority of CO2e emissions come from burning fossil fuels. It's so fundamentally stupid to focus on the energy companies, they're just fulfilling demand. That study is a crock of shit. It effectively absolves every SUV driver, every person who sleeps with the window open and heating on, every industrial manufacturer of any responsibility because they can just claim BP or Shell or whoever made me do it.

Which is not very helpful is it?

People react to the options available in the society they live in.

Lilifer · 21/05/2023 12:02

I suppose all the posters who want rid of humans might get their wish if Russia/Ukraine war escalates to nuclear warfare.

Strawberrypicnic · 21/05/2023 12:02

Log burners in towns/cities
Fake grass
Disposable vapes
Wipes

It needs to be made much easier, more affordable and more appealing for people to get out of their cars. And nobody should be driving or parking SUVs in the city. There's not enough room.

InanimateObjects · 21/05/2023 12:04

China has reduced pollution emissions by 39.6% in the last decade. Is the UK doing as much?

Yes, they are doing better but still more polluting than average. The reason their reduction has been so high is because they were polluting so horrifically still a decade ago and we were doing better already. Statistics used in this way can be misleading at best. Reducing from a very high base of largely coal powered still ten years ago is much easier, and damn right that they have (finally) invested in this.

OldTinHat · 21/05/2023 12:05

Cows.

TeaLeafTruth8532 · 21/05/2023 12:06

There is an app which shows where you can get free drinkable water to fill your reusable bottle.

There are free water stations in airports too after the security gates

InanimateObjects · 21/05/2023 12:06

Obviously at the same time it's absurd that we are a country surrounded by coastline and importing hydro power from Norway. But the country sadly is run by idiots with no energy or food security policies and no industrial strategy who've spent 7 years focusing on making us poorer so we have less money to invest in anything, even basics, and massively devalued our currency. So it's no surprise none of that's happening if the UK population is so thick they vote for that.

queenofthewild · 21/05/2023 12:11

Plastic grass.

It absolutely has its place in some spaces, particularly for those who have disabilities and find it hard to keep on top of gardening, but the majority of family gardens don't need it. It's ok to have mud and bare patches in a garden. You don't have to have a perfect outdoor space. Nature is perfectly imperfect.

dontlookbackyourenotgoingthatway · 21/05/2023 12:11

Cheesecakeandwineinasuitcase · 21/05/2023 11:43

Lol, I knew ‘plastic’ grass would come up several times on this thread. I have plastic grass in my garden. We’ve already had it for a couple of years and it still looks as good as new. As long as we care for it properly then it will last years and years. Its hardly single use plastic is it?

I haven’t been on a holiday abroad for well over 10 years whereas I’m willing to bet the vast majority of the people bitching about plastic grass have. And what’s the betting your wardrobe is full to bursting with clothes made from plastic fibres. All the celebs who go on about the environment and like to preach to masses have each probably racked up a much higher carbon foot print than I ever will in my lifetime. My carbon foot print probably a lot lower.

People can be so judgmental. But hey, let’s suck all the joy out of life - I mean come on, I can’t believe someone on here has actually hinted that flowering plants should be banned because of the pots they come in.

The sad fact is whatever we do won’t make a jot of difference until China etc. take drastic measures to reduce their carbon output.

You don't care about the micro plastics issue?

Plastic grass is a major cause of it. It's carcinogenic.

(Yes, that is scientific fact. No, it's not a mad conspiracy theory)

Why would you want that for your family? That's before the issue with what it does to your local ecosystem

squidgybits · 21/05/2023 12:12

Tories

dontlookbackyourenotgoingthatway · 21/05/2023 12:13

Lilifer · 21/05/2023 11:55

This whole thread just smacks of "Let them eat cake" 😐

Yay! Culture war bollox!

Nice, clean, healthy environments are only for posh people of course. Us plebs can wallow in pollution because we love it!

Speak for yourself.

dontlookbackyourenotgoingthatway · 21/05/2023 12:13

KimberleyClark · 21/05/2023 11:55

When I was working the road distance from my home to my workplace was 4 miles. Yes walkable in theory but would add 2-3 hours to my working day. No thank you.

Why three hours?

LancashireSquirrel · 21/05/2023 12:14

I don't know what I would 'ban' as such but agree with other posters ref how can we make a difference when we're just pissing in the wind against global companies shipping toilet roll across the world for example?

I once bought an item of furniture, the wood was from the UK, shipped to china to make the item, then shipped back to the UK to be sold here. Obviously we didn't know this at the time we purchased, but it became clear when there was a significant delay and that's what we were told. It's just madness!

dontlookbackyourenotgoingthatway · 21/05/2023 12:16

@Cheesecakeandwineinasuitcase

Why should you be allowed to litter the public street with your private property? Ie, your car?

Japan does this with much success. They're even more densely populated than we are.

TheCountessofFitzdotterel · 21/05/2023 12:16

TeaLeafTruth8532 · 21/05/2023 12:06

There is an app which shows where you can get free drinkable water to fill your reusable bottle.

There are free water stations in airports too after the security gates

Yes but another poster has said we need to get rid of mobile phones.