Reducing plastic packaging ...

[exile]

We don't buy a lot, but as suggested from time to time a fizzy water is rather refreshing. The rest of the time it is tap water. The benefits of high mountain springs is that they are unlikely to be contaminated the disbenefit is that they are poor in minerals. However our supply is now being supplemented with Rhone water and from time to time the water has smelt of chlorine. Another reason to reach for a bottle.

[Char]

Our water from the tap comes from the communes well and tastes like farm yards smell - it's sometimes rather brown as well so we don't drink it and it's filtered before using for cooking veggies. That's why we buy bottled water.

On a positive note though, having been shopping this morning Carrefour Market have started supplying paper bags to put your veggies in.

[exile]

Grand Frais tried that some 18 months ago. It lasted about 6 months.

Too easy to hide something expensive under something cheap and of course a paper bag does not respond well to moisture - washed veg, soft and juicy fruit etc..

They changed to compostable plastic bags - which aren't compostable of course and contain a considerable quantity of non-compostable fibre.

[Mangetout]

We get a choice of bags in our local SuperU. Either paper, compostable plastic or nets which are reusable. Packs of fruit are in cardboard cartons. Nearly all plastic gone now. Has been like that for about 18 months.

[Quiksilver]

Am I missing something here? Paper, cardboard.....made from trees, yes?

[exile]

Ah but you can grow new trees and you can recycle paper (a bit). But no you haven't missed anything.

Trees take 30-40 years minimum before they can be cropped for paper. Recycling is limited. Each time paper or card goes through the recycle process, the fibre length becomes shorter and after 6 cycles is too short to bind. Recycling also uses huge amounts of water(ca. 4t water for 1t paper) and a lot of energy.

[Hotrodder]

I suspect similar figures could be quoted for energy consumption required for almost any recycling process. And the amount of water that is wasted in processing ore to extract the minerals that are used to produce all the crap we seemingly can't live without. Rechargeable batteries, lithium, Discuss.

[exile]

I suspect similar figures could be quoted for energy consumption required for almost any recycling process.

Glass of course being one of the worst. I think everyone here has already heard from me why glass is a dreadful packaging material.