OK, I'm not familiar with pouches or bags of any liquid or semi-liquid products. I stopped using liquid laundry detergents because they didn't clean my clothes as well as granular Tide, and they created a scum in my front load washer.

Is there real need for so many single-serve packages of *anything*?

Almost every liquid -- soap, lotion, whatever -- has both preservatives and artificial products to make it 'flow' rather than congeal. (Yes, that's formaldehyde you're putting on your skin along with that 'moisturizer'.)

What's wrong with glass containers? Are we too weak to lift them? LOL

Yes, they are very hush-hush on the subject. If you haven't heard from Heinz, the answer is no. And more and more packaging is being made this way, with no addressing of the recycling issue. We've got to think before we buy--tons and tons of these bags will be in the landfills forever, basically.

I have an idea this trend of bags vs large bottles, is gonna be like all the individual water bottles now entering the landfills. Everyone wants their own single-serve everything. Even though I don't like the taste of tap water at our second home, I try to buy at least a gallon size of spring water.and RECYCLE.

The laundry detergent is not single serve nor is the soap refills I'm talking about. I'd wonder about the comparison of bar soap with their wrappers to a refill pouch.

The reality is most people are too lazy to recycle. Method's point in what I quoted is that the pouch has lower environmental impact and I have to agree with them on it. Less fuel to transport, less space taken up in a landfill even figuring the percentage that could be recycled on a PET bottle.

I do have a concern about 11 billion packets a year from Heinz alone. I'm guessing that's worldwide. But the pragmatic part of me asks are we being penny wise and pound foolish being concerned about ketchup packets when nearly twice that many disposable diapers are put in the landfills each year in the US alone? 1 ketchup packet or 2 diapers... I think I'll take the ketchup packs thank you!

It's like the ones who criticize me (and others) for having a non-HE washer, but I do fewer loads to start with than my critics. I also wash my vehicles in the rain and snow where they use hoses and car washes. I don't water my lawn or flower garden. I take quick showers instead of 100 gallon whirlpool baths and I don't have or use a swimming pool or hot tub and the list goes on. Gotta put some priorities in place sometime. Not to say the packet isn't a concern and sometimes you tackle small problems first if they're easy. But we've really missed the boat ecologically on some other things.

Another peeve of mine: The war on water. Why is water always the villain while pop, "sport drinks", 5 hr. Energy, and for that matter coffee cups and soft drink cups get by? Again, if you look at what's the healthier one, seems we should be endorsing water over sugar laden drinks and the HFCS folks can relax since water doesn't have it in there (yet). Again, I question priorities.

I also wonder why people have to have so much stench in things. Why do laundry detergents have to smell to start with, requiring 30 different SKUs of one brand for different stench. Why not have dye/stench free and sell the stench and dye separately so you can add your own? And you can have all kinds of different stench to choose from. So much simpler, less hassles and lower costs. But that's three things the buying public don't want apparently. And they're too lazy to mix the two together. People have to have everything done for them. We really need to put on some boots. And boot some people in the aspirations.

This post was edited by cynic on Wed, May 22, 13 at 15:58

People will recycle if it's made easy. Our city has twice weekly pickup for garbage; once weekly for recycling. We have about two cubic feet of garbage a week and four to six times as much of the bulky recycling, which is primarily newspapers and packaging. (DH won't give up his paper newspaper.) I don't think the city needs twice a week garbage pickup, but haven't convinced the city about that. We don't buy soda OR water, and our 'adult beverages' come in glass bottles. Our city water is delicious.

I think I first noticed too much *packaging* with CD's. Now you can't buy much that isn't encased in or attached to some packaging -- probably because things have to have zebra codes and anti-theft devices.

Disposable diapers fill a sanitary need and don't require soap and water to clean them, but do we *need* plastic bags for our groceries? I'm encouraged to see more shoppers bringing their own reusable bags.

While shopping for a carpet for our bedroom I ran into carpet padding called 'Nike' -- made from ground up sneakers. (I hope they take the odor out before they grind 'em. LOL)

I agree about the 'scents' everywhere. *Clean* smells best to me.

It's good to have some discussion about how we're using our Earth!

I think that is a GREAT idea, cynic, about adding your own "stench" to things like they add flavors to kids' prescriptions! I hate scented products....can't even walk down the detergent aisle at the grocery store.

I don't "do" bottled water as a drink unless on vacation, but as I mentioned earlier, I can't stand the water in Ft Lauderdale and use Spring water in a gallon bottle for coffee, iced tea, and cooking.

Redcurls, the aisle that's worse than the laundry aisle for me is the candles. I have to hold my breath if I have to go near them in most stores. If someone is burning those scented candles I cough and choke. It *has* to do bad things to the lungs and people go with that? And they complained about cigarettes! Second hand stench should be the new rebellion!

cynic, I expect that the Heinz packets cannot be recycled. Since I live in Canada - home of the bagged milk (I don't buy it unless I am desperate for milk that is not dated best before yesterday) - I know that the milk bags are not recyclable but milk cartons are. Also so much depends on where you live - in Toronto proper as I do - or just outside Toronto. About 2 weeks ago Toronto started to allow recycling of clam shell containers. Yet they have been allowed in other close by areas for some time. We can line our organics bin with a clear plastic bag (thankfully - or maggots galore) but in a neighbouring community they can't. In an area not too far from Toronto people have to sort through their plastics - it becomes quite the chore. We have to use the garbage and/or recycle containers - one week garbage, next week recyclables. Each week we can put out organics. Yard waste is every 2 weeks for several months of the year only. My dog's groomer lives an hour out of town and can put out a bag of each every week (preferable in my opinion) - she also has private garbage service which I would also prefer. Next up in Europe (can we be far behind) will be single use olive oil bottles/packets. I don't mind the little bottles, but the olive oil in packets will be a pain. I understand the reasoning after it was found that restaurants were putting anything and everything into the bottles marked EVOO. Good thing we don't eat out a lot. I remember e-mailing Heinz during the China food fiasco asking where they sourced their tomatoes and additives - if anything came from China or a country that China was pretending was not China (as in some tuna). The company replied stating that tomatoes were from North America and other ingredients from other countries - so "yes". Frankly I am doubtful about the tomatoes - just look at apple juice. At least my dog's food is made in the U.S. - costs a fortune in Canada - but he is safe!

I agree, I hear too many say they won't recycle and it all goes in the dump.

Here where I live, we have a recycle that I go too every fourth saturday and one of those items are those kinds of pouches.

We must pay but its not too bad depending on how much we bring in.

They have already started strict recycling, garbage and composting.

Our area I believe will start next spring.

Speaking of recycling, how about greasy Pizza boxes? Had a pizza party recently and noticed the next day that the empty boxes were very greasy on the inside bottom. I googled to find the answer. Depends on location. In my case, there wasn't an answer, but a phone # to call. There are explanations that explain what the greasy food particles do to the mix. The one helpful idea I found on google was the suggestion that you could cut off the greasy bottom and the rest of the box is recyclable. I did call the number, got an answer that sounded like somebody in the bottom of a very deep well; I hung up. So
that is what I did; put the greasy parts in the regular trash, and the clean parts in with the newspapers, junk mail and other cardboard. Problem solved.

Sue

Our city wants only 'food-free' paper in the recyling bins. With a pizza box, I too cut off the soiled part and recycle the rest.

Once you start being responsible for your own recycling, you think more carefully about buying stuff with a lot of excess 'packaging'.

Maui County banned plastic bags from stores two years ago -- but there are only bins for newspapers and tin cans at our condo complex.

I don't know any place around here that will accept any food containers, especially pizza boxes. Back before "one sort" recycling went into effect here the recycling guy told me that one pizza box would destroy the entire bundle of cardboard at the recycler. I presume that was for reusing into cardboard. But considering a lot of roofing and things are ground up newspaper and stuff I'd think it could be used in there, but it'd be a different sorting on the recycling.

I remember when Little Caesar Pizza started up in this area where you automatically got two pizzas. They didn't use pizza boxes in those days, they used a piece of cardboard on the bottom and put it into a bag. More difficult to carry, especially if you had several, but less than half the cardboard and the paper would surely have a lower impact I would think. But they changed from square pizzas to round (yielding to pressure I imagine) and now use boxes, I imagine also yielding to pressure. And when you think about it, it requires more cardboard to box a round pizza than a square or rectangle. But the people won't accept a rectangular or square pizza. People are really amazing at times. Several tried, and they pretty much all died.

Eccentric, I too only buy American food for my pet. Yes, more expensive, but better researched and better for them and clearly her health and coat show the benefits of it.