this post was submitted on 24 Aug 2023
275 points (94.8% liked)

Showerthoughts

30044 readers
1190 users here now

A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. A showerthought should offer a unique perspective on an ordinary part of life.

Rules

  1. All posts must be showerthoughts
  2. The entire showerthought must be in the title
  3. Avoid politics
    • 3.1) NEW RULE as of 5 Nov 2024, trying it out
    • 3.2) Political posts often end up being circle jerks (not offering unique perspective) or enflaming (too much work for mods).
    • 3.3) Try c/politicaldiscussion, volunteer as a mod here, or start your own community.
  4. Posts must be original/unique
  5. Adhere to Lemmy's Code of Conduct

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

The grams of waste per teaspoon of ketchup seems high.

What else has a super high packaging waste per consumable volume?

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] gibmiser 66 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Noone wants to hear this one because... we are spoiled and the alternative fucking sucks...

Diapers and wet wipes. Most are not biodegradeable. That one is the one I am guilty of that bothers me the most.

[–] Carighan 41 points 1 year ago (4 children)

I would expand that and say small kids in general are super wasteful. They consume a lot of resources, produce a lot of trash (and noise) and are a significant source of stress and sleep deprivation, both of which are suspected of causing cancer. πŸ˜…

[–] idunnololz 55 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The good news is they are biodegradable.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Sort of. Bones take a long time to degrade.

[–] WTFBBQ 22 points 1 year ago

As someone who chose to be child free for many reasons, faeces everywhere, noise, trash and sleep deprivation are high on the list.

[–] ech0 11 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

My daughter is coming in 8 weeks...and now you tell me?

[–] Carighan 5 points 1 year ago

Oh, best get all the sleep you can now! You need to stock up!

[–] thedrivingcrooner 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Almost 6 months with my daughter, nobody told me these babies get teeth?! Now she's crying at me because she bit herself and it's my fault!

load more comments (2 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Clent 11 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Wet wipes are a ridiculous waste.

Bidets are very accessible.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

and after overdoing it on the spicy foods, bidets are a true life-saver

sent from my bidet

[–] Mostly_Frogs 5 points 1 year ago

It took me years to finally get a bidet. Now I'm a bidet enthusiast! The only bad thing about having a bidet is using a toilet without one.

[–] jpeps 5 points 1 year ago

We use reusable nappies for our toddler, and the washing machine is powered by solar so I only really need to feel bad about any excessive water use. But then we still have to use disposables when they're at their nursery for a few days a week, or the staff don't smell anything and they get bad rashes we spend all week dealing with. At the very least though the nursery deals with nappies as a specific form of waste that they process separately, though I'm not sure to what end.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] zkfcfbzr 64 points 1 year ago (5 children)

Individually wrapped slices of cheese have always seemed pretty egregious to me

[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 year ago

That's actually an oxide layer of plastic that naturally forms on Kraft singles after the manufacturing process.

[–] TheRealKuni 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

For that reason, alongside the important aspect of taste, I always recommend deli-style American. Kraft Deli Deluxe, or Land-o-Lakes, or any number of other brands.

Deli-style often comes in a brick, pre-sliced and offset for quickly peeling slices away from one another (like how restaurants do it). It’s firmer, due to a reduced milk content compared to the Kraft singles, and holds its shape better under heat while still being the perfect, melty sandwich cheese that American is. There’s a reason some of the best burger chains use deli-style American as their main cheese.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] AnUnusualRelic 7 points 1 year ago (3 children)
load more comments (3 replies)
[–] Sunroc 6 points 1 year ago

Especially because wax paper works fine

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Jackolantern 49 points 1 year ago (12 children)
load more comments (12 replies)
[–] son_named_bort 40 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] c0mbatbag3l 7 points 1 year ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

At least the salt (and pepper) are usually in a paper pouch and not foil/plastic like the others

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Vupperware 39 points 1 year ago (23 children)

This one’s done to death, but kCups.

Also, plastic water bottles.

A more novel pick would be those plastic ez floss picks.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Other than just flossing with string, is there a good reusable floss holder?

Some people may have motor limitations that make flossing difficult. Or just find it gross

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

They are a bit more expensive than the plastic ones but they make plastic free ones.

https://a.co/d/fVLvJES

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Those little plastic floss things are my weakness seriously. Nothing is better to floss with, objectively. I cannot use traditional floss to save my life. It’s the only wasteful thing I use maybe besides straws

[–] Treatyoself 4 points 1 year ago (3 children)

There was this very popular kickstarter for this reusable floss pick (you just tie on new floss). I’m not sure how well they fulfilled kickstarter orders but i ordered one on their website, pre launch, and basically got a bounced email when I tried to contact them about it. Pretty unfortunate.

load more comments (3 replies)
load more comments (21 replies)
[–] [email protected] 28 points 1 year ago

The tiny, plastic, fish-shaped soy sauce bottles you get with takeaway sushi.

[–] FlyingSquid 22 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Not as bad as the others, but it's been on my mind... My wife bought a box of Ding-Dongs (my daughter begged her) and inside, each one was individually wrapped. They could have put them all in one tray.

[–] mjs 25 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Every box of sweets in Japan are like that. There's an outer layer of plastic, an inner layer and every sweet is individually packaged. It feels so wasteful.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago

I bought a family pack of chocolate croissants the other week and the packaging was plastic, then they divided them in 3 smaller packets and inside they were individually packed. I don't really understand

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

All those individually wrapped candies EDIT: MicroSD cards!!!

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

How’re are sd cards wasteful?

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago (9 children)

I think they mean the packaging. Micro SD cards usually come in a package that's 10x the volume of the card, itself.

Though, I'm not sure there's a decent way around that one. It's really difficult to ship and stock incredibly small products like that.

load more comments (9 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] EyesEyesBaby 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Anything sold single dose.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (3 children)
[–] zkfcfbzr 24 points 1 year ago

You could pretty easily argue they're among the least wasteful things made, regardless of how much packaging they come in

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago

Condoms prevent kids though, and those produce metric fucktons of waste

[–] FlyingSquid 4 points 1 year ago

Not something I'd want to be re-usable.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

Carton of toothpastes

load more comments
view more: next β€Ί