Plastic!

[Velma]

Plastic, rapidly becoming the bane of our existence. Who remembers requesting that practically all of our resources and requisites were made from plastic? Your shoes, handbag and wallet, plastic, whereas it was once leather. The shopping bag, plastic, which was previously woven from wicker. Foodstuffs, wrapped in plastic which ordinarily came in paper, made from biodegradable and sustainable hemp. Garden pots, plastic, which were once clay. Children’s toys, plastic, when they used to be fashioned from wood. The interior of your car? I learned to drive in a Rover100, which had leather seats, a wooden dashboard and shiny chrome. A thing of the past… Tupperware, which is stuffed into the back of a cupboard and never used, or is that just me? They even give us water, in plastic bottles. And vapes!

 

Original alternatives are still available, such as leather shoes, but how many working class people can stretch their budget for that, when they depend on Primark for clothing and Food Banks to eat? Plastic is affordable, because it is simply a by-product of the petrochemical industry, which they sought to exploit for profit. It was foisted upon us, without consultation, until we became dependant on it, for multiple reasons. However, they claim the ‘plastic island’ floating in the Pacific, the microplastics contained in everything and the plastic carrier bag in the belly of a whale is our fault? Let’s focus on the manufacturer and not the consumer. It’s the same as ‘health,’ they offer the ‘cure’ but never address the cause. The companies that created this plastic ‘apocalypse’ ought to take responsibility.

 

 

Edited June 10 by Velma

[Bombadil]

25 minutes ago, Velma said:

Plastic, rapidly becoming the bane of our existence. Who remembers requesting that practically all of our resources and requisites were made from plastic? Your shoes, handbag and wallet, plastic, whereas it was once leather. The shopping bag, plastic, which was previously woven from wicker. Foodstuffs, wrapped in plastic which ordinarily came in paper, made from biodegradable and sustainable hemp. Garden pots, plastic, which were once clay. Children’s toys, plastic, when they used to be fashioned from wood. The interior of your car? I learned to drive in a Rover100, which had leather seats, a wooden dashboard and shiny chrome. A thing of the past… Tupperware, which is stuffed into the back of a cupboard and never used, or is that just me? They even give us water, in plastic bottles. And vapes!

 

Original alternatives are still available, such as leather shoes, but how many working class people can stretch their budget for that, when they depend on Primark for clothing and Food Banks to eat? Plastic is affordable, because it is simply a by-product of the petrochemical industry, which they sought to exploit for profit. It was foisted upon us, without consultation, until we became dependant on it, for multiple reasons. However, they claim the ‘plastic island’ floating in the Pacific, the microplastics contained in everything and the plastic carrier bag in the belly of a whale is our fault? Let’s focus on the manufacturer and not the consumer. It’s the same as ‘health,’ they offer the ‘cure’ but never address the cause. The companies that created this plastic ‘apocalypse’ ought to take responsibility.

 

 

I learnt from my grandparents, world war 2 era. My pop was a head gardener at a small stately home after the war. He taught me all I needed to know about recycling and maintaining what we have. Nothing wasted. All natural waste can be repurposed.

Not a piece of plastic in sight. 
 

On the note of affordability. I envision a day when the only retail shops are owned by Amazon. Or a similar company. 
 

I always argue that we are blamed for the excess of multinationals etc. Just look at Amazon packaging.

[screamingeagle]

43 minutes ago, Velma said:

Original alternatives are still available

imo it`s not about original alternatives

 

the society is build around "problem ,reaction,solution"at least for a few hundred years.....what ever they say either they want the opposite or the said thing just applies to normal people 

 

inflation is one of the tools to keep society pinned down to the lowest possible standard

 

fucking made up boggie man inflation 

[Campion]

26 minutes ago, Bombadil said:

I always argue that we are blamed for the excess of multinationals etc. Just look at Amazon packaging.

 

 

Very true, when were we ever asked if we wanted to replace our traditional materials with plastic? A lot of it happened in my lifetime too. The corporations go ahead with these things and then we're expected to have a guilt trip and pay green taxes to clean up their mess. 

[Grumpy Grapes]

Plastic was once regarded by some as an environmental saviour (less need to cut down trees or extract metals from the Earth), yet now is seen as the root of all evil. Now it is deemed OK to chop down trees for wooden products. I draw the line at wooden cutlery, which interferes too much with the taste. 

[alexa]

8 hours ago, Velma said:

Children’s toys, plastic, when they used to be fashioned from wood

 

Or tin  Yep - Unfortunately it's an artificial chuck away world we live in now, there must be more that we could do ????

[Campion]

2 hours ago, Grumpy Grapes said:

Plastic was once regarded by some as an environmental saviour (less need to cut down trees or extract metals from the Earth), yet now is seen as the root of all evil. Now it is deemed OK to chop down trees for wooden products. I draw the line at wooden cutlery, which interferes too much with the taste. 

 

Hmm, I thought there was supposed to be a shortage of wood according to the building trade, along with other materials they use. In any case, plastic cutlery is more reusable than wood because wooden spoons and forks tend to flatten out in my experience. I've started carrying a metal long handled teaspoon with me in my manbag which is quite versatile for drinks and fast food when I'm out and about. 

[Mr Crabtree]

23 hours ago, Velma said:

Plastic, rapidly becoming the bane of our existence. Who remembers requesting that practically all of our resources and requisites were made from plastic? Your shoes, handbag and wallet, plastic, whereas it was once leather. The shopping bag, plastic, which was previously woven from wicker. Foodstuffs, wrapped in plastic which ordinarily came in paper, made from biodegradable and sustainable hemp. Garden pots, plastic, which were once clay. Children’s toys, plastic, when they used to be fashioned from wood. The interior of your car? I learned to drive in a Rover100, which had leather seats, a wooden dashboard and shiny chrome. A thing of the past… Tupperware, which is stuffed into the back of a cupboard and never used, or is that just me? They even give us water, in plastic bottles. And vapes!

 

Original alternatives are still available, such as leather shoes, but how many working class people can stretch their budget for that, when they depend on Primark for clothing and Food Banks to eat? Plastic is affordable, because it is simply a by-product of the petrochemical industry, which they sought to exploit for profit. It was foisted upon us, without consultation, until we became dependant on it, for multiple reasons. However, they claim the ‘plastic island’ floating in the Pacific, the microplastics contained in everything and the plastic carrier bag in the belly of a whale is our fault? Let’s focus on the manufacturer and not the consumer. It’s the same as ‘health,’ they offer the ‘cure’ but never address the cause. The companies that created this plastic ‘apocalypse’ ought to take responsibility.

 

 

Velma, well thought out, and totally right too, but who are we, the general population of this slowly dying planet to stand in the way of Corporate profit? The only plastic these people ever worry about are the plastic cards that are the key to their large amounts of money stored in the banks of their choice!

[Grumpy Owl]

On 6/10/2023 at 9:50 AM, Velma said:

However, they claim the ‘plastic island’ floating in the Pacific, the microplastics contained in everything and the plastic carrier bag in the belly of a whale is our fault? Let’s focus on the manufacturer and not the consumer. It’s the same as ‘health,’ they offer the ‘cure’ but never address the cause. The companies that created this plastic ‘apocalypse’ ought to take responsibility.

 

Exactly, the question to be asked is 'how is this the fault of consumers?' Where is all this plastic in the oceans coming from?

 

Certainly not from me, for many years now, we have all gotten used to 'recycling' plastics and cardboard, with seperate bins/bags at home. They then get taken away by the local council refuse collectors to be 'recycled', whatever happens next I don't know, but I would certainly like to believe that the plastics do end up getting recycled somehow.

 

It is not me personally dumping plastic in rivers and seas. But sadly there still are a great number of people who do not understand what litter bins are for, and will just toss away their waste anywhere, whether that be on a pavement, into a brook/river/canal, or onto the floor of a bus or train.

[Captainlove]

30 minutes ago, Grumpy Owl said:

 

Exactly, the question to be asked is 'how is this the fault of consumers?' Where is all this plastic in the oceans coming from?

 

Certainly not from me, for many years now, we have all gotten used to 'recycling' plastics and cardboard, with seperate bins/bags at home. They then get taken away by the local council refuse collectors to be 'recycled', whatever happens next I don't know, but I would certainly like to believe that the plastics do end up getting recycled somehow.

 

It is not me personally dumping plastic in rivers and seas. But sadly there still are a great number of people who do not understand what litter bins are for, and will just toss away their waste anywhere, whether that be on a pavement, into a brook/river/canal, or onto the floor of a bus or train.

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/whopping-91-percent-plastic-isnt-recycled/

[Campion]

58 minutes ago, Grumpy Owl said:

 

Exactly, the question to be asked is 'how is this the fault of consumers?' Where is all this plastic in the oceans coming from?

 

Certainly not from me, for many years now, we have all gotten used to 'recycling' plastics and cardboard, with seperate bins/bags at home. They then get taken away by the local council refuse collectors to be 'recycled', whatever happens next I don't know, but I would certainly like to believe that the plastics do end up getting recycled somehow.

 

It is not me personally dumping plastic in rivers and seas. But sadly there still are a great number of people who do not understand what litter bins are for, and will just toss away their waste anywhere, whether that be on a pavement, into a brook/river/canal, or onto the floor of a bus or train.

 

I agree, whatever happened to the presumption of innocence? Some towns also have incinerators which burn the non-recyclable rubbish safely and generate some power to boot. The only landfill needed is the residual ash. 

 

Another thought just occurred to me. Plastic is demonised because it takes so long to break down in the land. But it's made from crude oil which is millions of years old and hasn't broken down any further than being crude oil in all that time. Crude is pretty toxic to wildlife too, but no-one's saying it's an environmental crisis, as long as it stays in the ground. So what's bad about burying waste plastic deep underground too, away from the water course, if you don't want to burn it?

 

Edited June 11 by Campion

[Velma]

On 6/11/2023 at 12:32 PM, Grumpy Owl said:

 

 

It is not me personally dumping plastic in rivers and seas. But sadly there still are a great number of people who do not understand what litter bins are for, and will just toss away their waste anywhere, whether that be on a pavement, into a brook/river/canal, or onto the floor of a bus or train.

 

The Scots are notorious for that, beautiful countryside is littered with trash. It's like shitting on your own doorstep.

[webtrekker]

 

 

I feel a song coming on ...

 

Plastic Jesus

 

I don't care if it rains or freezes
'Long as I got my Plastic Jesus
Sittin' on the dashboard of my car.

Comes in colors, pink and pleasant
Glows in the dark 'cause it's iridescent
Take it with you when you travel far.

 

 

 

 

[webtrekker]

I agree that plastics are over-used on trivial things, but it's nonsensical to do away with plastics altogether. As with 'Just Stop Oil,' if it ever happened most of us would die.

 

 

 

 

 

[Mr Crabtree]

31 minutes ago, webtrekker said:

I agree that plastics are over-used on trivial things, but it's nonsensical to do away with plastics altogether. As with 'Just Stop Oil,' if it ever happened most of us would die.

 

 

 

 

 

When I was a nipper I had a free gift from some cereal company or other, it was a real, pretend genuine plastic Sheriff badge with a real metal safety pin glued to the back of it, and you wouldn't know it was plastic unless you got within six feet of it!

I strutted around the local rec, pretending I was Marshall Matt Dillon, my younger brother was cast as 'Fester' and my sister was 'Miss Kitty'

[webtrekker]

22 minutes ago, Mr Crabtree said:

When I was a nipper I had a free gift from some cereal company or other, it was a real, pretend genuine plastic Sheriff badge with a real metal safety pin glued to the back of it, and you wouldn't know it was plastic unless you got within six feet of it!

I strutted around the local rec, pretending I was Marshall Matt Dillon, my younger brother was cast as 'Fester' and my sister was 'Miss Kitty'

 

 

 

You look familiar? Did I ever shoot you with my plastic Laramie rifle?

 

I used to love the 'safe' toys we played with in those days. 'Split-the-Kipper' with a sheath knife in the school field was a popular game for the young. I also remember 'practising' knife throwing with my trusty (rusty?) sheath knife into the back of my bedroom door! Ah, such halcyon days!

 

 

 

[Mr Crabtree]

On 6/19/2023 at 1:50 PM, webtrekker said:

 

 

 

You look familiar? Did I ever shoot you with my plastic Laramie rifle?

 

I used to love the 'safe' toys we played with in those days. 'Split-the-Kipper' with a sheath knife in the school field was a popular game for the young. I also remember 'practising' knife throwing with my trusty (rusty?) sheath knife into the back of my bedroom door! Ah, such halcyon days!

 

 

 

Talking of plastic I had a plastic hoop and stick and used to runaround the streets controlling the hoop with the stick as I ran!

I decided to go from Bromsgrove to the Rednal amusements by the Lickey Hills and off I went with the hoop and stick, I arrived there an hour later, and totally out of breath! I leaned the hoop and handcrafted stick against the wall of the gents toilets and when I came out some knobhead had nicked my hoop and stick! I was gutted, how would I get home without my hoop? I ended up walking home, in the rain, in my leaking plimsolls,  it took me two hours to cover the six miles, I could have done it in under an hour with my hoop and stick! And to add insult to injury, when I did eventually get back home, limping like a stray mutt, granddad asked me if I'd run down to the chemist for him?

Edited June 20 by Mr Crabtree

[alexa]

On 6/19/2023 at 1:22 PM, Mr Crabtree said:

When I was a nipper I had a free gift from some cereal company or other, it was a real, pretend genuine plastic Sheriff badge with a real metal safety pin glued to the back of it, and you wouldn't know it was plastic unless you got within six feet of it!

 

Do you remember those metal guns that took real caps & made a bang noise when you fired it ? 

[Bombadil]

Its all going off topic. Lets get back to @Velma topic please.

[Velma]

On 6/19/2023 at 12:41 PM, webtrekker said:

I agree that plastics are over-used on trivial things, but it's nonsensical to do away with plastics altogether. As with 'Just Stop Oil,' if it ever happened most of us would die.

 

 

 

 

 

I guess the genie is out of the plastic bottle, we are dependent on it for so many every day items.

 

However, there was a pre-plastic era and no-one died from lack of plastic. Things were simpler....

[alexa]

19 hours ago, Velma said:

 

However, there was a pre-plastic era and no-one died from lack of plastic. Things were simpler....

 

Yes - It's when stuff lasted too, I remember my mom, she had the same fridge for 30 years & it was still working when she got rid of it.

[Bombadil]

12 minutes ago, alexa said:

 

Yes - It's when stuff lasted too, I remember my mom, she had the same fridge for 30 years & it was still working when she got rid of it.

The saying, “make do and mend” comes to mind.  My Pop fixed everything.  I can also remember my Nan admonishing me with, “you could make a meal from those peelings.”  Everything composted. Things germinating on every window cill.

[alexa]

1 hour ago, Bombadil said:

The saying, “make do and mend” comes to mind.  My Pop fixed everything.  I can also remember my Nan admonishing me with, “you could make a meal from those peelings.”  Everything composted. Things germinating on every window cill.

 

And if was made in china you'd never buy it 

[Mr Crabtree]

20 minutes ago, alexa said:

 

And if was made in china you'd never buy it 

My gran bought two Ming vases for twenty quid the pair in 1952 and when she realised they were Chinese, she resold them in 1954 for a ten quid profit, so it wasn't all bad stuff obviously!

[alexa]

25 minutes ago, Mr Crabtree said:

My gran bought two Ming vases for twenty quid the pair in 1952 and when she realised they were Chinese, she resold them in 1954 for a ten quid profit, so it wasn't all bad stuff obviously!

 

Wow, they are worth a fortune today, but I was on a bout the tacky stuff that had made in China on the bottom of the them, isn't this where most of the plastic stuff started from ?