We need a TRASH DAY!

The amount of extra packaging in products is sickening. You can bet that a lot of the plastic that makes up the trash island off of the Pacific coast comes from completely unnecessary packaging, that only ever existed because studies showed that more packaging subconsciously makes most people think more product - how do we defeat this thought process in the general population, and bring everyone around to desiring products from the most intelligently run companies and businesses?

I think one way to inspire people, and bring the issue to the forefront where it belongs, would be if there were a certain day when everyone who went shopping stopped before leaving the store, and left every bit of the extra unnecessary packaging behind at the store. I don't mean litter, I mean throw it away, take it by the customer service desk and give it to them, hand it to the cashier, find whatever way to make those extra boxes, bags, labels, inserts, ads, wraps, flaps, cards, mailers, wrappers - you name it - stay at the store they were bought at.

If this were done on a nationwide or multinational scale, I think it would send a very clear message to manufacturers and retailers, that we are growing up as consumers and they need to grow up too.

[edit on 8-8-2009 by maus80]

I actually a know a guy who does this already, to the extent he even takes cereal bags out of the cardboard box and leaves them too. He used to get hassled about it but not anymore as they know him at the local store. I leave some of it at the till sometimes but not always.

Note to self - start again always leaving excess packaging.
Of course for electrical goods they state 'in case of fault' must be returned in original packaging so keep those boxes but boxes are handy anyway not like all that plastic rubbish.

On a side note as I work in recycling I do know the packaging industry is taking this on board as I have sat in on some of their meetings representing the food composting industry. They are trying to change over to biodegradeable packaging but it's going to take a while.

reply to post by johnb


I remember when I was pretty young going to an agriculture fair with my dad, sort of like a job fair. This was in the mid eighties, and more than one booth was making a big deal about how in the next decade almost all packaging would be made with biodegradables created with fully organic crops.

I wish they weren't so completely wrong, but it's great to hear this is still considered important. It only becomes viable though if people prefer it. I think it's been well proven since that time that the majority overwhelmingly consider price over environmental impact.

In this country if you drop littler you can be fined up to 80 quid. thats about $130. now i don't agree with dropping litter, but I think the that the litter that is found, the fine should go to the company that produced the packaging.

this would soon lead to all companies taking the packaging of their products a lot more seriously as you'd be hitting their profits with the fines, so thats my policy on how to reduce packaging and litter