I saw two things at work today which highlighted how wasteful our modern, 'Western' society can be. I was on my break, eating my breakfast in the mess room, when someone came into the room - I didn't know who he was, but he evidently worked for my employer, because he was wearing a fleece bearing the company logo. He walked up to the water cooler, took one of the plastic cups from their dispenser, drew no more than a mouthful of water from the cooler, drank it, then threw the cup in the dustbin and left the room again. It all took less than a minute. A trivial, everyday occurrence, no doubt echoed in thousands of workplaces worldwide. And that's just the point. How many plastic cups are used in this way every day, then just thrown away without a second thought? The numbers must be astronomical. The incident seemed to me to be emblematic of today's 'throwaway' attitude - if something isn't perfect and new, and sometimes even if it is, chuck it away and get another one. I remember seeing an advert extolling recycling a few years ago, and although it was undoubtedly simply the company concerned - Shell - doing a bit of 'greenwashing' of their image, the tagline stuck in my mind. 'Don't throw anything away - there is no "away"'. It's a big world, but certainly not infinite, and people would do well, in my opinion, to remember that.
The second example of waste is, in a way, even more unconscionable. Over the past weekend, the night shift obviously had some time on their hands, and decided to check through the items that had been left in an uncomfortably overstuffed fridge/freezer in the mess room. Someone had written out a list of the items that had been found to be past their 'use by' date, and had been thrown away. It filled an A4 sheet, which had been stuck to the fridge door, and included items going back to June last year. And it wasn't, for the most part, 'bargain basement' stuff - a lot of the things came from the likes of Marks & Spencer, Waitrose and Sainsburys (the 'posh' end of the market, for those not familiar with UK food retailers). When so many people in this country, let alone those in the so-called 'developing' countries, have so little, this kind of heedless waste is something I find extremely distasteful.
Love & best wishes to all
Sammy B
I must agree...I see the pictures after the Occupy people leave and cringe at the number of plastic water bottles left behind. We still have those 5 gallons bottles of water brought in, and the little plastic cups as you describe, too. Drives me crazy.
ReplyDeletePeace <3
Jay
Sammy One question:
ReplyDeleteDo you have a deposit system, so that bottles made of glass or plastic or metal can be recycled?
Nikki
Hello Jay
ReplyDeleteI'm sure there must be a better way of packaging and dispensing everyday items, but, no doubt, it's always the most 'convenient' option that wins out, irrespective of the amount of waste generated. Plus, of course, there are the vested interests of those selling the packaging and dispensers, who have their noses in the trough with the best of them. I don't want anyone to think I've suddenly become a tree-hugger, but gratuitous waste, as I said, is something that irritates me.
Love & best wishes
Sammy B
Guten Tag Nikki
ReplyDeleteMost recycling in the UK seems to be under the aegis of local authorities, and the success of the various schemes varies considerably. The scheme in Cornwall is pretty user-friendly, with fortnightly collections, and, a year or two ago, was one of the most successful in the country, judged by percentage of waste recycled. We are able to put cans, glass and plastic bottles, paper and cardboard out for the recycling collection, and take various other, larger items to our local recycling centre a mile or two from home, and as a result, at a guess, we probably only put about half as much rubbish out for the regular refuse collection as we did a few years ago. Not exactly world-changing, but a contribution, at least.
Love & best wishes
Sammy B