I am not an eco-warrior by any stretch of the imagination. Indeed, my impact upon the world’s resources would doubtless make many a hippy burst into floods of tears. However, on the flip side of the argument I am not that environmentally reckless either. I always recycle just about everything possible; paper, card, metal, plastics, glass. I take my used batteries to be recycled, and the same applies to my empty printer cartridges. I don’t often throw things away when they break because on the whole I have the skills and patience to repair them. But I found myself descending into a state of irritated muttering yesterday when I unwrapped four new shirts that I have bought. Why? Well because of the absolutely ridiculous amount of packaging that was used to market and present them. Here is a photo of the unnecessary waste material from just four simple shirts:
It’s madness! What the hell is wrong with a simple coat hanger? I could at least re-use that in my wardrobe. AND it wouldn’t leave the new shirts in a crinkled mess. AND I wouldn’t have needed to devote ten minutes of my life trying to remove it all from my new clothing. Well then Next, are you listening? I like your clothes but would you kindly stop taking the piss and think about your packaging; a shirt does not need to be molly coddled in this way. Just hang it on a hanger and I’ll still happily buy it.
I’ve noticed that supermarkets are getting just as bad. I was in my local store the other day and I found a pre-prepared plastic tray containing cling film wrapped new potatoes. Errr – what?!?!?! It’s a flippin’ potato for goodness sake. Just dig it out of the ground, wash it under the tap for 30 seconds, and then cook it. It’s hardly complicated, is it? Then I saw bags containing grated cheese. Agggggghhh! Don’t even get me started on the pre-grated cheese.
Sadly this reflects rather poorly upon our society, and it proves just how lazy we’re all becoming as a species. Fortunately there is an alternative, and it’s one from which supermarkets need to learn. Local food businesses do still exist, and they still sell very good quality fresh produce but without all of the faff. Take my local greengrocer for example – One enters the store, one takes a brown paper bag from the hook on the wall, and then one proceeds to fill one’s bag with whatever items of earth covered fruit and veg happen to take one’s fancy at the time. The bag is then weighed at the till, during which one can have a very decent conversation with the shop keeper about what’s in season and ought to be tried, and one then hands over considerably less money than would be necessary at the supermarket. It’s fantastic, it’s fun, it’s sociable, and it’s actually a rather refreshing experience. So with such an agreeable alternative on offer, how on earth have we descended into this absurd state of affairs whereby every item of food has to be packaged and presented in such a prissy, namby-pamby way?
Well I’m revolting; and not in the modern accepted sense of the word that will have some of you tittering under your breath. I’ve decided to abandon the supermarkets for my basic needs whenever possible, and I’m going to use my local independently owned butcher and greengrocer whom both have shops which are very near my home. In fact they’re in the same street, within easy walking distance, and I now get service from friendly people who know what they’re talking about. Sainsbury’s – watch out – because I’m sure that I’m not alone.
