Plastic Cr*p!

I am delighted to hear that many of the imported toys will not be making it to our shops for Christmas! I had a walk around a toy superstore with the wife a couple of weeks ago and was disgusted with the amount of PC there was on sale. Todays toys are tomorrows landfill or worse, ocean fill. I remember seeing folks singing the praises of "last forever" plastics many years ago. I see the results of "failed" plastic parts regularly and these failures are becoming positively dangerous in mechanical, automotive and electrical environments. "Old" technology may have been overdesigned but it oulasted the throwaway society that we now find ourselves in. Before you buy a plastic toy for your young ones, check if it is recyclable first. Many plastics are not!!! The other problem is that they are transported half way around the world to be "dumped" on our doorsteps!

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Originally Posted by tixntox

I am delighted to hear that many of the imported toys will not be making it to our shops for Christmas! I had a walk around a toy superstore with the wife a couple of weeks ago and was disgusted with the amount of PC there was on sale. Todays toys are tomorrows landfill or worse, ocean fill. I remember seeing folks singing the praises of "last forever" plastics many years ago. I see the results of "failed" plastic parts regularly and these failures are becoming positively dangerous in mechanical, automotive and electrical environments. "Old" technology may have been overdesigned but it oulasted the throwaway society that we now find ourselves in. Before you buy a plastic toy for your young ones, check if it is recyclable first. Many plastics are not!!! The other problem is that they are transported half way around the world to be "dumped" on our doorsteps!

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Has it taken you this long to work it out?

Even if it is recyclable, we then transport it half way back around the world and dump it back on their doorstep. An endless cycle of waste.

Occado do my home delivery. Everything is packed in plastic bags - at least 30 a time - but it's OK because they take them back next time to recycle. But … but … that's the whole problem isn't it? I wouldn't mind if they re-used the bags, but the amount of energy wasted to recycle a bag that's only been used once to carry other packaged goods is ridiculous. Just put it all loose in the massive plastic boxes they put the bags in?

We need to get away from the idea that recycling is good because although better than doing nothing, it really isn't good.

JUST USE LESS PACKAGING!!!

I fully agree with the sentiments, toddlers and young kids end up knee- deep in plastic toys at Christmas and eventually most will end up in land- fill. All environmental concerns go out if the window when parents and grandparents are mentally in the kiddy- zone!

As the owner of two young (and quite frankly feral) children I can't stand all of the rubbish plastic toys they both own. they break so easily and mostly come with countless flimsy parts/accessories. We're showered with them every xmas and birthday and the worst thing is that they only actually care about a couple of toys at any one time anyway, I'd argue that they'd both be happier with a handful of toys than the gazillion each of them own, as they would likely value them more.

we've reverted where possible to buying well made (often wooden) toys especially for the baby. At least they'll be in good enough shape by the time they've finished with them for one of their little cousins or friends to use.

It’s a bit early to complain about Christmas plastic c***!! The shops are full of Halloween plastic c*** which, I imagine, has the shortest “useful” life. I agree it’s shocking and flies in the face of any environmental concerns expressed. You can’t have your heating on because it damages the environment but we can trade as much short life plastic across the world as you can make.

Makes me laugh that McDonalds claim in their TV ads that the plastic tat they give out gets recycled. About 0.1% of it, I imagine.

“Don’t panic but start planning early”. Aka the shops will now be ransacked in short order!!

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Originally Posted by reecie

“Don’t panic but start planning early”. Aka the shops will now be ransacked in short order!!

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I think I heard the official announcement was, Don't panic buy ahead of Christmas..3,2,1,

Christmas alone must be responsible for a huge amount of plastic and food waste every year - think of all the tinsel, glitter, decorations and plastic tat you and your parents have gone through in your lifetime, plus all the gluttonous nonsense filling the supermarkets every year (a lot of which ends up in the bin). But because it’s Christmas, anyone pointing this out is labelled as a Scrooge. Good will to all men, sod the planet we all live on apparently!!


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Originally Posted by RobDad

Christmas alone must be responsible for a huge amount of plastic and food waste every year - think of all the tinsel, glitter, decorations and plastic tat you and your parents have gone through in your lifetime, plus all the gluttonous nonsense filling the supermarkets every year (a lot of which ends up in the bin). But because it’s Christmas, anyone pointing this out is labelled as a Scrooge. Good will to all men, sod the planet we all live on apparently!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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+1.........Santa's carbon footprint is huge!

Just like everything else, the amount of plastics should be controlled by taxing them. Simples.

This has been going on since the late 60s. 'Made In Hong Kong' was stamped on lots of my toys in the 70s. Then it became 'Made In Taiwan' followed by 'Made In China' on everything, plastic or otherwise. All landfill fodder and all non-biodegradeable.

Plastic toys are a plague on humanity alongside the new fad for plastic carpet for gardens, as for Christmas its one saving grace comes along a few days later - in the form of bubble and squeak [emoji7]

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Originally Posted by Gruntfuttock

This has been going on since the late 60s. 'Made In Hong Kong' was stamped on lots of my toys in the 70s. Then it became 'Made In Taiwan' followed by 'Made In China' on everything, plastic or otherwise. All landfill fodder and all non-biodegradeable.

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ouch, I’d put on your flack jacket

We've been trying to cut down on plastics for a few years now but it isn't easy. It's always depressing buying something online that's double, triple wrapped in plastic inside a cardboard box, (although if you bought anything from me on SC it probably came bubble wrapped covered in polystyrene quavers that we've collected and re-used time and time again through the years) but we have a fantastic toyshop near us that sells lovely wooden toys that our grandsons love to visit when they come to stay.

It's not just toys, there's a great website we use, itsallaboutyou.co.uk that sells eco alternatives to things you didn't even realise were harmful to the environment and we also have a small local refill shop, as I said it isn't easy to cut down on plastics but every little helps as they say.

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Originally Posted by bigvic

We've been trying to cut down on plastics for a few years now but it isn't easy. It's always depressing buying something online that's double, triple wrapped in plastic inside a cardboard box, (although if you bought anything from me on SC it probably came bubble wrapped covered in polystyrene quavers that we've collected and re-used time and time again through the years) but we have a fantastic toyshop near us that sells lovely wooden toys that our grandsons love to visit when they come to stay.

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Those 'polystyrene quavers' are usually made from corn starch nowadays. They will dissolve in water and can be composted (or even eaten?).

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Originally Posted by Gruntfuttock

This has been going on since the late 60s. 'Made In Hong Kong' was stamped on lots of my toys in the 70s. Then it became 'Made In Taiwan' followed by 'Made In China' on everything, plastic or otherwise. All landfill fodder and all non-biodegradeable.

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I can remember that 'transition' from Hong Kong but also the bigger one from when a lot of toys were made (much more locally) of tin and or wood, along with a lot of our household goods...and many of my childhood toys were repairable using a soldering iron, epoxy resin or wood glue.

Had a giggle at my three year old grandson, when he spent more time in the "garage" in his all singing, all dancing plastic BMW, than driving the car. The "garage" was the cardboard box!

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Originally Posted by Kingstepper

Those 'polystyrene quavers' are usually made from corn starch nowadays. They will dissolve in water and can be composted (or even eaten?).

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That’s very good to hear. How can you tell?? Apart from trying to eat one, obviously.

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Originally Posted by David_D

That’s very good to hear. How can you tell?? Apart from trying to eat one, obviously.

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Put one in a glass of water, should dissolve right away. Real polystyrene totally insoluble.

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Originally Posted by Kingstepper

Put one in a glass of water, should dissolve right away. Real polystyrene totally insoluble.

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Excellent. All we need now is water soluble bubble wrap.

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Originally Posted by David_D

Excellent. All we need now is water soluble bubble wrap.

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Should be possible, water soluble pouches/bags exist.

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Originally Posted by Kingstepper

Those 'polystyrene quavers' are usually made from corn starch nowadays. They will dissolve in water and can be composted (or even eaten?).

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Yes the corn starch ones are more commonly used nowadays but we've still got a huge box full of the old ones that have been collected over the years and reused for packaging like the yards of bubble wrap in our shed.
I assume most folk on here do the same thing and reuse the packaging as many of the items I've bought on the SC have been well wrapped in old bubble wrap, which is great.