First day of Green Living giveaway!
You all know from my past posts how I feel about plastic. And for those of you who don't, just check out my Say no to packaging!, The bottled water debate and How to get you thinking about water posts. It's clear that I simply can't stand unnecessary packaging. My biggest packaging pet peeve has to be plastic water bottles. Most of us here in Canada are super lucky to have access to potable tap water. And because of our access to tasty H2O, we should be taking water from the tap on the go in reusable bottles, instead of heading to the store to by a bottle every time we need to quench our thirst.
What's your biggest packaging pet peeve? Subscribe to this blog and leave a reply to this question here and YOU COULD WIN a FilterForGood Prize Pack including:
Say yes to tap water!
• Brita Pitcher Water Filtration System (Grand model – 10 glass capacity)
• 3-pack of Brita Pitcher Replacement Filters
• FilterForGood reusable, BPA-free water bottle
To help Canadians kick their bottled water habit, Brita is encouraging Canadians to visit www.filterforgood.ca, and take the online pledge to reduce their bottled water waste. Since FilterForGood first launched last April, thousands of Canadians have already pledged to reduce their bottled water consumption.
Submit your response by Thursday March 19 and I'll announce the winner here on Friday March 20! Good luck!
You must be a subscriber to the Green Living blog if you want a chance at winning. So subscribe today!
For more tips on saving water, check out: Water-saving ideas for every household
March 13th, 2009 at 8:19 pm
There are so many products with ridiculous packaging - but my biggest pet peeve is the increase in snack foods that are packaged in 100 calorie servings. All that extra garbage so that corporations can attempt to control our food intake for us.
March 14th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
My biggest pet peeve about packaging has to be putting a bag of milk into a shopping bag. Let's look at this, shall we: Each litre of milk is in a bag; then three bags of milk are put into another bag by the milk company; then the store clerk puts each bag of milk into a plastic grocery bag. It's already in a bag!...just grab it by the neck of the bag and carry it. (That said, wouldn't it be nice to go back to glass bottles for milk that could be refilled).
March 15th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
Excessive packaging is my biggest pet peeve and I make a conscious effort to try and avoid it. I had to replace a TV not long ago. Why do they have to wrap every item in plastic, including the cables? What is the purpose of the thin foamy sheet? It isn't there to protect anything as it's not thick enough, the rigid Styrofoam is adequate. Everything can be secured into it. Put all the extras into a paper bag or a biodegradable bag. Or make spots in the Styrofoam form for them.
March 15th, 2009 at 7:44 pm
Double wrapped loaves of bread! Why do we require the second wrap? Actually, I prefer to go to my bakery and get fresh bread daily! They place it in a brown paper bag.
March 15th, 2009 at 7:59 pm
It is also boxes of products that get shipped to the stores from the companies that use so much plastic or cardboard by dividing the products in the box which is not always needed.
My family is trying to put foods in to containers instead of plastic. But it takes one step at a time to try to have a greener living.
March 15th, 2009 at 8:29 pm
My biggest pet peeve is the plastic 6 pack holders pop and water come in.Beside a waste of plastic the holders when thrown out can be dangerous to wild life.The can get caught around the necks and other body parts causing suffering and even death.If I end up buying these items-which is very rare I make sure I cut them up so their is no rings of plastic left
March 15th, 2009 at 9:02 pm
my packaging pet peeve is the continued trend toward more and more single serve pre-packaged food items. I know they are conveniemnt but look at all the packaging. Is it that hard to buy a large container of yogurt and put a single serving portion size into a re-usable container for lunches? There are pre-packaged single serve canned fruits, puddings, jello, juices and even fresh baby carrots...
March 15th, 2009 at 10:17 pm
Mine is the rigid bubble of plastic used with the cardboard backing to package toothbrushes,ear phones,makeup(fill in your object)
The kind that does serious damage to your hands and maybe the purchased object as you attack it with a sharp object in order to open it.
March 16th, 2009 at 1:11 am
My biggest peeve is that clear plastic packaging that is so common around different products.As well as being very difficult to cut open, often the item is small but placed on a huge cardboard backing before everything is sealed in the plastic.That is such a waste,and all that needless plastic ends up in the landfill.
March 16th, 2009 at 11:16 am
My biggest pet peeve is the plastic bags for produce. Not all produce need to be in plastic bags. There should be an option for paper bags so it can then go right into the recycling box.
March 16th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
Recently i bought refill blades for a razor and their is an insane amount of excess packaging on them.
March 16th, 2009 at 4:05 pm
the shrink wrapped packaging of course, even a knife doesn't even open it always, and it's dangerous to stab yourself
March 16th, 2009 at 5:43 pm
When a company sends you a teensy tiny thing but puts it in a giant box with lots of paper stuffing. there's no need for this.
Loulou's is famous for this. One tiny sample and a box to hold 100 of them
March 16th, 2009 at 7:14 pm
My packaging pet peeve is when they make the bottles of pills as they are not even 1/2 full sometimes and then the bottle is enclosed in a box.
March 17th, 2009 at 4:42 am
What bothers me is the amount of packaging on take out Chinese Food. So much styrofoam and plastic lids. Even the soya sauce and plum sauce comes in plastic. Then it's put in a plastic bag to take home. No wonder I eat in!
March 17th, 2009 at 5:58 am
Children's toys typically have way too much packaging. Such a shame to have to throw so much away.
March 17th, 2009 at 6:49 am
Kids toys are wrapped in so much packaging it is nearly impossible to open them. And the amount of garbage it makes is disgusting
March 17th, 2009 at 7:23 am
all that acetate packaging on so many things. We just don't need it.
March 17th, 2009 at 8:42 am
Children's toys are the worst. They are packaged so much you have difficulty opening them. Why not just stick them in one box, at least that way it is recyclable.
March 17th, 2009 at 9:30 am
Packaging for computer software!! You don't need a whole box to carry one CD! I can't believe the waste.
March 17th, 2009 at 10:58 am
Too many bags so readily given out when purchasing products at stores ; it would be nice to almost eliminate most of them!
March 17th, 2009 at 11:06 am
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March 17th, 2009 at 11:07 am
I hate pre-portioned treats. You go through the process of trying to open those, ridiculous tiny non environmentally friendly packets. I've learned to buy bulk, figure out the calories myself. It saves so much and packaging, and money!
March 17th, 2009 at 11:43 am
My packaging peeve is for kid's toys. You have to have tools just to open the plastic, IF you don't cut your hands on the edges while you're prying it open. So much plastic when they could just put it in a box.
March 17th, 2009 at 11:47 am
My biggest pet peeve is people who don't take the time to recycle. People who throw out milk jugs. cans, bottles, newspaper, etc... make me mad!!!!
March 17th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
My biggest packaging pet peeve is: I cannot stand to see packages that are grossly over-sized for the product that they contain! It should be against the law. This turns them into a billboard, not a package for the contents!
March 17th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
My biggest pet peeve is plastic shopping bags. So many get thrown in the garbage. When clothing stores offer canvas bags, people reuse them.
March 17th, 2009 at 1:45 pm
Bottled Water! What a waste... in Canada bottled water is only tested about 4 times a year... tap water is tested on a daily basis. Bottled water is sooo expensive for what you're getting. You already pay for water through your taxes.. why buy bottled water at all? Buy a waterbottle and fill it with tap water, it's better for you and it will save you money!
March 17th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
we have completely swithched to stainless steel bottles as i too have a pet peeve on plastic bottles, i also wish the grocery stores etc would just remove the plastic bags, we would all adjust soon enough and bring our own cloth bags, i think kids toys are the worst culprits as they are often packed and double packed and tied down , alot of wasted material, and snack food where they only fill half the bag with product and the rest with air, if the bag was smaller it would add up quickly how much extra packaging wasnt needed
March 17th, 2009 at 3:18 pm
Frankly I prefer the taste of tap water I have always found bottled water to mettalic. But its the waste that really gets me . Waste of money and resources!
March 17th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
My biggest peave is the toys at Xmas time. There is so much packaging on it now that you need your toolbox and hours to open everything. I know that they are trying to prevent stealing but it has gone overboard. Do they really need to sew down the hair of those barbies to the box. Toys should now include a wrench and hacksaw to remove all the excessive packaging. Make no wonder the price of everything is climbing. It's the cost of all that needless packaging.
March 17th, 2009 at 5:06 pm
My biggest packaging pet peeve would have to be large companies that couldn't figure out a way to change their packaging to more of a environmental friendly packaging
March 17th, 2009 at 5:15 pm
interesting !!!
March 17th, 2009 at 6:00 pm
My biggest pet peeve with packaging is meats...they are wrapped in plastic on a styrofoam bed with a plastic absorber underneath...can you say overkill? What happened to the days when it was wrapped in paper?
March 17th, 2009 at 6:35 pm
Costco wraps its meat in cellopane just like every other store. However Costco requires you to put the meat into another plastic bag. They say its because it could leak out. Then how come no other meat department has this as a requirement!
Unnecessary waste in my book!
March 17th, 2009 at 7:30 pm
I'd have to say that my biggest pet peeve in "Packaging" is seeing toothpaste tubes in boxes. That makes no sense to me. Why not just display the toothpaste in the tube. it's not as easy to stack that way that's why. We really have to put more emphasis on saving the planet and not commercialism.
March 17th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
My biggest pet peeve are not only the plastic water bottles, but the packaging of the water bottles and everything else we buy. My recyling box contains too much packaging from foam containers, plastic bags and plastic blister packaging. I wish we didn't need to "pretty" things up in all the marketing packaging.
March 17th, 2009 at 8:22 pm
people who don' recycle
March 17th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
When clerks double bag your purchase without asking you if you want to or finding out if you will be traveling far with them (going onto the bus versus going to your car in the parking lot just outside). Sure it may be considerate, but it is very unnecessary for some things.
I've worked my fair number of years as a cashier, and these plastic bags are strong. It's all about how you position the items in the bag that makes the difference. Even a light bag of chips can rip a plastic bag if the corner is being pressed into the bag, while you can stack four textbooks into one plastic bag and last the whole day walking around on campus.
March 17th, 2009 at 10:19 pm
My biggest pet peeve is having to use all the little plastic bags (or containers) for the bulk store for each separate food.
March 17th, 2009 at 11:27 pm
Kids toys have a ridiculous amount of excess packaging. Also, the ridiculous sized plastic covering (places like Costco) to prevent smaller items from being stollen
March 17th, 2009 at 11:53 pm
My biggest pet peeve is the amount of tissue and plastic that shoes are packed in. I work at a shoe store and with the amount of packaging inside the boxes you would think it was the finest crystal---not shoes.
March 18th, 2009 at 1:29 am
My biggest packaging pet peeve is: I cannot stand to see packages that are grossly over-sized for the product that they contain!
It should be against the law.
This turns them into a billboard, not a package for the contents!
March 18th, 2009 at 2:07 am
Kids toys - they come in a box, covered with plastic, tied in with wire, with parts encased in more plastic. It's so bad that it takes forever to open the toy, you end up with a waste pile twice the size of the toy, and I've even cut myself opening these things. Whatever happened top putting the toy in a plain old box with a picture on the front??
March 18th, 2009 at 8:07 am
Remember the Consumer's stores. NO shelves of stuff just look in the catalogue to get what you order. Too much display is a visual grab. Smaller packaging does not attract attention.
March 18th, 2009 at 10:20 am
My biggest pet peeve is also kids toys! Wow they use so much stuff that simply needs to be throw away and we are not able to recycle to hold in a toy that can't possibly move!
March 18th, 2009 at 10:55 am
My husband plays "World of Warcraft" and he asked me to pick up a card for him to renew his subscription. When I went to get it, I found out that they sell the cards in a HUGE cardboard box with tonnes of packaging. I asked my husband when I got home and found out that each little card is sold this way. I thought it was absolutely ridiculous and wrote to the company to complain!
March 18th, 2009 at 1:02 pm
Childrens toys generally have way too much packaging and make it extremely hard to open as well as a tremendous waste.
March 18th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
The amount of plastic grocery/clothing bags I see being blown around outside by the wind is disgusting.
There needs to be a nationwide law imposed at stores on how plastic bags are handled at checkout.
There are some grocery stores that are charging 5 cents/bag instead of handing them out free. However, 5 cents/bag is nothing. It's a joke really. If the cost was $1/bag or higher, people would think twice about carelessly throwing away the bag.
In the end there needs to be a ban on plastic shopping bags (some cities are already pushing for this).
An optimal solution is to use and re-use cloth bags or backpacks.
I know a ban on plastic bags isn't going to happen over night, but phasing out the plastic bags is really quite simple. For now, replace them with degradable bags. At least those would be less harmful to the environment.
March 18th, 2009 at 2:35 pm
My biggest packaging pet peeve is with printer cartridges for personal printers. Do they really need to stick a little paper thingy to each one, enclose it in shiny plastic, and then cover that with more cardboard? I hope that, as ink rates climb, more people start to refill their own or use refilling stations like Island Inkjet.
March 18th, 2009 at 4:52 pm
The worst by far is toy packaging it makes me sick clam shell plus cardboard plus twist ties and on and on and on. yikes!
March 18th, 2009 at 7:13 pm
I'm upset about the packaging on gum(chicklets). Paper packaging and then plastic around each chicklet? why?
March 18th, 2009 at 9:27 pm
people who litter
March 18th, 2009 at 9:48 pm
I hate technology accessories - say a small memory stick - packaged in tons of formed plastic. I always wind up hurting myself opening up these packages - "paper-cuts" from plastic???!!!!! and then wind up with so much waste for one little product! Ridiculous!
March 19th, 2009 at 12:25 am
My biggest packaging pet peeve is packaging that practically causes injury when you try to open it. Plastic packaging that you can't open with just your hands and when you use scissors it is still really difficult.
March 19th, 2009 at 5:04 am
Software is still crazy - big box, one CD.
March 19th, 2009 at 7:26 am
My peeve is too many Sears Catalogues. They said they would reduce catalogues but I think they have increased the number and the size of the wishbook keeps getting bigger.
March 19th, 2009 at 10:24 am
My biggest packaging peeve is food that is in a plastic package, in a cardboard box and then wrapped in more plastic, especially if it is only going to be used once. I try hard not to buy these products.
March 19th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
we bought a worm composter
March 19th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
we recycle as much as we can
March 19th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
All of the excess packaging around kids toys - they are usually small items surrounded by a huge amount of plastic wrap that you almost need a chainsaw to get through.
March 19th, 2009 at 2:40 pm
My packaging pet peeve is the clamshell bakery packages from the big grocery stores...so much so that if I am am buying a yummy lemon meringue pie, I go in when the bakery is open and ask for a cardboard carry home box instead of the clamshell...easier to open and easier to get rid of when done!!
March 19th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
My biggedt pet peeve is the fact that they are still producing styrofoam packaging. This stuff is non biodagadable and can not be recycled either. They need to create a better packaging for meats.
March 19th, 2009 at 7:19 pm
The wrappers for memory cards for cameras are waaaaay bigger than they need to be!
March 19th, 2009 at 9:58 pm
I recently bought a tv - and was APALLED at all the packaging! Every single thing had styrofoam and plastic and cardboard wrapped around it. I appreciate that they are very sensitive items to ship - but there MUST be a better way!
March 19th, 2009 at 10:28 pm
I think it is wise to get eveyone involved with recycling. In the same manner, I think packing should come so it's easy and ready for the process. Like paper thatn comes off the jars.
March 19th, 2009 at 10:29 pm
I think the cornstarch cutlery is a great idea but it hasn't caught on. Let's save the environment if we can!
March 19th, 2009 at 10:31 pm
I don't like to compalin but at the Safeway deli today, the lady threw my warm chicken wings into the bag. she never put them in a plastic container. Now I could have recycled the plastic and the bag if done properly. As it was, I almost threw out the chicken.
March 19th, 2009 at 10:33 pm
If nobody is going to recycle styrofoam, than all eggs should be packaged in the cardboard comtainers. It only makes sense. Beside, in the styrofoam, the eggs were always unprotected and cracked!
March 19th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
Is there not a way to get fast food restaurants make their customers recycle the plastics and some of the paper? I think it's riduclous that some cities fine residences that don't recycle but let the businesses do whatever!
March 20th, 2009 at 10:01 am
Hi!
Like everyone else who have replied, I hate the excessive packaging that comes on almost everything you buy today. I also hate the Tim Horton's contest..why?...the hundreds of non-winning cups that are thrown on the ground everywhere you look.
March 23rd, 2009 at 12:08 pm
My pet peeve is when they significantly downsize a product or introduce a smaller size, yet the box remains the same (or nearly the same) size. Besides being deceptive, it's wasteful.
March 28th, 2009 at 2:54 am
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