Germany to meet EU guidelines to ban single-use plastics by 2021

Re:Germany to meet EU guidelines to ban single-use plastics ... by pbhjpbhj on Tuesday July 07, 2020 @04:35PM (#23763738)

That describes the behaviour I see in the UK very closely.

I wonder about supermarket food in particular. Most of it comes in at least one layer of single use plastic - I think plastic can be the right product, but it would need reusable plastics that are standardised and used across different companies products. A bit like how nearly all Chinese takeaways use a variant of a cheap but reusable plastic container (but they're not quite standardised, particularly the radius of the lid corners).

I'd love to see say 20 different allowed packages, you return after use, they're cleaned (or recycled if damaged), and used for more food. No more half full tubs carefully concealed with labels!

I wonder what the stats say vs GPs impressions of Austin?

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Germany to meet EU guidelines to ban single-use plastics ... by andrew_eit on Tuesday July 07, 2020 @04:40PM (#23763789)

Is it still common in the UK to find portioned or chopped servings of fruit, vegetables and food items in plastic packaging? I always found that a bit excessive, though convenient. This is something that I rarely see in Germany.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Germany to meet EU guidelines to ban single-use plastics ... by nicoburns on Tuesday July 07, 2020 @05:25PM (#23764279)

It is common to have both options in the UK. Most people go for whole vegetables, and the chopped versions are seen as convenience options. Kinda half-way to a ready meal.

You do also get whole vegetables in plastic packaging, but there has been a push to remove this. I believe one of the major supermarkets (Morrissons) has recently removed all plastic packaging from fresh produce.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Germany to meet EU guidelines to ban single-use plastics ... by wiredfool on Tuesday July 07, 2020 @04:47PM (#23763854)

Ireland and the UK wrap all the Fruit and Veggies in more plastic than I've seen anywhere else. It's probably the biggest contributor to our waste stream in my house.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Germany to meet EU guidelines to ban single-use plastics ... by reaperducer on Tuesday July 07, 2020 @05:14PM (#23764149)

Visit a store in Japan.

Piece of fruit wrapped in cling film, shrink-wrapped in plastic, tucked into a foam lattice, placed into a styrofoam mold, put in a box, wrapped in paper, then wrapped again by the shop, placed in a small bag that goes into a larger bag.

Even as an American, I never really knew wastefulness until I started going to Japan.

[ Parent | on HN ]