On the other hand, many of the things packaged in plastic also degrade, and might be fine for their safe shelf life in either biodegradable plastic or a container with that type of lining. Other liquids could be packaged in glass.

[–] CleoTheWizard@lemmy.world 1 points 7 months ago (1 children)

The issue isn’t material choice. It’s that plastic can’t be replaced by most materials because of the current function of our containers.

Let me pitch it like this: go to the grocery store. It’s all plastic. The meat? Plastic container. Milk is in plastic. Water in plastic. They’ll even put your potatoes in a pre-packaged plastic sack.

So the issue is that plastic has made its entire niche and therefore is irreplaceable in that niche. Whereas if we would swap over to reusable milk containers and dispensers or refillable chip bags, we’d be miles ahead even if those were all made of plastic still.

The problem isn’t containers, it’s the existence of disposable packing being the only option.

[–] asdfasdfasdf@lemmy.world 1 points 7 months ago

Why do potatoes need to be wrapped in plastic at all?