Comments on: Moan Of The Week

By: Pete Smith

Pete Smith — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 00:51:01 +0000

You don’t say what the box was made of. I guess a large cardboard box wouldn’t weigh much more than a small one, and is easily recyclable. I know that internet suppliers like Dabs.com use a limited range of box sizes, and things often arrive rattling around in a big box containing mostly fresh air. Maybe the biggest downside of this approach is in the delivery chain. If boxes are on average twice as big as they need to be, they will require twice as many truck miles to deliver them. Life cycle analysis, anyone?

By: Bioplastics

Bioplastics — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 15:14:23 +0000

I asked for a pen sample once and a few days later, a massive box arrived. Initially, I thought they’d sent several samples and some other samples…but there are the bottom of the box was a single pen. A complete waste – we didn’t buy from them on that basis alone!

By: Pete Smith

Pete Smith — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 14:43:05 +0000

I’m not sure of anything, just reporting what I was told. It does sound a bit odd.

By: matt

matt — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 13:14:37 +0000

‘Rot after a few days’; really!? How very bizarre. Never heard of such a thing. You sure it wasn’t their science students cocking up a biodegradable packagings project.

By: Pete Smith

Pete Smith — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 10:57:27 +0000

OK, one quick email to the circulation department and I’m being taken off the list. The nice lady had this to say about plastic:
“We have been looking into biodegradable plastics. Unfortunately, the ones available to us ‘rot’ after a few days and produce a funny smell. I know, for many people, this is fine but we can’t risk it really. Also, it costs 3 times more..”
Interesting about the rotting time. I wonder how many bags like that got caught in the postal strike and ended up in a smelly slimey pool on the floor. A nice contrast with the supposedly compostable packaging Sainsbury’s use for their organic veg, which is still intact in my compost bin months later.