I’m genuinely curious about how we replace packaging like this with sustainable alternatives. Do I bring my glass bottle to the store once a month to refill it? Is there a bottle exchange program, and then it has to get washed out, right?
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Yes to all of those. And also companies collecting all of the packaging they produce and being responsible for recycling them. If every company was responsible to bear the costs and burden of its own waste, manufacturing would change significantly.
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Does that mean that as a consumer I'm now obligated to bring the packaging back to the store? What if I ordered online; do I have to ship it back? Also, IME the WEEE directive hasn't done anything to improve sustainability in the electronics supply chain; it's just another cost.
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I'd love to be rid of single use plastics, but I'd like to see a proof-of-concept for the whole supply chain. How do I, as a consumer, interact with the system? Do I need to plan ahead when I go to the store to ensure I have my used bottle with me? Does it cost more or less?
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As points out, the old milkman model had a lot of benefits (problems with our current dairy farming model aside), but the reasons it fell out of favor need to be addressed, especially if consumer convenience in the form of instant gratification drives any of those reasons.
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Replying to @bmastenbrook
I've seen some stores doing the fill-a-glass-container thing. For stuff like soap, it seems like it would make the most sense to just sell it by weight. For food products, bottle exchange.
And honestly, I say bring back the milk man.
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I mean, on the one hand, costs are going to have to go up, since we're currently just ignoring the externalities of destroying our planet's capability of supporting human life. But there are definitely ways to minimize inconvenience.
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Ahhh yeah, absolutely! I'm especially interested in hearing how we can push that down to lower income folks. Can we even address consumer waste without addressing the massive inequality in our societies?
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The challenge I see is that sustainability is caught between the rich who can afford to just throw away everything, and the poor who can't afford to bear the burden of what were previously externalities. There aren't enough rich-but-sustainability-minded folks in the middle.
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And even with means, as long as the convenience burden is on me, I'll screw it up as often as not - oops, forgot to bring my reusable bags with me, but I really need something for breakfast tomorrow. I'll inevitably just go into the store anyway and hope they at least have paper.
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Food delivery is a lot more efficient than everyone driving to the grocery store on their own. They can bring it in boxes with reusable/washable bags and pick them up when they bring the next order. Similarly, they can pick up glass bottles and deal with reusing / recycling them.