One of the worst things about moving house is packing up the junk that has been accumulated over the years. The last time I moved, I swore that if I had to do so again I would ditch the vast majority of articles, manifesto’s and paper cuttings, which though at the time seemed relevant, have no bearing on today’s changing world. With that in mind, last Saturday afternoon became “pruning”day. One of the first items out of the box was a collection of early Green Party pamphlets, highlighting the need to reduce packaging in the food industry. Yes you’ve guessed it, an hour later and I was still reading them and nothing had been thrown out. The process of “clutter detox” was then interrupted by the need for a trip to the Metro Centre to cater for Father’s Day (stay with me on this, honestly the tale is going some where). Not my favourite place, but the visit only involved book shops, so why not?
Feeling a bit peckish and with half an hour to fill, my wife and I decided to rough it and visit McDonalds, and it’s here that the story becomes relevant. I have never seen such a complete waste of cardboard, paper, plastic and cellophane in my life. Even though we had to only travel about five yards to our seats, the following waste was generated for a single burger, chips, and one drink.
- BURGER – wrapped in greaseproof paper, placed in cardboard box.
- CHIPS – cardboard container, not full by any means
- DRINK – Straw came with paper packaging, cups placed in cardboard holder made to carry four not two items.
- Five paper napkins
- All food placed on a tray with paper tablemat, containing only advertising, (which actually happened to be the same items that were also advertised on walls and at the till.)
- Enough pre packaged salt to generate a heart attack on the spot.
The mess outside the outlet and in the malls was astronomical, with cleaners constantly filling black bags and emptying bins of half eaten McDonalds packaged remnants.
What’s the point of this tirade? Two things.
On packaging, why all the containers etc, when I’m actually eating at the table? I’m capable of carrying a cup of Coke and a tray with a burger and chips placed on one plate, so why all the boxes. Why five napkins, fortunately I can manage to eat and hit my mouth at the same time. And all that pre-packaged salt, it was virtually murder!
However, the main issue here concerns the main focus of Labour’s environmental and green policies. Currently, it is the public who are being targeted, with cameras in bins, waste taxes and bin men putting your wheelie on a set of scales before it is emptied. Whilst all this is going on, McDonalds, Burger King, Kentucky Fired Chicken et al, are generating enough needles waste to fill a landfill site on their own. Before Miliband demands that the public save the environment, perhaps he should make the business world get its house in order first. Retail waste, particularly in the food world, severely out weighs (literally) that produced by homes. What the Green Man has failed to grasp is the fact that if the likes of Bird’s Eye reduce their packaging, the consumer has less to throw away as well.
Start the changes at the top of the chain, not the bottom.
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