I could have titled this as just waste created by living daily, but wanted to focus it down a little more. I feel kind of like im the crazy one that sees this insane waste when eating at restaurants, wrappers, cups, drink carriers going right in the trash, billions per day. Its insanity if you think about it.

I’ve at least been never using cup lids or straws and never taking drink carriers when theyre offered (what a massive waste of cardboard!). Then most of the waste is at least paper from the bag and wrapper. Still not great. And yes, I know the solution would be “cook at home!” But that also wastes a lot of freshwater from dish washing, and sometimes it’s just nice to eat somewhere else.

I wonder if this is just something you notice as you get older. Then again older peiple probably waste the most, but I’m just guessing.

  • partial_accumen@lemmy.world
    80·
    2 days ago

    But that also wastes a lot of freshwater from dish washing

    I’m going to pick on this one point. A high end dishwasher appliance only use 2.4 gallons (9L) of fresh water, while even average dishwashers use about 5 to 6 gallons. To put that in perspective an 8 minute shower likely uses 17 gallons.

    So dishwashing is a tiny tiny waste, if you can even call it a waste.

    • neidu3@sh.itjust.worksMEnglish
      33·
      2 days ago

      Another point of (minor) contention for me is the fact that fresh water isn’t a limited resource in many parts of the world. Sure, some places it is, but a default of needing to save on water seems like a very limited frame of mind in the same way one shouldn’t assume everywhere needs to focus on retaining building heat by recycling waste heat.

    • AugustWest@lemm.eeEnglish
      11·
      2 days ago

      I agree dishwashers are efficient. It also sounds like you are talking about a home model. A commercial model in a kitchen is about 2 to 4 times more efficient. We are talking like maybe a gallon per 100 dishes kind of thing.

    • JayleneSlide@lemmy.world
      5·
      2 days ago

      Your point is spot-on. Fully agreed: modern dishwashers are way more energy- and water-efficient than manually washing dishes. Like at least an order of magnitude.

      I personally struggle with this one for different reasons. Energy and water consumption are a very tight concern since I live on a sailboat. I can’t just crank the tap to get more water. Marine health is also a concern since, ya know, it’s all around me, and I eat some of these critters around my boat. Surfactants in detergent are deeply problematic in the environment and are not removed by most wastewater treatment. Moreover, surfactants impede wastewater treatment because of the emulsification interfere with aerobic treatment (Poland seems to be actively working on the problem). FWIW, manual dish detergent also has surfactants, especially SDS/SLS, so manual washing is not a panacea.

      I don’t think there is a “right” answer to be had. But it sticks in my craw both ways.