RideAgainstTheLizard

Apologies, I assumed you meant using waste, i.e. packaging materials that are not easily reused, to ensure food safety. Glass is great in comparison to plastic.

When I was younger and sillier, I threw a banana skin into the river above the lower Yosemite falls in order to watch it cascade into the plunge pool below. The people in the pool below shouted at me for littering. I didn't understand because, as far as I could tell, the item was compostable.

I learned: A) The item was not native to the area B) It could attract bears C) Despite being compostable, it would take years to degrade

I agree with what you're saying, ultimately if it can decompose it should be all good. There are other factors to take into account, however, such as cleanliness and contamination.

So they would have to pay for the packaging, and upon reusing/recycling it they get the money back? It's a great idea - but who would they be paying this deposit to? The government?

Are there any examples of such food safe/isolated products that you think are justified in being packaged with single use plastic?

Aha, the question of whether washing by hand or using a dishwasher is better! Another person on this thread made a good point about the amount of uses a ceramic plate needs in order to offset the carbon footprint of its production.

So, I suppose the real question is can we use a dishwasher enough times to offset the carbon footprint of its production? I would say yes, and if we can assume that a dishwasher loads is less intensive than the same load washed by hand, then the dishwasher is better in the long run.

But what do we do with the dishwasher when it's no longer usable?...

Incredibly important point! We have to assume the local government takes composting seriously for composting to work, which we can't rely on.

The building I work in (downtown in Vancouver) doesn't even recycle (what the fuck?)

Reusable, washable ceramic wins

Thank you for sharing this! I am currently in Vancouver, so it was especially relevant :)

I guess the summary is that paper plates cost an amount to make and are used once, whereas a ceramic plate costs a larger amount to make but can be used many times. At this point it becomes a per-use question of which is more costly from an environmental perspective: manufacturing, transporting and tossing every time vs manufacturing once and washing 150 times to pay off the carbon debt of manufacturing. It seems washing is the solution!

So what you're saying is that if companies can't use their fancy packaging, they'll have a smaller profit margin on the actual good they're selling?

The system is very fucked!

True. In the grand scheme of things, everything is destined to become waste eventually, all we can do is hope that it is useful waste and aim to slow its flow. I guess if compostable waste is more clean than ceramic/metal/glass waste, that is a point in it's favour, but maybe those materials can be cleanly recycled with proper care/planning?

Haha, I like your style!

Would this be a point in favour of washing dishes then? It results in more employment, but is this considered a win for the environment in this context?

This raises a question around the environmental impact of shipping banana leaves to places where they don't naturally occur and whether they'd last that long. although perhaps it would be a by-product of the process that already brings bananas to almost every store on earth.