How to crush 1 litre water bottles?

[LongRider]

6 hours ago, TheLastWolf said:

Boomer advice from a millennial 

Avoid buying plastic shit, carry your own bottle wherever you go

Boomer advice from a boomer, don’t lump us all together as we have plenty of variations and diversity. 
This boomer rarely drinks bottled water as she prefers tap water.   Don’t like the cost of bottled water, and hate the plastic waste it creates. 
The link goes to a company that has developed a way to use plastic waste as building blocks. 
 

https://www.byfusion.com/byblock/

[Sophelia]

48 minutes ago, LongRider said:

Boomer advice from a boomer, don’t lump us all together as we have plenty of variations and diversity. 

Yes I hope this divisive generational terminology doesn't catch on here, though I think 'boomer' is used now as an insult for 'clueless older people' - so yes just a form of 'othering' or in-group out-group signalling, but I have chosen to interpret it as a passion to educate those perceived as threatening the planet, which is a good thing however ineptly done.

[A True Kaniggit]

Use the Force. 
 

F=ma. 

[Spockydog]

7 hours ago, TheLastWolf said:

What can I say, I have the second tastiest water in the world to bathe and wash my dirty innerwear and arse 

Glad to hear you wash your arse. You'd be amazed at the number of men who don't.

These men are generally straight, so straight that they refuse to touch anyone's anus, even their own to wash it.

I still remember the shock when a woman told me that for the first time.

[TheLastWolf]

22 minutes ago, Spockydog said:

Glad to hear you wash your arse. You'd be amazed at the number of men who don't.

These men are generally straight, so straight that they refuse to touch anyone's anus, even their own to wash it.

I still remember the shock when a woman told me that for the first time.

I forgot to mention the immune system there. Consumption, not arse washing 

1 hour ago, Sophelia said:

though I think 'boomer' is used now as an insult for 'clueless older people' - so yes just a form of 'othering' or in-group out-group signalling,

If that was what was taken from my post, more's the pity. It was just something you'd hear from some wise middle aged uncle (no sarcasm, honestly) which most jerks of my age would dismiss offhand. So the b word (for sensitive woke...people)

[Tyria]

You can buy boxed and canned water in most places now. I believe both are better options for the environment (not 100% sure, but I think I read a news article on it a few months ago, but I couldn't find it on a quick search! It was either BBC or CBC, I think). 

[Sophelia]

Thanks @Tyria I didn't know that.  Will look out for those alternatives if I need any more.

Just to end the suspense, I found that stamping on the bottles was the easiest and least noisy method.  I definitely hate the things though, for me and for all the reasons mentioned earlier in the thread.  Thank you for everyone for humour and perspectives and emphasising how problematic even recycling PET bottles is.

[DireWolfSpirit]

The small plastic bottles are banned at our workplace. Everyone uses the metal tumblers and refills from water coolers throughout their shifts.

Anyways, on crushing them, would rolling a vehicle over them work?

[TheLastWolf]

1 hour ago, DireWolfSpirit said:

The small plastic bottles are banned at our workplace. Everyone uses the metal tumblers and refills from water coolers throughout their shifts

Oh no you naive utopian, you're spreading pandemics! fuck the forests and oceans instead.

Spoiler

sarc *cough* asm

1 hour ago, DireWolfSpirit said:

Anyways, on crushing them, would rolling a vehicle over them work?

Depends, if it was a nice fat SUV, maybe.

[IheartIheartTesla]

A more nuanced take than to just stop using plastic altogether is to maybe stop consuming single use plastics that are wasteful (for instance, I often see plastic spoons and forks wrapped individually inside plastic wrapping, flexible PE films are among the worst to recycle). Also avoid blended plastic types if you can, because it's really difficult to recycle mixed films stuck together.  If some of the labels on these 1L plastic bottles are peeling off, maybe take them off altogether to make it easier for the recycling process.

There are some cases where the use of plastics are potentially beneficial, for instance food wrapping with good barrier properties that extend the lifetime of the item that is being stored (as an example, beef or pork that have high carbon footprints). This has the advantage of reducing food waste, and the GHG savings are quite substantial. Finding out better ways to make food packaging recyclable (and hopefully same-cycling back into food packaging) would be the most ideal outcome.

[LongRider]

5 hours ago, DireWolfSpirit said:

The small plastic bottles are banned at our workplace. Everyone uses the metal tumblers and refills from water coolers throughout their shifts.

This is a great idea! I worked in an office of six where everyone else brought bottled water while mine was sourced from the water fountain.  Plus, since I drink instant coffee and the fountain dispensed hot water, I made coffee in a steel travel mug.  The brand of instant coffee came in a glass jar too.  

That office worked during the covid lockdown and while my co-workers complained about the shortages and costs of bottled water, they still wouldn't drink from the water fountain.  They didn't recycle either, oh and just an aside, I was the oldest one in the office and the only boomer.  

[kiko]

Why don't you return the empty plastic bottles to the shop? They should have a machine that squeezes them properly and returns them for recycling.

[Luzifer's right hand]

Just now, kiko said:

Why don't you return the empty plastic bottles to the shop? They should have a machine that squeezes them properly and returns them for recycling.

You speak of the unholy single use container deposit?  Austrian companies are afraid of that!

On a sidenote I actually just stocked up on bottled water as the recommendation is to have water for at least a week in the household in case of emergencies. There are foldable containers for filling them with tap water but individual bottles of sparkling water are still recommended. I usually have 18 1.5 litre bottles at home which I replace once per year.

[Madame deVenoge]

I would like all people who are commenting, here, to “carry your own bottle” that, at times, it is absolutely unavoidable to buy bottled water.

Here’s why:

I rinse my sinuses. Doing so with tap water is dangerous. Yes, it’s a minimal danger, but I’d still prefer a zero chance of introducing an incurable brain-eating ameba to my brain rather than a non-zero chance.

Therefore, when sinus-rinsing time comes, I choose bottled water. Yes, it is possible to boil water and then wait until it cools…but, that’s kind of impossible when staying at a Marriott somewhere. 

So, I prefer buying a 1 liter bottle of distilled water at a local Target or Wal-Mart, and doing my mixing into the neti pot with the salt packets with that water. It works. Nothing is wasted. 

I do find that particular distilled water bottle plastic to be very easily crushable for recycling. Marriott also has a recycle vs garbage, which I’m sure all major hotel chains do by this point

[BigFatCoward]

I do buy plastic bottled water. But probably re use them about 100 times each before i throw them.

[LongRider]

21 hours ago, Luzifer's right hand said:

individual bottles of sparkling water are still recommended.

I'm curious, why is sparling water recommended?

[Luzifer's right hand]

23 minutes ago, LongRider said:

I'm curious, why is sparling water recommended?

Carbonic acid has some mild antibacterial properties. Not a big thing but if you have a stockpile of stuff that is supposed to last I guess they think it does not hurt and it is way more popular than still water here anyway. Supposedly other sparkling drinks last longer too.

[LongRider]

4 minutes ago, Luzifer's right hand said:

Carbonic acid has some mild antibacterial properties. Not a big thing but if you have a stockpile of stuff that is supposed to last I guess they think it does not hurt and it is way more popular than still water here anyway. Supposedly other sparkling drinks last longer too.

Thanks!  Have often wondered about how to keep stored water clean.       Sparking water is also delicious.  

[Luzifer's right hand]

3 hours ago, LongRider said:

Thanks!  Have often wondered about how to keep stored water clean.       Sparking water is also delicious.  

Well bottled water lasts long in general. Sparkling water will lose gas over time and glass bottles will keep the gas inside longer but they are is obviously far heavier to move in case of an emergency. I mean you can store tap water but long term storage requires sanitation which is probably far more expensive than just having some bottles around and you need to replace it more often than bottled water. Long term boiling or disinfecting water would be the way to go but I'm not a prepper my collapse of society "plan" is dying. I'm just keeping the recommended stockpile of stuff for a long blackout or another catastrophe.

[LongRider]

3 minutes ago, Luzifer's right hand said:

 my collapse of society "plan" is dying. 

Funny, that’s my plan too!