It’s very likely that if you look around right now, you’ll see at least a few plastic items nearby. (Unless you enjoy reading Bored Panda in the serenity of a forest or some other place yet unspoiled by a human’s touch.) That is because nowadays plastic is everywhere around us, from gadgets to school supplies, decor items, and furniture, among many other things. As a matter of fact, we use it so much that global plastic consumption has increased six-fold since the 1980s.
We put our food in plastic boxes, things in plastic bags, even cover ourselves with plastic if need be (a poncho on a rainy day can surely come in handy). While these plastic items can be reusable, some can’t; and to make matters worse, they might also be completely unnecessary. Today, we have listed pictures of some of the most excruciatingly useless plastic packaging, which you can find below; but beware, they might make you reasonably upset with where the world is headed.
In order to learn more about plastic and its impact on the environment, Bored Panda got in touch with an expert in plastics production and processing, Professor at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, John Vlachopoulos, and he was kind enough to answer a few of our questions. You will find his thoughts in the text below.
#1 Ordered 20 Iron Nails. They Came Individually Packed In Plastic
Image credits: Zornhauhesus
The absurdity of such packaging is often summed up in jokes saying “if only there was a natural way to safeguard this item” and referring to a peeled banana covered in plastic wrap; and unfortunately, there are quite a few examples of such packaging.
Fruits and vegetables peeled of their natural protective layer only to be covered in an artificial one doesn’t really make sense, right? It’s not cheaper, it’s not more environmentally friendly, or more delicious, so why are they sold like that?
Well, there is one solid reason for the pre-peeled or pre-cut and then packaged foods. It’s important to note that some people, the elderly or the disabled community, for instance, do benefit from such items, as they might find it difficult to peel or cut fruits and vegetables themselves. Yet, unfortunately, it’s not only food that tends to be wrapped in plastic, and often, quite excessively.
#2 Disposable Masks In Styrofoam And Plastic Wrap For $1 Only
Image credits: wackodindon
#3 Individually Wrapped Peppers That Are Used For Salad And Pre-Cut Into 1/4s Just To Have To Be Cut Again Into Smaller Pieces
Image credits: 6packobeer
Professor Emeritus at the Department of Chemical Engineering at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada and expert in plastics production and processing, John Vlachopoulos, suggested that excessive packaging is most commonly used for marketing purposes.
“Excessive and fancy packaging makes products appear of higher quality than they really are,” he told Bored Panda in a recent interview. “Such packaging materials are frequently thrown away, and they end up in rivers, lakes and oceans. They are not really recyclable.”
#4 HelloFresh Packed 5 Cloves Of Garlic Separately In 5 Plastic Bags
Image credits: Ok-Instruction-9586
#5 We Ordered Two Paint Pens From Staples
Image credits: Vytian
The fact that a large portion of plastic packaging can’t be recycled makes it a problem of unfathomable gravity, considering the amount of such plastic that is thrown away. Data provided by WRAP, a climate action NGO, shows that roughly 141 million tons of plastic packaging is produced globally each year, which has to end up somewhere.
As Prof. Vlachopoulos pointed out, it often ends up in rivers, lakes, and oceans, endangering all sorts of aquatic species. (To make matters worse, according to WRAP, plastic production, use, and disposal affects air pollution, too, by contributing to carbon emissions by 1.8 billion tonnes annually.)
According to Plastic Oceans International, a US-based non-profit, roughly ten tons of plastic are dumped into our oceans every year. To put it into perspective, that’s a garbage truck load of it every minute.
#6 If Only Nature Would Find A Way To Cover These Tomatoes So We Wouldn't Waste So Much Plastic On Them
Image credits: satanfan12
#7 Plastic Packaging For A CD Disk, But Without A CD Disk In It
Image credits: britishtacox
#8 Why Is The Ocean Filling Up With Plastic?
Image credits: Ac_50
Plastic Oceans International also revealed that as much as half of the plastics produced every year are made for single-use purposes. That means they are used for a few brief seconds, but then left—be it in an ocean, a landfill, or elsewhere—for hundreds of years to come.
Unfortunately, basically everyone—myself included—is adding to the problem of the baffling amount of plastics, and other packaging materials, that are discarded every year. Back in 2021, EU reports estimated that every inhabitant of 27 European Union Member States and some non-EU member countries, generated roughly 189 kilograms of packaging waste.
Paper and cardboard reportedly comprised the largest part of such packaging waste, adding up to 34.0 million tons in 2021, followed by plastics (16.1 million tons) and glass (15.6 million tons).
#9 Costco Anti-Wrinkle Abomination
Image credits: geeroseworld
#10 Packaging For Pre-Peeled Bananas
Image credits: Bubbleteade
#11 Ordered A Replacement Bolt From Trek, This Is The Amount Of Packaging It Came In
Image credits: FormerCrow97
Considering that each and every one of us contributes to the problem of (plastic) waste, we can at least determine the extent to which we are willing to do it (even if fully withdrawing from using plastic nowadays is close to impossible).
According to John Vlachopoulos, even though boycotting such things as excessive plastic packaging can be quite difficult to implement, reducing the consumption of plastic—or everything else, for that matter—can be a good idea.
But the expert emphasized that the solution to the global problem is not only reducing consumption, but—most importantly—minimizing the impact on the environment; and one of the ways to do it is recycling.
“In Norway the plastic water (PET) bottles are over 97% recycled, while in the EU about 60% and about 30% in the USA. People should stop throwing cigarette butts in the streets, too, as they will end up in lakes, rivers, and oceans,” he pointed out.
#12 This Is How I Received My New Sim Card In The Mail
Image credits: Humanius
#13 Reusable Bag... Sold Inside Styrofoam Tray And Plastic Wrap
Image credits: nitra
#14 This Is How We’re Suffocating The Earth In Plastic
Image credits: StonePineJack
Dr. Vlachopoulos continued to note that it’s not only the visible items, such as said cigarette butts and truck loads of trash, that end up in bodies of water, but small plastic particles, too. That’s why he emphasized that things such as minimizing microplastics from washing machines can have an impact on the level of water pollution.
“I recently bought a washer-dryer, and the dryer has a screen for collecting lint. There is no trap for the microplastics shedding each time I wash my clothes, though,” the expert shared.
“About 30% of microplastics in the oceans and lakes are from washing clothes, 30% from car tires. There are some contraptions that can be applied to laundry machines, but they’re difficult to find and use. Legislation by governments is needed; no washing machine should be sold without a trap for microplastics.”
#15 The Marshmallows In This Bag Come Individually Wrapped
Image credits: A_Talking_iPod
#16 Individually Wrapped Gummy Bears
Image credits: OniTale
#17 Coles Need To Get It Together. A "New" Pointless Plastic Product. 5 Individual Plastic Bottles Wrapped In Plastic
We can recycle as much as we like, but as long as corporations don't change, we don't stand a chance. This planet is doomed.
Image credits: JJGLC92
Even if they don’t have a microplastic-catching contraption on their washing machines, people understand the severity of the microplastic problem. Statistics show that the vast majority of them—83% to be exact—strongly or somewhat agree that such particles pose a serious environmental issue.
Nowadays, people seem to be more and more mindful of their impact on the environment in general, as well as willing to take action personally to combat related challenges.
#18 Just Why
Image credits: SirBreadSticks
#19 Ordered 5 Nail Polishes From Amazon
Image credits: 22trenchcoats
#20 Saw Somebody Post A Pic Of Plastic-Wrapped Potatoes. I Raise To You, Plastic-Wrapped Coconuts
Image credits: b1g_tun4
The director of the food waste program at the Natural Resources Defense Council, Elizabeth Balkan, pointed out that lately, there have been powerful shifts in consumer awareness regarding single use-items, such as straws and bags.
“People are starting to see that the dependence we've formed on these things—we can undo it, if we wish to. And not having them—it might not make our lives any harder or more complicated; it could even make them much better,” she told National Geographic.
#21 Why Is There So Much Packaging For A Single Claritin? Isn't This Wasteful?
Image credits: Dana-Mite
#22 14 Pieces Of Unnecessary Packaging And "Freebies" For A Tiny 15 Ml Spray From Paco Rabanne
Image credits: bobtwells
#23 Not Only Is It Egregious, But It's Infuriating
Image credits: LosPenguiinos
It’s not only individual effort that is changing the situation one straw at a time, as entire countries are taking action to combat the problem, too; and it seems to be working (to some extent, at least).
Green News reports that more than 100 countries now have full or partial bans on single-use plastic bags. In the nearly a decade between 2010 and 2019, the number of public policies seeking to phase out plastic carryout bags has tripled.
#24 My School Started An Eco-Friendly Project By Giving Out Apples To Students
Image credits: BunKuro
#25 Fruits That Are Already Protected Naturally, Wrapped In Plastic
Image credits: xNeech
#26 These "Save Our Planet" Cups Are Individually Sealed In Plastic At Our Hotel
Image credits: Arial7
According to Prof. John Vlachopoulos, the old adage ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ is always modern, which is why caring for the environment shouldn’t be just a short-term trend.
If you’re looking for ways to help make our planet a more livable place for both humans and other species likewise, or if you would like to learn more about the wonderful eco-friendly initiatives out there, check out Bored Panda’s piece on a community dedicated to environmentally friendly matters to find both.
#27 All Of This For One Purse (Cat For Scale)
Image credits: Almond_Roses
#28 Why Does This Garlic Have A Plastic Wrapper?
Image credits: jibclash
#29 My Eco-Friendly Packaged Toothpicks Are Individually Wrapped In Plastic
Image credits: Wind-wheel
#30 Hello Fresh Sent My Carrots For One Meal In 8 Separately Sealed Plastic Bags
Image credits: dweber618
#31 Hypocrites At Sobeys Grocery Store In Halifax, Nova Scotia
Image credits: houseoffools11
#32 Even My Toddlers Were Like "Father, This Seems Rather Egregious For Three Plastic Boards You Ordered At The Same Time From Amazon"
Image credits: kevin0611
#33 Individually Packed Olives My Roommate Bought
Image credits: Fit-Consideration299
#34 This Aluminum Can Comes Wrapped In Plastic
Image credits: Celtic-Bhoy
#35 I Ordered 20 Books And All Arrived Individually Packaged. 3 Are Still Missing
Image credits: ArchSyker
#36 Anti-Plastic Book Wrapped In Said Plastic
Image credits: Qudufy_Duck
#37 Xfinity Was Giving Away Reusable Straws At An Art Fest. The Straw Is Wrapped In Plastic, Then Put In A Cheap Velvet Pouch, Then Wrapped In Plastic Again. Way To Save The Environment Xfinity
Image credits: ikiru71
#38 Ordered 150 Washers. This Is How They Were Packaged
Image credits: CoolBeansCook
#39 A Very Special Tomato I Guess
Image credits: FreelanceNursePH
#40 Such A Waste Of Plastic
Image credits: Alexii2
#41 This Needlessly Large Packaging For A 20 Mm Sized Micro SD Card
Image credits: GuardingxCross
#42 Purchased A Year's Worth Of Zinc Tablets Online. To My Surprise, I Got 6 Bottles Instead Of 1. These Pills Must Be Pretty Big, I Thought
Well... No. The bottles were 90% empty. All 360 tablets fit in a single bottle. What a waste.
Image credits: reddit.com
#43 My Chef Saved $2.50/300 Units If They Come Individually Wrapped. So I Spent The First Hour Of My Shift Unwrapping Them
Image credits: DarthSkat
#44 The Amount Of Unnecessary Plastic That This Toy Package Has
Image credits: Carbohydrate838
#45 The Amount Of Packaging Amazon Used For A Single Box Of Brita Filters
Image credits: halfbean
#46 If Only Oranges Came With Their Own Protective Packaging So We Didn't Have To Use Plastic
Image credits: c08306834
#47 This Is How They Send My Contacts. Every. Year
Image credits: dankenport
#48 The Amount Of Packaging Required For Me To Buy The Additional Equipment I Need To Use My iPhone
All of this would have come in the phone’s box five years ago, but Apple decided to stop including them to cut down on packaging and waste.
Image credits: BeckburyWolf
#49 Why? For What Reason? To What Possible Advantage?
Image credits: derek139
#50 These Peeled Avocados Are Wrapped In Plastic
Image credits: averhaegen
#51 Individually Wrapped Lemon Slices
Image credits: andreayenchen
#52 Why So Much Plastic
Image credits: CookieMod
#53 Costco Sells A Tiny Sachet Of Saffron In A Bulk-Sized Spice Container
Image credits: illBelief
#54 My Daughter Got An American Girl Kitchen For Christmas. 40+ Pieces All Individually Wrapped In Non-Biodegradable Plastic
Image credits: StewartsObscenity
#55 I’m So Glad That My Fragile Gloves That I Ordered With Something Else Came With Padding
Image credits: The_Tran_Dynasty
#56 Seen At Target - 2 Apple Slices X 6 Plastic Bags, In A Plastic Box
Image credits: Lance_stole_my_blood
#57 If Only Oranges Came Into Naturally Crafted Packaging
Image credits: Spigaw
#58 Picked Up An Order From Walmart That Had 50 Items. Every Single Item Came In Its Own Plastic Bag No Matter Its Size
Image credits: aussielover24
#59 Ordered 27 Books From Amazon In A Single Order. Got 27 Boxes With 1 Book Each Delivered
Image credits: sousaj
#60 The Amount Of Plastic Bubble Packaging Amazon Used To Ship Me Padded Envelopes
Image credits: Kbaker48
#61 Every Wrapper Holds Three Smaller Wrappers That Each Contain 6 Individually Wrapped Candies
Image credits: Dispari_Scuro
#62 This Store Individually Wraps Eggplants In Plastic
Image credits: The_Cheese108
#63 Some Sort Of Chip My Coworker Received
Image credits: Shaldoz
#64 The Amount Of Packaging For One Of These
Image credits: Steveo131
#65 Bananas Now Need Packaging It Seems
Image credits: jigsaw153
#66 Every Utensil Individually Wrapped When They’re Just Gonna Be Washed Before Use Anyways
Image credits: reddit.com
#67 Sliced Onions In Plastic Packaging
Image credits: Joma1009
#68 Am I Crazy For Thinking This Is Ridiculous?
And before anyone says “produce goes in little plastic bags anyway” - this particular market’s bags are all biodegradable and offer only paper bags at checkout counters.
Image credits: idyemyeyebrowsblack_
#69 Plastic-Wrapped Drinks At My Local Grocery Store
Image credits: CollarDifficult3932
#70 This Adapter Package
Image credits: lennuh
#71 Hundreds Of Single, Overpriced, Individually Wrapped And Stickered, For $2 Each At Coles… Just What Struggling Families Need This Easter (More At Entry And Counters Too)
Image credits: jaayjeee
#72 Individually Wrapped Vegetables In A Vietnamese Supermarket
Image credits: Spencerzone
#73 The Amount Of Plastic Wasted On The Packaging Of This Knife
Image credits: Danegler
#74 My Father Ordered 15 Fence Posts… Legends Tell Of A Second Truck, Out There Somewhere Going To Deliver The Last One
Image credits: reddit.com
#75 Yeah, Definitely Needed Two Separate Boxes
Image credits: reddit.com
#76 The Cafeteria At My Job Just Started Packaging All The Fruit
Image credits: Imaginary-Cricket903
#77 This Box Of Swedish Fish Has Everything Individually Wrapped In Plastic
Image credits: Butterboy657123
#78 This Is Why Our Planet Is Collapsing
Image credits: GreenerDay
#79 The Box And What It Was Used For. Ordered From An Ink Supplier
Image credits: SomeKindaMonstur
#80 My Reusable Metal Straws Came Individually Wrapped In Plastic
Image credits: reddit.com
#81 My Friend Bought A Writing Glove Online. It Could've Fit In An Envelope. But No, Let's Put It In A Box That Could Fit A Small TV
Image credits: TheOneFlanimal
#82 Must Have Been Out Of Envelopes
Image credits: mhenning
#83 To "Package Thoughtfully" And "Reduce Impact"
Image credits: Aquillyne
#84 Bought A Box On Amazon, And It Came Delivered In A Box, Which Was Also In A Box
Image credits: GollySvenGolly
#85 Two Sleeves Of Pills Came In The Box Of 10
Image credits: jmfb8878
#86 Biodegradable Coffee Pods Come In Individually Wrapped Plastic
Image credits: lucv825
#87 All This Plastic For Just 5 Toothbrush Heads
Image credits: howtheeffdidigethere
