50 Times Product Packaging Was So Wrong, People Couldn’t Stay Silent (New Pics)
Interview With Expert
In this day and age, finally, more and more people are realizing that all that plastic, paper, and everything else that encases the items we buy, ends up in a landfill somewhere. Let’s face it, this amount of plastic waste is not good for the environment or anyone else. Many businesses are coming around to this idea. But a few seem stuck in the past.
The “Egregious Packaging” online community exists to name and shame companies that insist on massive paper and plastic waste. We got in touch with Kathryn Kellogg from Goingzerowaste.com to learn more. So get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote your favorites, and be sure to comment your thoughts below.
This post may include affiliate links.
Ordered 5 Nail Polishes From Amazon
Always choose same day shipping and 9/10 arrive in different boxes.
Amazon Put Air Pillows In With My Shipment Of Bubble Wrap
Wasteful Packaging Should Be A Crime
Bored Panda got in touch with Kathryn Kellogg, founder of Goingzerowaste.com and she was kind enough to answer some of our questions. Firstly, we wanted to know what exactly is the harm in waste from packaging.
“The materials used to package our items all have an environmental impact. For example, to make plastic, the raw material crude oil must be extracted from the earth in an unsustainable manner, usually through fracking. Then it must undergo processing in a fossil fuel-powered factory where it is transformed into moldable plastic. Next, it must be shipped to warehouses or stores, which typically requires gas-powered trucks to transport.”
Since Oranges Don't Have A Natural Packaging
Pure Absurdity
I Was Worried When I Noticed I Had A Damaged Package Outside. Turns Out It Wasn't An Issue
“All these factors have a high carbon footprint. Not to mention the end of life of our packaging, especially plastic, is another thing to consider. Only 5-6% of plastic is recycled while the rest ends up in our environment or in landfills. So when we can reduce packaging waste, I think it's important to do so,” she shared.
For F**k's Sake
These "Biosmart" Straws That Come In A Plastic Bag, With Smaller Plastic Bags Inside For Each Individual Color
Honestly, paper straws are absolute nonsense anyway. I'm 100% sure that the only reason why there were outcries about plastic straws it that DuPOnt lost their patent for plastic straws. Then there were those awful paper straws (we all remember then, absolutely useless things that fell apart in any drink) and now we have paper straws with with PFAS to make them waterproof. PFAS is made by DuPont and it may be little bit toxic. Oh, and PFAS is not biodegradable.
Individually Wrapped Lemon Slices
Given the downsides, we were curious to hear her opinion on why companies still insisted on acting this way. “Some of it has to do with cost: It’s cheaper to buy virgin plastic than recycled, for example. But another factor for brands is keeping up with trends and marketing. Brands want to be unique and catch your eye, and one way they can do that is through packaging.”
Two Sleeves Of Pills Came In The Box Of 10
Over Packaging A Laptop Charge Cord
Some Sort Of Chip My Coworker Received
I wonder how much is so that someone cannot easily lose a small but potentially expensive package. Not an excuse, obviously, but I wonder if it's part of it.
“Sometimes, this leads to excessive, over-the-top choices. Also, if they are selling their products through a third party, like Amazon, sometimes they don’t have control over how their products are shipped and packaged,” she shared with Bored Panda. One reason to keep shaming companies is the simple fact that they tend to just not keep their own word. Despite pledges to reduce plastic waste, every single big company that has made these promises has also failed to actually implement them. The Coca-Cola Company, Nestle SA, and PepsiCo are some of the largest plastic polluters in the world.
Literally W H Y
I've seen this in previous BP posts and people have said it is because they are microwavable, and the plastic helps with the steaming or something, but you don't need the plastic wrap to microwave a potato, sweet or otherwise. They microwave just fine on their own without any kind of covering.
My Chef Saved $2.50/300 Units If They Come Individually Wrapped. So I Spent The First Hour Of My Shift Unwrapping Them
More Single Use Plastic Please
Many of these same companies actually obstruct attempts by governmental and NGO efforts to limit plastic waste. So the excessive plastic seen here is just one symptom of a larger issue, where large companies are willing to flood the planet with disposable plastic just to get a slightly better bottom line. Naming and shaming is the least any of us can do.
This Nail Polish Probably Felt Like It Pulled Up In A Rolls-Royce
17-Inch Box For A 2-Inch Item, Including Whole Printed Spiel That It Was “Thoughtfully Packaged” To “Reduce Impact”
This Tin Of Individually Wrapped Assorted Jelly Beans I Got As A Gift
So we wanted to know what else people could do at home. “A simple swap everyone can do to cut down on plastic waste is just ordering less takeout. Takeout containers often come in plastic, and with smaller plastic packets (think ketchup pouches, soy sauce holders, etc.) and can be hard to recycle. Always check with your local guidelines first of course before wishcycling these items. Going to a restaurant or eating at home more is a simple way to reduce plastic waste and use up what’s in your fridge. Try incorporating one or two more home-cooked meals into your week than you already do: It’s okay to prep it ahead of time too, if that’s easier.”
47,785ml Of Packaging For 5.4ml Of Product. These Boxes All Came From The Same Warehouse Together
I save the brown paper and use it for many different things--- for grandkids to color on (it's big enough to have them lay down and draw their outline and have them color on clothes etc), gift wrap, cut patterns for sewing projects, drawer/shelf liner and put in the top of the bags to absorb liquid when I vacuum seal meats.
Ordered A Wood Comb To Avoid Using Plastic. No Luck From A Company Ironically Named Healthandyoga.com
This Box Was For One Little Ds Game
As I said previously, I wonder how much of this is to attempt to prevent easy loss during shipping. I imagine that a game seller might regularly be incurring a "game lost in transit" issue if they are not in a game case and so small and misplace-able. Or even easily pocketed.
“You can reach out to companies and brands about their packaging. Write them an email expressing what you love about their product, then go into their packaging and explain why it’s a problem. Maybe they’re using excessive packaging, or it’s hard to recycle plastic packaging. Whatever it is, be honest. You may inspire them to change their packaging for the better!”
Forgot About This Gem...this Was 12 Years Ago But I Believe That Was About An 18-In Ruler And It Was Absolutely The Only Thing In That Box
Not Sure What The Point Of The Plastic Wrapping Is… What A Waste
A Presentation Case For A Single Tube Of Toothpaste. It’s Recyclable, Forgetting That They Could Just Not
That would need to be some super amazing toothpaste for that price.
While paper waste is downright annoying, plastic waste is considerably worse. After all, paper can and will break down over time, as anyone who has left a cardboard box in the rain can attest to. Plastic, on the other hand, generally refuses to cooperate and will be around for a long, long time.
Interestingly, even though it does appear that the combination of shopping and excessive packaging would be the main culprit in terms of plastic waste, this is not actually the case. Packaging only accounts for 5% of municipal solid waste in the United States. While the examples here are extreme, it’s worth noting that many companies have adopted more eco-friendly packaging.
Seen At Target - 2 Apple Slices X 6 Plastic Bags, In A Plastic Box
I think it was that way so it’s easier to pack for kids lunchs
Can't Be Too Careful!
No, no, that's for YOUR protection. It's such an amazing picker-upper that if not well separated, it will suck the moisture from the air, from people around it, the great lakes would deplete within days.
All This Space Just For A Scoop
Unfortunately, a lot of plastic waste is generated by the sorts of things that we don’t see. It’s a lot easier to shame a business for wrapping bananas in plastic bags than it is to call out agricultural companies for the sorts of irrigation pipes they use. Of course, this doesn't mean that companies should be let off the hook just because someone else is polluting more.
Every Damn Fork Was Individually Wrapped
Last Time It Came In An Envelope
Just Got A Pair Of Headphones, Why Is The Box So Big
A better question is if you're going to pack it "safely" why is it jammed in a corner with packing on two sides? If the packing is for protection it's not working. Anyway, I'd guess this is as case of the shop doesn't have smaller boxes available. That's not an excuse for a company like amazon, but it's not surprising if it's bought from a smaller electronics shop. I worked as a storeman for a year or so. We would get our stock in bigger boxes (like 50 items in them). Then of course people would order just a couple items. So we had a room with dozens of the original big boxes and we'd try to re-use the ones that are the closest size. Sometimes a box like the example above was the closest option.
Some might argue that, due to recycling, plastic waste isn’t, ultimately, that bad. In a perfect world, they would be right. However, in reality, roughly 9% of all the plastic we produce is recycled, the rest is incinerated or just waiting around to biodegrade, a process that will take way too long to even consider.
The good news is that biodegradable plastics do exist. However, they aren’t the silver bullet many of us would prefer. For one, they may produce methane gas when decomposing, which is sort of counterproductive on the face of things. Still, they at least can be gotten rid of, while traditional plastic might outlive the pyramids.
Hannaford Supermarket Hoping To Sell You *a* Donut
“Eco-Box” Wrapped In Plastic
Giant Box To Ship Five 4x6 Photos
"Gift Of Nothing" Is The Gift Of Egregious Packaging
Ridiculous
Pixy Stix
A Fanny Pack
I Was Delighted When Ca Started Free Lunches At School. Early Dismissal Means I'm Seeing It For The First Time And Am Now Horrified
This is a problem in every school district and other institutional cafeteria in the U.S. If they buy anything in bulk, or want to serve anything pre-assembled like a salad, or offer anything to be taken out of the room like the sandwiches and snacks my college cafeteria sold between meal hours, it's going to be delivered to them in plastic. The way to make a difference here is to target the distribution companies, because the schools have no better options.
So Much Damn Packaging For Only 42 Pills. The Sheets Were In The Smaller Boxes Which Were Then In The Big Box
All This Plastic For Just 5 Toothbrush Heads
This Briefcase Sized Toothbrush Head Pack
The Box And What It Was Used For. Ordered From An Ink Supplier
One Medium Dog Food Tray, Humongous Box
This Potato I Found For Sale At Walmart Earlier. It’s Just A Regular Potato. You Can Microwave Those Anyways
You’re supposed to microwave it in the plastic wrap. You’ll hear almost a squeal noise during the cooking process. I think it’s 7 minutes. When it’s done, use tongs, or oven mitts to put it on a plate and remove the plastic. Believe it or not, it does work. You get a fluffy baked potato. I had a friend make me one.
Individually Packaged Slices Of Bread
Why? For What Reason? To What Possible Advantage?
Why Individually Package Them In Plastic 2 Packs When They're Already Wrapped??
Too Much Package For 3 ‘Gourmet’ Cookies. Found At Sams Club
Somehow Both Too Much And Not Enough
No. Seeing the size of the bowl and the box, this is in no way "too much" packaging. This box is too small, full stop. It needs to have enough space around it to cushion the sides, and the whole box needs to be filled to prevent movement and jostling of contents. This box is not big enough and the wrapping wholly inadequate.
Included A Lipstick In A Target Pick-Up Order. They Said It Was Out Of Stock Locally, But They Could Mail Me One
Just Ordered A 140cm Shower Bar… Maybe I Ordered The Entire Bathroom
This Microphone Preamp Came In A Absurdly Large Box
All Of This For One Purse. (Cat For Scale)
First Time Purchasing From This Brand In Over Five Years And I Was Appalled By Their New(?) Packaging
The Box For My PC's Cpu
You want a lot of packing for a CPU since it's fragile. But that box is awful. If it's jammed against that corner there is no protection from impact.
Ordered Two Lightbulbs. One Came In This Box. The Other Came In A Normal Sized Box
Reminds me of something funny I heard once. Think about how batteries are packaged—thick plastic with cardboard around and you can hardly cut through the plastic it’s so heavy duty. To protect those batteries. Compared to so-fragile lightbulbs, which are packaged in barely-there corrugated thin cardboard, and not even closed- open at the top and bottom! It’s so true! Had to laugh and now wonder how light bulbs make it anywhere unbroken.
This Is The Packaging For 8 Serving Utensils From Crate And Barrel. (Banana For Scale)
This Needlessly Large Packaging For A 20mm Sized Micro Sd Card
"Eco Friendly" Soft Toys All Individually Wrapped In Single Use Plastic
Excuse Me Sir But There Was A Devastating Lack Of Non Environmentally Safe Packaging, Don’t To Worry I Fixed It. Be More Careful Next Time
All This For Some Spirit Gum :/
Way Too Much Packaging For Some Batteries 🤦♂️
There's a reason for this. These are lithium batteries that require a hazmat sticker(s). The lables at amazon are decent size and by law these lables cannot be folded over edges, the box has to be thick enough to accommodate this.
The Tomato Aisle In My Local Grocery Store Made Me Sad
Was The Paper Seriously Supposed To Keep The Two Items From Moving Around In This Huge Box?
Got My Battery Today From Amazon. They Didn’t Even Add Bubble Wrap Or Craft Paper
Wait, Why Wrap Compostable Poo Bags In Plastic?
they might be water soluble, so need the plastic wrap in case the box gets wet.
A Bag With A Box Of 2 Packs Of 2 Individually Wrapped Chocolate Bars
Each Brownie-Butterscotch Bite Inside The Tray Was Individually Packed
A Single Circular Barbell (Butter Knife For Scale)
This Is Just Infuriating
Change Wiper Blades On Two Vehicles And Win This Pile Of Bs!
Bought 2 Vinyl Records. One Came In A Normal Slim Cardboard Sleeve, The Other Came Like This
I'd prefer a vinyl album came with more packaging than less. Too easy to break in transit.
Individually Plastic Wrapped Chocolates In A Plastic Bag
Arby’s Gave Me 4 Fry Containers
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The real lesson is here is to stop shopping online! Who are these people who either a) can't go to the grocery store or pharmacy to pick up a single battery or bottle of nail polish, or b) can't wait a few weeks with it sitting in thier virtual cart to ship with other stuff? Everyone wants everything now now now in the perfect color immediately and they can't wait four days or go to the store. Just stop buying stuff online. These are the same people who then complain about stores closing or downtown areas being ghost towns. Whose fault is that?
Batteries can easily be bought in a store but buying them in person won’t save malls from closing down. Nail polish doesn’t have the variety of brands and colors in a grocery store that you get online and it’s not realistic to wait for a nail polish emporium to open up in town to buy your favorite shade.
Load More Replies...
Alot of this is package size availability. You think they have a box tailored for every size item being sold?
Indeed. I mentioned on one of the posts that we used to re-use boxes we received the wholesale stuff in when we mailed it out to customers. We'd always use whatever the closest size box was. You'd think Amazon would have more sizes, but I wouldn't be surprised if they did a cost analysis and realised it was cheaper to have half a dozen different size boxes than two dozen different sizes.
Load More Replies...
I can also take some big box, put something small in it while not showing the original content, snap a photo and have an internet story.
I know that there are some really problematic packaging/product discrepancies, but I think there are also a lot of people who do what you suggest for the ragebait.
Load More Replies... The most of the online ordered stuff begs the question: Why? These were common goods one could and can find easily at local shops and be picked up by everybody doing the shopping rub
Beg the question is supposed to be a type of circular reasoning where the premise of the question preassumes the answer. People have used “beg the question” wrong so much that Oxford updated their definition to include “raise the question.”
Load More Replies... I can beat every one if these. About ten years ago, I used to support servers and storage. HP shipped license keys on a printed piece of paper. HP also has a minimum box size they used from the storage side of the house. I received a 12"x 30"x 30" box stuffed full of packaging, and inside of that was a bubble wrap envelope, and inside of that was a plastic envelope, inside of that was a paper envelope. Inside of that was a single piece of paper. The best part, we ordered 8 licenses, we received 8 of these boxes, ON A PALLET, SHIPPED AS FREIGHT. The most facepalm part, the inner plastic envelopes were shipping envelopes for UPS. All they had to do what slap a label on them
I learned the best way to ship fragile/delicate items from working in an auto repair shop of all places. We would repair MFDs for Prius vehicles (the fancy touch pad that controls the air/radio/gps/etc). When we mailed them back, we wrapped in two layers of basic bubble wrap and put into a box that just BARELY fit around the entire unit. Make sure the MFD does NOT move around inside the box when shaken. Then we put that box in a slightly larger box, filling all sides with bubble wrap until nothing moved inside the larger box when shaken. Although it used 2 boxes, the bubble wrap was minimal and we had success in all but some very extreme cases on shipper negligence.
Lol, my country is very much the opposite, they will fit giant stuff in a small box.
I love Fisherman's Friend cough drops. They are the only thing that stops my cough first thing into my mouth. But they come in a heavy plastic pouch that only holds 20 tablets, the pouch will last one thousand years. I wrote to the company, asking could they please pack them in a cardboard box, or at least sell more tablets per pouch. Never heard back.Shame on you, Fisherman's Friend!
I guess that everyone who posted the nonfood items lives hundreds of miles from the nearest store.
The only logical explanation is that they're being shipped by cat lovers who know your feline companion will enjoy the larger box.
Depends on the post but a few were the big box being used because it was the last item in a box full of them at the warehouse.
Load More Replies...
The real lesson is here is to stop shopping online! Who are these people who either a) can't go to the grocery store or pharmacy to pick up a single battery or bottle of nail polish, or b) can't wait a few weeks with it sitting in thier virtual cart to ship with other stuff? Everyone wants everything now now now in the perfect color immediately and they can't wait four days or go to the store. Just stop buying stuff online. These are the same people who then complain about stores closing or downtown areas being ghost towns. Whose fault is that?
Batteries can easily be bought in a store but buying them in person won’t save malls from closing down. Nail polish doesn’t have the variety of brands and colors in a grocery store that you get online and it’s not realistic to wait for a nail polish emporium to open up in town to buy your favorite shade.
Load More Replies... Alot of this is package size availability. You think they have a box tailored for every size item being sold?
Indeed. I mentioned on one of the posts that we used to re-use boxes we received the wholesale stuff in when we mailed it out to customers. We'd always use whatever the closest size box was. You'd think Amazon would have more sizes, but I wouldn't be surprised if they did a cost analysis and realised it was cheaper to have half a dozen different size boxes than two dozen different sizes.
Load More Replies... I can also take some big box, put something small in it while not showing the original content, snap a photo and have an internet story.
I know that there are some really problematic packaging/product discrepancies, but I think there are also a lot of people who do what you suggest for the ragebait.
Load More Replies... The most of the online ordered stuff begs the question: Why? These were common goods one could and can find easily at local shops and be picked up by everybody doing the shopping rub
Beg the question is supposed to be a type of circular reasoning where the premise of the question preassumes the answer. People have used “beg the question” wrong so much that Oxford updated their definition to include “raise the question.”
Load More Replies... I can beat every one if these. About ten years ago, I used to support servers and storage. HP shipped license keys on a printed piece of paper. HP also has a minimum box size they used from the storage side of the house. I received a 12"x 30"x 30" box stuffed full of packaging, and inside of that was a bubble wrap envelope, and inside of that was a plastic envelope, inside of that was a paper envelope. Inside of that was a single piece of paper. The best part, we ordered 8 licenses, we received 8 of these boxes, ON A PALLET, SHIPPED AS FREIGHT. The most facepalm part, the inner plastic envelopes were shipping envelopes for UPS. All they had to do what slap a label on them
I learned the best way to ship fragile/delicate items from working in an auto repair shop of all places. We would repair MFDs for Prius vehicles (the fancy touch pad that controls the air/radio/gps/etc). When we mailed them back, we wrapped in two layers of basic bubble wrap and put into a box that just BARELY fit around the entire unit. Make sure the MFD does NOT move around inside the box when shaken. Then we put that box in a slightly larger box, filling all sides with bubble wrap until nothing moved inside the larger box when shaken. Although it used 2 boxes, the bubble wrap was minimal and we had success in all but some very extreme cases on shipper negligence.
Lol, my country is very much the opposite, they will fit giant stuff in a small box.
I love Fisherman's Friend cough drops. They are the only thing that stops my cough first thing into my mouth. But they come in a heavy plastic pouch that only holds 20 tablets, the pouch will last one thousand years. I wrote to the company, asking could they please pack them in a cardboard box, or at least sell more tablets per pouch. Never heard back.Shame on you, Fisherman's Friend!
I guess that everyone who posted the nonfood items lives hundreds of miles from the nearest store.
The only logical explanation is that they're being shipped by cat lovers who know your feline companion will enjoy the larger box.
Depends on the post but a few were the big box being used because it was the last item in a box full of them at the warehouse.
Load More Replies... 