The very large jar that you see in the picture was a solution waiting for a problem. Actually, it spent a week or two as a problem. It seems that a lot of useful looking manufactured goods these days are modeled on good old fashioned design but they scrimp on the materials. This jar’s sealing mechanism had wire that was too thin and week to withstand normal use. I was planning to return it but some heavy twine that was wrapped around three artichokes inspired me to try to fix it. A few minutes of fiddling turned it from useless to useful. The next day we ran out of sugar and I walked next door where the shopkeeper dutifully recorded the weight of the jar (about 800grams) before filling it with about 3kg of sugar. The conventional way to buy sugar here is in 1 or 2 kg plastic bags. I think one of the things that makes retailers love plastic is it’s negligible weight. When you are at a typical supermarket buying a bulk item that you have placed in a plastic bag or tub, you are often paying for the plastic when the cashier weighs your item.
My neighbor probably thinks I am weird for bringing my jar over for sugar and my bowl over for eggs. I am getting used to it.
February 28th, 2009 at 4:39 pm
[...] in a position to offer advice about avoiding this kind of tangential consumption of plastic. The sugar that I buy here arrives at my neighbor’s store in a 50kg woven polypropylene bag. The chances [...]
February 28th, 2009 at 4:58 pm
[...] in a position to offer advice about avoiding this kind of tangential consumption of plastic. The sugar that I buy here arrives at my neighbor’s store in a 50kg woven polypropylene bag. The chances are [...]