A disgruntled Redditor posted a photo on the r/Anticonsumption subreddit to share the counterproductive practices of a company that sells biodegradable bags.
The user, who works at an "environmentally/socially conscious" grocery store, captioned the photo, "Unpacking/stacking these biodegradable bags means tearing each one individually out of a plastic bag."
Upon closer inspection of the biodegradable bag's label, it reminds customers that the packaging is recyclable and "to please dispose of it responsibly," only adding to the irony of the situation.
"I wouldn't have been so taken aback if they were all in a large bag but the individual wrapping in (fairly thick) plastic seemed ridiculous," the original poster said.
While the effectiveness of biodegradable bags has recently come into question, there's no doubt regarding the harmful nature of plastic waste.
Plastic packaging accounts for 36% of all plastic production, and approximately 98% of single-use plastic products like the one seen in the post are made using dirty energy sources like oil. These energy sources greatly contribute to the overheating of our planet and the intensification of extreme weather events.
Furthermore, plastic products typically end up in landfills or littering our oceans instead of getting properly recycled, endangering the natural ecosystem and lives of countless species.
The post unsurprisingly elicited plenty of frustration in the comment section.
"How THEE F*** does this occur in the lifecycle of the conscious supplier-provider-retailer end of things if they are to be believed and trusted?" asked one Redditor.
"At a bare minimum, the need for end to end transparency needs to be mandated," another responded.
One user provided a potential explanation as to why each bag was individually wrapped in plastic, but they were disappointed nonetheless.
"Perhaps the worry is they'll come in contact with weathering effects in transport and the plastic bag is to protect against that. One bag is superior to many but if that's necessary it's quite sad," they wrote.
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