blondie9504`s poll Show results | Hide results

thebigtomato (871.6 days ago)
And, I`m not trying to start a fight because *gasp*, I don`t recycle at all (I know, I deserve to be chucked out a 10th story window onto the interstate and flattened by a semi...), but plates are the EASIEST thing to wash so I don`t understand why people would use disposable PLATES of all things. I don`t use disposable anything, but if I DID, it would be plastic cups because washing glasses SUCKS! LOL

thebigtomato (871.6 days ago)
We only use disposable dishes at cookouts.

graciesmomma (872.6 days ago)
I agree with RobinG. The reason we mostly use paper plates is because I`m a single mom with a nine year old. When she is here, our meals usually consist of sandwiches or something very easy (she is a picky eater). If I`m by myself on the nights she`s with her dad, a lot of times I`m eating popcorn or cereal for dinner (LOL--I`m pregnant, ok?). So, no, I wouldn`t use them for three meals a day, but we do use them for toaster waffles, sandwiches, bagels, etc. When I actually `cook,` is when we use regular plates.

pooka (872.7 days ago)
I`m gonna have to recycle my butt off to make up for all my garbage karma accrued tonight!

jenakers (872.7 days ago)
Pooka is a heretic of paper plates! ; )

pooka (872.7 days ago)
I`m using paper plates tonight for my 15 y/o`s party.. mostly cause im scared his clumsy teenager friends will break mine LOL

leelers (872.7 days ago)
True summer, I must have read something wrong ;) Although it really does shock me how many people don`t care... I don`t know how people can`t feel guilty about throwing away all that trash when it can be recycled and purposly make more trash just for personal convenience.

jenakers (872.7 days ago)
You know what I like is the little tiny paper plates. Big enough for a small sandwich. I use those. If you have a bagle or sandwich you can reuse them. No, Pooka, I don`t use plastic utensils. They are to flimsey. I did use plastic spoons when my son was a baby and we were on the road. They were perfect for mixing bottles on the fly. I usually just wiped them off with a paper towel but, if I didn`t have one would toss it. BTW can you believe this has sparked so many comments?

RobinG (872.7 days ago)
Paper plates are used with sandwishes, cheese and crackers, bagels, toast etc etc. finger foods ~ rarely would I need silverware but if I do it is regular, not plastic. I never use plastic ware unless a party or something.

pooka (872.7 days ago)
just curious if people who use paper plates regularly also use plastic cutlery or do you use normal silver wear and wash it? Not an attempt at an argument just pure curiosity.

leelers (872.7 days ago)
I don`t think we should be bashing anyone on their beliefs, especially when they are being environmentally responsible. I for one do recycle, and I recycle everything and I have been doing so since I was a child. I actually got my elementry school to recycle, LOL yes I know I`m a dork but I think it is important. It kind of bothers me that it is trendy to be `boho` or hippie now since now I don`t look like a crazy hippie bag lady anymore, I look like a bunch of midschoolers lol! Anyways, I am glad that at least some people are starting to care, regardless if it is a trend. On the paper plates, I do have them in my house but I only use them at the pool or bbq`ing. In Az they do not recycle paper plates or paper towels so I limit my use on those. I would rather buy paper than plastic plates though, paper will eventually decompose plastic never will.

RobinG (872.8 days ago)
We use paper here and there ~ I use it for my kids. When you camp you can burn the paper plates. :) We dont use them all the time but often for the kids. Its just easier for kids. I dont use them for dinner, only lunch really. And for those who think I am being lazy, how about you come to my house and watch my autistic child so I can wash dishes :P Sometimes you make choices that need to be done to make life run smoothly ~ you choose the better of the two evils :)

AngieP (872.8 days ago)
I would if I didn`t feel so guilty about the environment. It would be sooo much easier. Sometimes I do but it is very rare.

pooka (872.8 days ago)
I use reusable shopping bags but the other day I read an article on how they tested them for fungi and bacteria and they were TEAMING with nasty crap!! It grossed me out so bad.. make sure to WASH yours regularly!!! yuck yuck it grossed me out so bad LOL

jenakers (872.8 days ago)
Oh yah, I do the tp rolls to. The junk mail is enough to fill the recycling on its own! Until I started regularly recycling, I had no idea how much packaging went into products. Frozen dinners are the worst offenders IMO. Are we off the subject? Sorry, I think we turned this poll into our own personal chat!

graciesmomma (872.8 days ago)
LOL, pooka! I think the idea is that we all do what we can, right? Using reusable shopping bags, driving more fuel-efficient cars, and teaching our kids the importance of taking care of our environment are good places to start. There are just some conveniences that are hard to give up. My mom did cloth diapers with my little brother and I still have nightmares about that! ha ha

pooka (872.8 days ago)
gracie I did make a poll on recycling a month or so ago and it was amazing the amount of people who don`t recycle at all. I`m one of those obsessives, I even recycle toilet paper tubes and box tops.

pooka (872.8 days ago)
I use disposables although I would LOVE to use cloth. I just know my realistic limits of having a 15 year old, a 11 year old, a 17 month old and a baby on the way, myself and my husband .. coupled with my huge dislike of laundry I would never be able to keep up. When I had my first son I did use cloth though, but it was just me and him. I do however use environmentally friendly laundry soap and nothing with bleach, I wash on cold and have an new energy efficient washer and drier. So I guess I do what i can in that regards.

jenakers (872.8 days ago)
Oh, DO IT GRACIE. I want to see the pro/con to disposable diapers. Has anyone seen the SNL skit where they eat dirty diapers to protect the environment? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OX1mmn0ujFk Pooka, do you use disposable?

graciesmomma (872.8 days ago)
We could start another poll about recycling...but I`m about to start filling the landfills with disposable diapers. :( However, we have boycotted bottled water in our house. We have a filter instead.

graciesmomma (872.8 days ago)
I have a tiny dishwasher (I think the person who remodeled my house added it in as an afterthought because my kitchen isn`t that small). Anyway, I have found that paper plates work best for my daughter and I unless I spend a lot of time cooking a nice meal. Plus, they work great as painter palettes!

courtenay (872.8 days ago)
no that is such a waste imo and totally irresponsible

jenakers (872.8 days ago)
It wasn`t in print. It was an NPR interview. I believe it was on `Open Line` about a year ago. The whole discussion started off with disposable water bottles..which are horrible. I`m not disagreeing with anyone on this. It is just interesting to not only look at it from a trash perspective but a manufacturing, water and fuel for hauling recycling. It sucks we`re out in the country and don`t have a lot of storage for recycling. It made me wonder is the net effect doing us any good for me to haul recycling with a 20 minute round trip to do so.

MummyLJ (872.8 days ago)
I agree with pooka. And it seems like once the paper plates have been made, packaged, and shipped, the environmental impact is way more than washing and reusing. I try to avoid single use products as much as possible. It`s also cheaper to use cloth napkins- you`re washing place mats, table cloths and dishtowels anyway, so it`s not really extra water.

pooka (872.9 days ago)
it also takes water and energy to make paper plates.. I googled and cannot find a single site that says paper is better.. even for water usage. I did find it says dishwashers use less water then hand washing.. but that`s it. I would be super interested to read where it says otherwise.

jenakers (872.9 days ago)
It seems contradictory to think a paper plate or towel being better for the environment then washing everything. I REALLY don`t know but, I thought it was an interesting point. They were also talking about the gas it takes to haul your recycling. I think Germany has the right idea. They require manditory recycling and pick it up at your door.

pooka (872.9 days ago)
I wouldn`t use paper towel to clean a peanut butter jar either.. I use clothes and rewash them. Water usage isn`t the only consideration though.. all those paper plates in the landfill.. you can`t recycle them covered in food waste. I can`t even imagine the amount of trash that makes!

Lou-Li-Ro (872.9 days ago)
NO WAY! Such a waste

ilovemy2littleprinces (872.9 days ago)
no im nice to the environment, unless we have a cookout...

jenakers (872.9 days ago)
As far as the environment is concerned on NPR they said that is actually harder for water consumtion/energy purposes to wash everything. They were also talking about recycling. They said the time and water or paper towels it would take to clean out a peanut butter jar for recycling counteracts the recycling. I don`t know. I found it interesting from a water usage stand point. I use paper towels and the really cheap flimsey paper plates. I use 2 paper plates then rip off the used one and toss it. I`m about 50-50 with paper vs regular plates.

pooka (872.9 days ago)
people use paper plates on a regular bases?? wow.. LOL I didn`t have a dishwasher my whole life until we moved into this house and would never have been so lazy to use paper.. how horrible for the environment.. not to offend anyone but I seriously have never heard of people using paper for times other then a birthday or picnic etc!



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