The week before last, something new in a professional environment happened to me. It was a simple action, yet profound. The action should have occurred years and years and years ago, but hadn’t. Who knows why?
I attended a presentation in Waukesha County, WI. After the presentation, the Waukesha County Business Alliance, which put on the session, had someone at the door to collect your clear plastic name tags so they could used it again. To the best of my recollection, I can’t remember that recycling taking place at any other business presentation I’ve been to since those clear plastic name tag holders were invented.
Many times over the years I’ve ranted about the waste of one-time use plastics (and other materials). Something is manufactured. It’s packaged. That takes energy and resources. You buy the item, break it out of the container and throw away the waste (or if possible, recycle it).
The company making the one-time use product sold it and turns a profit. The costs of disposal are internalized and consumers ultimately pay.
My rant is more about the waste though. Using something one time, then tossing it just doesn’t make sense. And name tags are the worst.
“Here, Mr. Knothead, pin this to your shirt. Wear it this morning. Then throw it away. Enjoy the presentation.”
When I attend sessions like that, I fume about the lack of forethought. “Could someone please think about re-using these plastic receptacles?” We don’t need to keep pumping them off the production line, mindlessly shipping them all over the planet for one-time use.
When I attend meetings where name tags are handed out, I ask what will happen with them afterwards: “Are you going to recycle these? Have you thought about using them again?” Typically I am met with the blank stare of indifference or a shoulder shrug like, “It’s not my decision.”
It makes you wonder who takes responsibility for organizations in these situations. It makes so much sense (and is extremely easy) to implement. Get a box. Have someone stand at the door after the session ends and ask you to drop your clear plastic name tag holder into the box. Return to your office. Use them again next time you have a conference, seminar, summit, convention, meeting, presentation.
It can’t be that I am the only one who has thought of this. That’s probably what burns me more than anything. It’s not hard to come up with this solution. So why aren’t more businesses or organizations doing this when it makes so much sense to re-use this type of plastic product?
One can only assume that the product is either so cheap or the manufacturer has marketed key buyers so thoroughly and intensely that common sense is overwhelmed. “Uh, okay, ship me 17,321 plastic name tag holders for next year’s convention at one-and-a-half cents per item. That sounds like an awesome deal!”
And it is. It’s cheap. You feel like you got away with something. “YEAH, I can tell Humpenback that I saved $97 on this year’s $259,579 budget. That will get me a raise.”
Of course it won’t. Maybe it will make you look good in your boss’s eyes. I don’t know. But it certainly doesn’t look good when you think about all the garbage it creates from every one of those conferences going on around the globe. Next time re-use those name tag holders. You’ll feel better and do your part to cut plastic out of the supply chain.
I attended a presentation in Waukesha County, WI. After the presentation, the Waukesha County Business Alliance, which put on the session, had someone at the door to collect your clear plastic name tags so they could used it again. To the best of my recollection, I can’t remember that recycling taking place at any other business presentation I’ve been to since those clear plastic name tag holders were invented.
Many times over the years I’ve ranted about the waste of one-time use plastics (and other materials). Something is manufactured. It’s packaged. That takes energy and resources. You buy the item, break it out of the container and throw away the waste (or if possible, recycle it).
The company making the one-time use product sold it and turns a profit. The costs of disposal are internalized and consumers ultimately pay.
My rant is more about the waste though. Using something one time, then tossing it just doesn’t make sense. And name tags are the worst.
“Here, Mr. Knothead, pin this to your shirt. Wear it this morning. Then throw it away. Enjoy the presentation.”
When I attend sessions like that, I fume about the lack of forethought. “Could someone please think about re-using these plastic receptacles?” We don’t need to keep pumping them off the production line, mindlessly shipping them all over the planet for one-time use.
When I attend meetings where name tags are handed out, I ask what will happen with them afterwards: “Are you going to recycle these? Have you thought about using them again?” Typically I am met with the blank stare of indifference or a shoulder shrug like, “It’s not my decision.”
It makes you wonder who takes responsibility for organizations in these situations. It makes so much sense (and is extremely easy) to implement. Get a box. Have someone stand at the door after the session ends and ask you to drop your clear plastic name tag holder into the box. Return to your office. Use them again next time you have a conference, seminar, summit, convention, meeting, presentation.
It can’t be that I am the only one who has thought of this. That’s probably what burns me more than anything. It’s not hard to come up with this solution. So why aren’t more businesses or organizations doing this when it makes so much sense to re-use this type of plastic product?
One can only assume that the product is either so cheap or the manufacturer has marketed key buyers so thoroughly and intensely that common sense is overwhelmed. “Uh, okay, ship me 17,321 plastic name tag holders for next year’s convention at one-and-a-half cents per item. That sounds like an awesome deal!”
And it is. It’s cheap. You feel like you got away with something. “YEAH, I can tell Humpenback that I saved $97 on this year’s $259,579 budget. That will get me a raise.”
Of course it won’t. Maybe it will make you look good in your boss’s eyes. I don’t know. But it certainly doesn’t look good when you think about all the garbage it creates from every one of those conferences going on around the globe. Next time re-use those name tag holders. You’ll feel better and do your part to cut plastic out of the supply chain.