Let's talk about plastic waste for a moment.

Some kite manufacturers have started ditching plastic wrapping and using honeycomb from cardboard for their surfboards. I applaud this. My Duotone board came like this.

However every single brand new kite I've purchased always comes wrapped in plastic.

When are major kite brands going to stop doing this ?
I don't care if the plastic helps to compress the bag, just stop using plastic that could end up in the ocean.
Surely there are alternatives.

Ozone "Inspired by Nature, Driven by the Elements." How awesome would it be if they stick to their motto and use zero plastic wrapping

Discuss.

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Alysum said..
Let's talk about plastic waste for a moment.

Some kite manufacturers have started ditching plastic wrapping and using honeycomb from cardboard for their surfboards. I applaud this. My Duotone board came like this.

However every single brand new kite I've purchased always comes wrapped in plastic.

When are major kite brands going to stop doing this ?
I don't care if the plastic helps to compress the bag, just stop using plastic that could end up in the ocean.
Surely there are alternatives.

Ozone "Inspired by Nature, Driven by the Elements." How awesome would it be if they stick to their motto and use zero plastic wrapping

Discuss.

Recycle plastic, recycle cardboard, same thing right?

Select to expand quote

oldbones said..

Alysum said..
Let's talk about plastic waste for a moment.

Some kite manufacturers have started ditching plastic wrapping and using honeycomb from cardboard for their surfboards. I applaud this. My Duotone board came like this.

However every single brand new kite I've purchased always comes wrapped in plastic.

When are major kite brands going to stop doing this ?
I don't care if the plastic helps to compress the bag, just stop using plastic that could end up in the ocean.
Surely there are alternatives.

Ozone "Inspired by Nature, Driven by the Elements." How awesome would it be if they stick to their motto and use zero plastic wrapping

Discuss.

Recycle plastic, recycle cardboard, same thing right?

Thin plastic wrapping is not recyclable AFAIK. Everyone puts that in general garbage bin.

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Alysum said..

Thin plastic wrapping is not recyclable AFAIK. Everyone puts that in general garbage bin.

www.woolworths.com.au/shop/discover/sustainability/recycling

Soft plastic recycling bins in all stores All Woolworths stores across Australia have a soft plastics recycling bin for you to bring in soft plastics that can't be recycled at home. This helps to keep plastic bags and packaging out of landfill. Soft plastics returned to store are recycled by our partners REDcycle and Replas into benches, bollards and other items that can be used in our stores and car parks. We collect reusable green bags when they get old and worn, single-use plastic bags, bread bags, biscuit wrap and frozen food bags. These items cannot be recycled in the yellow bin at home, so please bring them into our stores so they can be recycled into reusable furniture and equipment.For our Kiwi customers you can search for Countdown stores with soft plastic recycling bins here.

I think your time would be far better spent ensuring nappies are more biodegradeable, but the same price. (Globally)
The impact would be many thousands of times bigger than a tiny little industry like kiting where we buy a new one every 3 years.

Or maybe building an ultra cheap catalytic converter to go on every scooter in India and Indonesia?

Look for a 5 on your thin plastics. This is polypropylene, the most easily recycled of plastics, and can go straight into your recycle bin at home

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Alysum said..

However every single brand new kite I've purchased always comes wrapped in plastic

Kite bags are vacuum sealed before shipment which allows to ship many more kites in the same space. If you save shipping space you also use up less space in the container, less space in the ship which means a lower carbon footprint on a large scale. Not saying that plastic is eco-friendly but you can recycle soft plastics. I'm sure biodegradable plastics exists that are strong enough to be used for vacuum sealing, but they would likely cost a lot more.

My last 2 new kites ozone enduros came in their bag factory folded , only waste was some kite material they used on product warning tags, didn't have any plastic

You guys are worried about the plastic wrapper?

What about the dacron, bladders, stitching and fancy backpack? Do you plant it and a tree grows out 3 years later when it's screwed up?

Do you ask this question while drinking a latte out of a non-biodegradable cup that you drove 2km to get?

I think there bigger fish to fry, and companies that use recycled materials do so more for marketing reasons

But if you donate $100 to me I can offset your carbon impact of a hot air topic by recycling a load of soft plastic at woolies

The packaging can be recycled or disposed of carefully.

Worse is turning up at a kite spot and finding some dick has unwrapped a new kite and left the plastic bag and tags and tissue paper on the ground. While not an everyday occurrence I can think of 3-4 times it as happened.

Those little square bits of foam that come in a new kite folded up are a pain. I don't know what they do and I always chase them down the beach first use.

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Alysum said..
Let's talk about plastic waste for a moment.

Some kite manufacturers have started ditching plastic wrapping and using honeycomb from cardboard for their surfboards. I applaud this. My Duotone board came like this.

However every single brand new kite I've purchased always comes wrapped in plastic.

When are major kite brands going to stop doing this ?
I don't care if the plastic helps to compress the bag, just stop using plastic that could end up in the ocean.
Surely there are alternatives.

Ozone "Inspired by Nature, Driven by the Elements." How awesome would it be if they stick to their motto and use zero plastic wrapping

Discuss.

Select to expand quote

Alysum said..
Let's talk about plastic waste for a moment.

Some kite manufacturers have started ditching plastic wrapping and using honeycomb from cardboard for their surfboards. I applaud this. My Duotone board came like this.

However every single brand new kite I've purchased always comes wrapped in plastic.

When are major kite brands going to stop doing this ?
I don't care if the plastic helps to compress the bag, just stop using plastic that could end up in the ocean.
Surely there are alternatives.

Ozone "Inspired by Nature, Driven by the Elements." How awesome would it be if they stick to their motto and use zero plastic wrapping

Discuss.

Ozone has removed all unnecessary plastic from their kites. They have to put the kites in bags, but the bags are recyclable.
Other than that bag there are no swing tags attached with plastic tags.
The owners of Ozone are passionately against any unnecessary and single use packaging. But spare parts need to be displayed in shops so they are in bags with a header card but it's as minimal as possible.
I think was of the top brands do the same.

There are much worse products being consumed in massive volumes, so many people still buy single use water bottles, coffee cups, junk food packaging, etc.