The 3Rs

We’re veered off the pristine 3 Rs highway and speeding to hell in a disposable handcart with that new cart smell. That poor crying injun with the garbage scattered at his feet - from those TV commercial way back in the 70’s when our governments began promoting reducing, reusing, recycling – must be drowning in his tears by now.

Now consumers are suckered into purchasing any mod con that promises an easier task or more free time. The marketing geniuses (an oxymoron) having run out of good ideas are now simply merging of perfectly good household products into a single package. This is exemplified by the recent flood of one-time use impregnated pads for anything from exfoliating skin to back pain.

Another pitiful example of these faux conveniences is the Swiffer Wet Jet. You fork out $15-$20 for a soon to break flimsy mop handle for which you also have purchase the $5 box absorbent pads and the $4 fitted bottle of soap and water, only to be thrown into landfills along with the packaging. So, in effort to save the time and effort of filling a $5 bucket with tap water, poring a $0.05 dollop of your favourite cleanser and wringing your $8 mop, mod-conners shell out more money for their space age floor cleaning kit. However, any time saved is used up earning the cash to pay for the mod-con, the gas used hauling yourself to and from the store for replacement mop heads and cleanser refills and the taxes used for garbage pick-up and land filling. The only effort saved seems to be the filling of a bucket of water and periodically wringing of the mop, which will likely involve some lifting and bending (an affront to the ever bulging citizens of the more advanced nations).

What is wrong with us, are we so lazy or that gullible. These mod cons are in fact modern con-job perpetrated marketers (once referred to a snake oil salesmen). They are shallow profiteers simply reconfiguring what you already have in spiffy new excessive packaging.

It is clear; our government and industries have tossed the 3 Rs into the waste bin. It is up to us to mop up this mess.

Have a hoot, don’t be fooled.