Not sure exactly when they changed but I noticed new plastic trolleys in Dickson today. I have my doubts that entirely replacing a fleet of salvageable metal trolleys with plastic ones (even if recycled plastics) is actually “pushing for a greener future”.
def seems like greenwashing unless they can provide reasons to what the benefits would be in using recycled milk cartons rather than any other material for creating new trolleys
Reusing material is generally/typically good but in some cases it might do more harm than good, plus as the ones touting a claim they have to prove that it is environmentally better than not
These are good points. Also, 74 milk cartons doesn’t seem like enough for that amount of plastic. It’s like saying a hot chocolate is made with real chocolate. That’s great and all, but that’s only 10% of the drink.
There’s a reason “reduce” and “reuse” come before “recycle”. This sounds like a waste :(
Yeah, if their trolley fleet was due for an upgrade perhaps it would make sense. I do wonder how durable the plastic trolleys are long term being mistreated and left out in the elements.
I remember Target went plastic trolleys for a stint. They didn’t really go the distance.
If I recall correctly Woolworths had also tried this with Big W trolleys though all evidence of this appears to be scrubbed from the internet.
I can’t see these being usable as long as a metal trolley could be, particularly as trolleys spend a decent amount of time in sunlight. A few years of UV exposure is hard for plastics to stand up to - I’ve noticed with the recycled plastic picnic tables that the older ones are fading and starting to get crumbly on the exposed surfaces.
Heres the marketing info from the company that makes them which while biased seems to make sense.
Now take that with a grain of salt of course but based on my experience it all sounds plausable. TLDR For anyone who doesnt want to read it
They break less. Wheels last longer. Repairs are easier. They dont rust. Less desireable to steal.
How do they go when I surf one down main road though?
Now that seems like an idea for a youtube video.
Comparing metal and plastic shopping carts for a variety of Jackass-esque misuse cases.
