As soon as several babies get cut badly by broken glass bottles, Wal Mart will be condemned by the media for selling glass.

Water shortages are rampant in many parts of the country. Disposable bottles require no washing. Which is better, filling the landfill or running out of water?

In reply to Thomas Banks. I understand your mentioning the water it takes to wash glass is more costly than the plastic that fills our landfills, however, the line of thinking here seems short-sighted. We need a sea-change, it's evident. Plastic is not only in landfills its now in the oceans, breaking down to finite elements and being ingested by fish and crustaceans and killing them off slowly. If we, the American people, cannot face-up to our over-consumption, throw-away mentality, then we lose and our natural world loses bigtime. Does anyone worry that beyond bees, bats, salmon, polar bears, etc.. in great stress and on the brink of collapse that we humans could be next? The solution is a total life-style change. As far as packaging goes, it should be minimized or undone altogether and we need smaller, more local run retail where we walk in with our own containers and get the goods in the amounts that they are needed, reducing waste and wow, creating a little extra activity for our flabby butts. It's a win-win for all of us to slow down and take responsibility for this nations dumbing down of it's citizens. We're drowning in our own flab and waste and shallow tv-mediated mentality. You may disagree with me but it's the truth and it feels good to say it. I sincerely hope we can all gravitate to this kind of change in our society.

Lauren N.

Very well said.

I think WAL-MART should stop selling Chinese made products........."cheap crap for less" should be their new slogan as long as they keep supporting China's economy.....think about it the next time you shop there and ask yourself "how is this (WAL-MART) helping us as Americans?"

The chemical industry is very capable of developing a non toxic material. They will just have to spend more on R&D but I bet you see them do it eventually. I worked in the chemical industry before retiring and I always thought some of this stuff might be toxic then and now.
RoudMan

Dennis,
I get real tired of everybody complaining about Wal-mart buying goods from China. I see more American made goods in Wal-mart than I do in most other stores. I looked all around a Sears store and the only things I found made in America in the entire store were Hanes t-shirts & socks. Even Craftsman tools are made it China. Go in Target and look around, go in Home Depot and Lowes. It's everywhere, not just Wal-mart. The only difference is that Wal-mart doesn't steal you blind like the other stores I mentioned. The list goes on and on. So if you just don't like Wal-mart, say that you just don't like them. They aren't as guilty as most companies at buying Chinese. When I was young, everyone complained about everything being made in Japan. The next decade will bring another country to complain about.

Hello Rowdy,
I respect that you put your experience and time into the chemical industry and that is the persepective you come from. Again, I'd just like to overstate the obvious. We need to scale down the need for plastic in general, at least in the throw-away industries. Perhaps plastic can be relegated to use in more long-term, efficient and recyclable goods. Something like say, recyclable furniture and building materials, etc.. There is no need for us to continue on this path of self-destruction through waste and over-consumption simply because our mentality is wrapped around the idea that everything should be at our fingertips as we watch our TMZ. We are spoiled beyond comprehension and it has become the death nail in the coffin for our society. We must stop disregarding the natural world. Here in California, while on vacation we drove through a beautiful hillside area and then onto wine country. Most trees had been cleared for grapes. Near the edge of the road we noticed some very old oak trees. Tree after tree was dead. They were dying from "Oak death". But basically the water table has been dropped so low because of irrigation of these crops, that everything else that had to compete was dying off. Me, I'd rather have oak trees, than oaky wine. This is another example of our excessive cultural focus. Too much waste, not enough diversity and emphasis on our agricultural industry and a culture bred on fast food and convenience. Industrialization leads to no more than over-population and over-comsumption. We are running out of gas. You have to ask yourself, can I handle it when there's a total collapse or should I do something new to ensure a better future. Think outside the box people, please. I am being long-winded today because I've just reached this point at which I want everyone to hear it and everyone to think it. Well, at least let's get this ball rolling. Change one thing today. I'm just a person like you, not a celebrity or politician and I'd like to see this conversation do something in the real world.