• wunami@lemmy.world
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    15 hours ago

    Some poorly made reusable shopping bags rip or otherwise break before they get used enough times to break even with the single use disposable plastic shopping bags they are supposed to replace. Especially the cheap ones bring given out as freebies.

    • SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca
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      14 hours ago

      That’s bullshit from the oil companies. They did a “study” that concluded that, but if you read the methodology, they made the assumption that the reusable bag would be unusable after 20 uses.

      Meanwhile I’ve been going to the grocery store every week for quite a few years using the same bags without much issue. I’ve had one strap on a bag break after ~10 years of use, so there’s that I guess. Still haven’t thrown it out, keep meaning to repair it which I never get around to doing.

      Anyway, if you read between the lines of the study conducted by the oil companies, if you reuse the bag more than 20 times (half a year of going to the grocery store every week) you are reducing plastic waste.

        • SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca
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          11 hours ago

          Electric motors don’t use gears… we have gears to grind because the oil companies have made a lot of people think they’re necessary.

          • boonhet@sopuli.xyz
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            11 hours ago

            The motors don’t but the drivetrains often do. Not for multiple gear ratios usually but to get a good ratio for it particular motor in the car. But IIRC some EVs do have two speed transmissions because high RPMs might not necessarily be the most efficient for an electric motor even if they can be reached.

      • over_clox@lemmy.world
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        8 hours ago

        No, that’s no bullshit, we just recently had a reusable shopping bag’s handles literally rip off after only the third use…

          • over_clox@lemmy.world
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            6 hours ago

            It was a donation from a food bank, but thanks for the thought.

            Also, how do you know what bags are and aren’t shitty? Do you have a list of such bags, with weight limit capacity, plus age limit before the threads start to come loose or dryrot?

            Didn’t think so.

            • SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca
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              6 hours ago

              Most of my bags are given to me by boomers that can never remember to take their bags to the store and just buy more. I think I’ve only actually bought one shopping bag about 25 years ago, which is the one that had it’s handle tear off after about near to two decades of service. I don’t put more weight in the bag than a plastic bag would be able to carry. I have a fabric tote bag and a backpack to use for heavier stuff. I just exercise some common sense with my shopping bags, I guess.

              Are you claiming that disposable plastic bags would never have the handles tear off (or the bag just split open) if you put too much weight into them? I think the same rules apply to either, it’s a mess either way if you put too much weight into a single bag, so… don’t do that.

      • over_clox@lemmy.world
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        8 hours ago

        Don’t tell that to the anti-repair folks, they’ll end up banning sewing needles and thread…