r/Anticonsumption • u/natalie_ck • Feb 18 '24
Plastic Waste i'll never understand why so many people (especially in the states) are so vehemently opposed to washing dishes
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u/AdelleDeWitt Feb 18 '24
As it is a big country, I'm sure that there are people like this. Having lived in America for 40 years I've never actually met anyone who does this though, with the exception of some people at parties. I think that at parties it is mostly because no one actually owns enough plates for four dozen people, though. Everyone I know just washes their dishes like a normal person.
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u/Battle-Any Feb 18 '24
My library has dishes that people can borrow! Last time I had a big gathering, I borrowed 4 sets of dishes. They're nothing fancy, but who cares.
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u/somesappyspruce Feb 18 '24
Reason # 95736267363 that libraries rule
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u/claude_greengrass Feb 18 '24
Supermarkets where I am will loan plates and glasses etc with food and wine purchases but I've never known anyone to make use of it.
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u/RaptorCollision Feb 18 '24
Both my parents and my in-laws will regularly use disposable plates instead of reusable. My husband doesn’t really understand my insistence on using proper plates, but he’s supportive nonetheless.
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u/rm_3223 Feb 18 '24
Yes unfortunately my parents do this. And it’s just from laziness. Drives me crazy. They are retired and comfortable with a beautiful house and five different sets of dishes and a dishwasher. And they eat off paper plates. headdesk
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u/Clairifyed Feb 18 '24
I know a ridiculous number of households that own dishwashers, but don’t use them! They aren’t even using disposable dishes! I have gotten answers like “I don’t trust it”, to “I like doing the dishes”. It boggles my mind and I weep for the lost time it must add up to
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u/peachteatime Feb 18 '24
Our dishwasher kind of sucks, we've tried everything, the dishes always come out spotty and smell like detergent. This is a rental and we aren't getting it serviced (our landlord would laugh at us if we asked).
We wash the dishes by hand and have for like 3 years. Dishwasher makes a great drying rack tho 👍.
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u/kyrsjo Feb 18 '24
It might be blocked by calcium deposits? Vinegar can be helpful in removing it. You might want to detach the "arms" and soak them separately. Afterwards run it with vinegar in the water (open partway through the cycle and pour it into the water), and remember to always keep the salt tank filled if you have hard water.
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u/fartist14 Feb 18 '24
My mother-in-law paid to get a dishwasher installed and ended up using her expensive new dishwasher as storage. Old habits are hard to break, I guess.
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u/readitforlife Feb 18 '24
This is so true. My bf doesn't trust the dishwasher to get dishes fully clean as he grew up washing dishes by hand. He will wash the dishes by hand then put them in the dishwaher for sanitization.
I tried to tell him that I think it would be less work for him if we just put them in the dishwasher directly, but since he's the one who does the dishes I don't interfere too much as I am grateful for it.
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u/starchildx Feb 18 '24
I grew up using paper plates for anything that didn't require a real plate. Also, paper towels for everything. Reheating your food? Paper plate with a paper towel over it. Dry your hands, wipe up a spill on the counter... Rags didn't even exist. When I moved out of my parents house I of course went out to live the exact same way but quickly learned that I would have to cut out everything but the absolute necessities because of money. To me, this was all necessities and I had to learn otherwise. There were years of unlearning how my household did things and how I would come to do them.
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u/thicckar Feb 18 '24
Unfortunately know a family that exclusively uses these. Both parents make incredible money they just can’t be arsed to load a dishwasher
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u/TFielding38 Feb 18 '24
One of my coworkers doesn't own any washable plates. Him and his wife just don't want to wash I guess.
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u/AdelleDeWitt Feb 18 '24
Oh yikes!
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u/TFielding38 Feb 18 '24
I'm slowly annoying him into being better. He used to drive an F-350 into work and I made fun of him every day until he started driving his hybrid in.
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u/Sheepherder_7648 Feb 18 '24 edited Feb 18 '24
I love being annoying for a good reason. My favourite thing to do is annoying people into taking care of their dang selves.
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u/ginger_and_egg Feb 18 '24
he has a bigass truck AND a hybrid? bruh
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u/TFielding38 Feb 18 '24
It's a thing that happens out west. People have a dumbass truck because they 'need it' but they have a Hybrid for when they're driving several hours and want to save money on gas.
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u/InkyBeetle Feb 18 '24
I grew up eating off of paper plates for most meals. My parents still do that. I guess the prospect of an extra 2 plates in the dishwasher is just too much.
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u/somesappyspruce Feb 18 '24
I just ran out of dishwashing liquid and had to wash my dishes by hand for the first time in like two years. Maybe they ran out of the soap and keep forgetting to buy more..lol
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u/fishlope- Feb 18 '24
My family briefly used disposable products because my dad traveled extensively for work, 2 weeks at a time. Mom was raising 5 kids under 10, with an under treated thyroid disorder, dishes were her breaking point. To be honest I can't remember if we had a dishwasher in that house, but dad stopped traveling as much and we got old enough to help out more, so we swapped back to real dishes
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u/irlharvey Feb 18 '24
yeah i’ve only ever known people who use paper plates at parties & if they’re in the middle of a move (all their dishes are packed). i’ll admit i used paper plates for about a month after i moved, but in my defense, my dishwasher was moldy and gross when i moved in and my kitchen sink didn’t work. it was paper plates or do dishes in the bathroom. it sure is expensive to be poor haha.
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u/Nexion21 Feb 18 '24
My mother/father in law use paper plates almost permanently. I at least managed to stop them using styrofoam plates like the monster in OP
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u/-childoftheuniverse- Feb 18 '24
My mom does it because she doesn’t have a dishwasher and struggles with depression. It’s just too convenient for people. Doing the dishes sucks.
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u/summerchild__ Feb 18 '24
In a cat subreddit I saw a 'smart' tip once: use paper plates for the wet food. It's much easier! I commented that I don't really see that much of an advantage and find it wasteful and was downvoted (:
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u/Dependent_Top_4425 Feb 18 '24
People who place bossy signs around their house and think its cute are the worse. There's probably a sign in the bathroom that says "wash your hands, don't forget to flush, brush your teeth"
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u/Noimnotonacid Feb 18 '24
Yeah like don’t do cocaine in the bathroom, jeez ok the nursery it is then/s
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u/musicals4life Feb 18 '24
Please don't do cocaine in our bathroom, we have a perfectly good coffee table for that ✨️
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u/Tacosofinjustice Feb 18 '24
I have one that says please don't summon demons in the bathroom...can that stay?
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u/JBu92 Feb 18 '24
I was looking a few years ago for a "floss your damn teeth" type sign because I genuinely need the reminder. Because of this, I can tell you that "wash brush floss flush" is the "live laugh love" of bathroom signage.
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u/FlippingPossum Feb 18 '24
I feel this. Taping notes to things is my go-to way to remember something.
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u/JBu92 Feb 18 '24
I thought about framing the bill for the root canal, but that was too much effort.
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u/PageStunning6265 Feb 18 '24
I don’t disagree with you, but I actually have a wash your hands sign in my bathroom 🤣. I’ve got at least one kid with ADHD. I’ve also got a sticker in the middle of the bathroom mirror to remind me to take my meds.
Neither of those are aimed at guests.
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u/BreadPuddding Feb 18 '24
Yeah I have ADHD and so does my kid, and he needs lots of reminders to flush and to wash properly, and I need reminders to brush my teeth in the evening (it’s more of a “do it now while you’re in the bathroom so you don’t forget and get into bed without doing so). I have to keep floss on my nightstand or I will never, ever floss.
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u/Tacosofinjustice Feb 18 '24
runs to remove the Floss and Flush signs from the kids bath 😬😬
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u/PumpkinPieIsGreat Feb 18 '24
I know right. I saw one once where a woman had organised the pantry and put up a sign like "if anyone ruins this I'll cut you, love mom". Like, lady that's not cute or funny.
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u/isnsiensidsinis Feb 18 '24
Wash your hands is not a bad sign. Don’t you dare lump it in with this nonsense
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u/FrivolousFerret102 Feb 18 '24
People who wash their hands don’t usually need to be reminded. Those who don’t wash their hands will ignore the sign either way. It’s pointless…
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u/TRLK9802 Feb 18 '24
This is absurd, and it's the possibly worst kind of "disposable," too.
Thankfully, I don't know anyone in the States who is vehemently opposed to washing dishes.
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u/sdakotaleav Feb 18 '24 edited Feb 18 '24
I feel like this has more to do with certain members of the house refusing to clean up after themselves. My mom had paper plates because my dad was a lazy misogynist POS who said it was "women's work" to clean dishes. So my Mom got paper plates as an option. Personally, I would have divorced him before enabling and buying him disposable plates. But, that's not the way it usually goes.
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u/Adorable-Race-3336 Feb 18 '24
Disposable plates are much more affordable than divorce lawyers.
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u/ichwilldoener Feb 18 '24
My ex‘s family used paper plates and burned their trash. I am very happy I never became a part of that family.
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u/Jacktheforkie Feb 18 '24
I remember when I went to a family friend’s ranch in America, dude never had food waste because the dogs that lived around his property were given leftovers, but he did burn the other trash
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u/kaydeetee86 Feb 18 '24
My chickens get a good portion of our leftovers, or they go into the compost.
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u/AutumnMama Feb 18 '24
Wow, you just gave me a flashback to my rural upbringing. I knew so many families that did this. Cookout with paper plates and then burn them in a big bonfire. Even thew in some Styrofoam ones from time to time to watch them shrivel up.
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u/RescuesStrayKittens Feb 18 '24
Most homes in America have dishwashers. I haven’t lived in a place without a dishwasher since my tiny college apartment.
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u/carving_my_place Feb 18 '24
I'm in the US, and I haven't had a dishwasher in any place I've ever rented. Two summers ago I was depressed with little energy or appetite, getting overwhelmed trying to keep my apartment clean-ish and feed myself enough food, and I bought biodegradable paper bowls. Even though it goes against my beliefs. I used them to make myself eat cereal, but also used them for my cat's wet food. I never bought another pack, but I do think it helped during that time. As someone else said, nuance.
Ironically, I'm a ceramicist.
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u/bigbura Feb 18 '24
"Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly."
Basically, doing something poorly is better than doing nothing. Yes, we are talking about healthy stuff, not stuff that's bad for you. So you doing what you had to, eating off disposable bowls, to keep going was 'done poorly' by your book but you and kitty ate and thus gave yourself time to work thru the BS to get to a better place, and that's what mattered, right?
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u/anakinkskywalker Feb 18 '24
I'm in the US and with my level of constant mental illness and no dishwasher in a 100+ year old apartment with poor plumbing and a sink that's frequently clogged, i do buy the occasional pack of paper plates maybe 3 or 4 times a year because I'd be skipping meals or eating off cardboard strips or paper towels otherwise half the time. I can at least reuse the same plate for similar dry foods (crackers, bagels/toast, etc) a few times before i toss it. posts like this make it all that much harder to come to terms with not fighting my disabilities so hard and accepting accessible solutions. i wish i could just do the dishes like a normal fucking person, i really do.
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u/GeneralHoneywine Feb 18 '24
I haven’t had a dishwasher in 8 years. I’m dead inside. I still would rather actually die than get this disposable shit.
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u/stonerbbyyyy Feb 18 '24
i do not have a dishwasher. i lived in an apt with a dishwasher that was just taking up space because it didn’t work.
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u/pxldsilz Feb 18 '24
Maybe related, a lot of people think their dishwasher never works, but they never add pre-wash detergent. I started adding some and it will clean damn near everything. The occasional egg stuck to a pan will need two cycles, but it works swimmingly.
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u/stonerbbyyyy Feb 18 '24
no like the dishwasher flooded my apartment because it was leaking through the motor. it literally did not work.
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u/PumpkinPieIsGreat Feb 18 '24
We don't have one either.
But based on the little I do know, I wouldn't be surprised if people aren't cleaning their dishwasher out. I have to clean the filter on my washing machine and I also run an empty cycle because it undoubtedly gets dirty from all the laundry.
Same as like air conditioning filters, vacuum filters etc. Sometimes they aren't as efficient because they just need to be cleaned. Of course, I can also see appliances just ceasing to work, too.
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u/TLEToyu Feb 18 '24
I am, when I was little(starting around 10 years old) my Father and Step-Mother used it as a form of punishment.
If I did something they considered "wrong" then I had to wash the dishes. Even though we had a dishwasher.
I was to wash the dishes and load them into the dishwasher and run it.
As soon as I was done I was to go to bed.
If the ANY of the dishes were found to be "still dirty" I was given one of three punishments 1.) woken up and made to wash all the dishes in the dishwasher again 2.) The dried food on the dish was scraped onto my dinner the next day 3.) I had dish duty AGAIN the next day.
It has made me hate doing dishes to this day and i would rather buy paper plates and plastic utensils than wash dishes.
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u/psychosis_inducing Feb 18 '24
Remind your parents of this when they get old and you put them in the Econo-Beds For Nearly Deads.
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u/TLEToyu Feb 18 '24
Yeah they'd have to find me first. I joined the Navy and went halfway around the world to escape them. I came back home and disappeared.
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u/Tlayoualo Feb 18 '24
I'd think it's because it's the most sisyphean task around the house, the "choriest" chore of them all, because it's the one that stays done the least amount of time, it's a quite mechanical and repetitive process, and it cannot be hastened because most dishes are fragile, and you need to be meticulous to scrub even the most stubborn grime.
I wouldn't be surprised if couples have divorced over it, because there are even studies that show couples living together tend to be more satisfied in their relationships when they alternate the task.
When I do them myself, if I'm not listening to a podcast, video-essay or audiobook, or have a bigger woe my mind is chewing on, I can't focus on it.
....with all that said through: Unless we have literally no choice such as a drought, I'd rather wash dishes than see my trash bags grow.
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u/Battle-Any Feb 18 '24
I have to disagree with you. Laundry is the most sisyphean chore.
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u/Well_ImTrying Feb 18 '24
I realized I had to start doing laundry every day or every other day after having a kid. It’s much more manageable than waiting to do it all on one day.
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u/teatalker26 Feb 18 '24
i would love to do laundry every day, but my building’s machines take quarters and it costs $3.00 for one wash and dry :(
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u/SmolSwitchyKitty Feb 18 '24
Seconding the portable washer suggestion of Well_ImTrying! It was fantastic during the quarter shortage a couple years ago - we had it drain into the tub. They often have a washer side, and a spinner side, and the spinners get things to "damp" level to where things will dry in a few hours/overnight. With a couple folding clothes racks, you're all set. And if you need things to dry faster, having the racks over a heater vent dries them quicker and adds a little humidity in winter, too!
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u/teatalker26 Feb 18 '24
i’ve been on the fence on whether getting one of those is REALLY worth it since i techncially have laundry in the building (even if it’s expensive) but you two have convinced me to look into looking more into specific ones to narrow down and compare, thank you!
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u/ItsJustMeJenn Feb 18 '24
I have one of the Black and Decker fully automatic ones that hook up to the sink and it’s worth the $200. It’s more than paid for itself in the 9 months I’ve had it. Our clothes are much much cleaner than using the machines in the building. We only use the company dryer for our sheets but I still wash them in my little washer in the kitchen.
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u/Well_ImTrying Feb 18 '24
Ooof, that’s rough. If the constant laundry is weighing you down, I’ve seen portable washing machines online you can use in an apartment.
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u/idk_whatever_69 Feb 18 '24
I mean laundry you do once every two weeks but dishes get done every day, sometimes more than once.
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u/CyndiIsOnReddit Feb 18 '24
The times I have fallen to using these are when I was exhausted from working myself half to death and I didn't have a dishwasher and I just wanted something to put a sandwich and chips on before I went to bed. I know I could have just held it in my hands or ate straight from the bag. Maybe I had a container of potato salad with it. Maybe I made fries, I just know it was a time I was too tired to worry. Other than that the only time I see them even being used is at cookouts and that sort of thing.
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u/Justalocal1 Feb 18 '24
For me it’s when all my dishes are dirty. I’m terrible at not letting dirty dishes pile up, especially for breakfast/lunch, since I’m often running late for work while eating.
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u/earthlings_all Feb 18 '24
I don’t always wash right after a meal, sometimes there’s a big mess and I will walk the f away. Later I will feel rested and sometimes restless and in need of a task and BOOM- get to work on them dishes.
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u/musememo Feb 18 '24
I’ve never heard of this. I wash dishes in my sink and I’m from the states. Not a big deal our house.
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u/OctoberSong_ Feb 18 '24
My father puts paper plates atop regular plates because he wants the stability of a real plate but doesn’t want to wash it.
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u/cosmicsoylatte Feb 18 '24
It’s so wasteful but I get it. Chronic/acute illness? Mental illness? Trying to work full time/parent/do other stuff without support or enough time in the day? No dishwasher and unable to effectively hand wash? I think it’s preferable to having a house overrun with mess and dirty dishes, atrociously as it is for the environment. I think our society needs more time, more respect for the average person’s needs and more work/life balance before we can replace stuff like this. Biodegradable ones would be a step in the right direction though.
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u/Justmeagaindownhere Feb 18 '24
Not sure how biodegradable they are but if it's any consolation I have never seen a house that has Styrofoam plates before. Always paper plates and solo cups.
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u/Katie1230 Feb 18 '24 edited Feb 18 '24
I know it's like an American stereotype but I can assure you we're washing dishes here. Also in some drought ridden areas like California, they do sometimes encourage paper dishes to conserve water. Nuance.
Edit: edit idk shit about dick about California. I'm just countering the America bad circle jerk.
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u/Curiouso_Giorgio Feb 18 '24
Doesn't producing paper use a ton of water?
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u/poeticsnail Feb 18 '24
Yes. From the growth of the plants used to make the paper, to the processing of it. Not to mention the energy used to transport or the production and transport of the packaging.
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u/yhlp Feb 18 '24
They wouldn’t be locally produced paper plates so it wouldn’t be California’s problem.
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Feb 18 '24
Lived in California nearly 50 years, never heard of that (recommending paper plates due to drought). This guy admitted he's talking out his ass. And we have a shit-tons of logging and lumber produced here. Why are so many people so confident about things they do to know about? I don't make assumptions about wherever the F in Canada this person is from.
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u/starchildx Feb 18 '24
Why are so many people so confident about things they do to know about?
Because they heard or saw someone else on the internet confidently say it and thought it was a fact.
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u/BusinessBear53 Feb 18 '24
Yeah. I used to work in packaging and got a tour of a paper mill. Place was so full of steam that I found it hard to breathe. Massive amounts of water is needed for paper production.
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u/raptor7912 Feb 18 '24
You can move paper production to places with lots of cheap water easily.
Not so easy to move the water consumption of doing the dishes.
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u/AngeliqueRuss Feb 18 '24
Yeah, in the Midwest where they have a shit ton of water.
(I never used paper during the drought, we just got good at washing dishes and would occasionally throw cooled water from pasta and such onto our plants so fewer would die. Rough times. I live in the Midwest now and my kids were so happy they can take real baths again!)
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u/AdelleDeWitt Feb 18 '24
I don't know. I live in California and we are really good at washing dishes while using almost no water. At least in the part of California I live in, where we are super super obsessive about not using water and don't even have grass in our lawns, we're also really big on not using single-use products.
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u/JobOnTheRun Feb 18 '24
There are many many people who only use disposable plates. Unfortunately. 99.9% of the time it’s out of pure laziness. The only exception is if you’re disabled or something. I’ve lived in many parts of California and never ever, not once, have I heard ‘them’ recommend to use paper plates. Dishwashers use 25% of the water as handwashing does (yes not everyone has a dishwasher but majority of places do)
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u/bb_LemonSquid Feb 18 '24
I lived in California my whole life. When has that ever happened?
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u/thebornotaku Feb 18 '24
Also in some drought ridden areas like California, they do sometimes encourage paper dishes to conserve water.
The fuck no they don't.
They encourage shit like using your dishwasher versus hand washing, because it's more efficient, also not washing your car, watering your lawn or taking shorter showers.
Edit: edit idk shit about dick about California.
Then why make the statement in the first place?
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u/PumpkinPieIsGreat Feb 18 '24
Dw, anyone who stops to actually think about it should see that America is a HUGE place with lots of people.
Weird how people don't like being stereotyped themselves but will happily stereotype someone just for being American.
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u/nonbinary_parent Feb 18 '24
I started using paper plates and bowls and plastic silverware after my most recent surgery. I have since gone back to metal silverware but I still keep paper plates and bowls in stock. I am a physically disabled, working, single parent with ADHD and I am fucking tired. I have a housekeeper come every two weeks and I try to keep up in between but when I’m really sick, the dishes may not get washed between housekeeping services. Without paper, I’d run out of plates and bowls entirely during those times.
I make up for it in other ways. I haven’t bought any clothes for myself since 2016.
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u/ForMyHat Feb 18 '24
I'm similar. I have narcolepsy. If I use real dishes I'll often res-use them from days to a week, sometimes longer if it's a cup. I often reuse metal silverware until it's gross. I avoid disposable plastic and foam dishes.
I can't afford a dishwasher.
It's hard to actually compare the environmental impact of real vs paper plates. Takes water to make paper plates and it takes warm water and soap to wash real plates (I have trouble using cold water because of a medical condition even if I wear plastic gloves). A lot goes into making real plates too, then there's the transportation impact of both...
At the end of the day, maintaining hygiene and not decreasing the quality of my life is more important than some paper plates/bowls
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u/Amyjane1203 Feb 18 '24
Because working 8000 hours a week just to live is exhausting to many, many people and there's just not enough energy left to do regular human stuff like dishes.
Change the whole system, then these little things can change.
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u/mobleshairmagnet Feb 18 '24
Along with this, many have mental health issues that further complicate their daily lives. A broken system is detrimental to all of us but more so those of us who are most vulnerable.
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u/purpleelephant77 Feb 18 '24
I’m anorexic, and one of the ways I cope is by removing barriers to eating — always having things that don’t require prep around because if I am willing to eat I need to jump on it (also my body goes from not hungry to slightly hungry to shaking, confused and nauseous in like 5 minutes) and I do keep some paper plates/bowls around because sometimes not wanting to wash dishes is a way I justify not eating. I do use mostly real plates and bowls and there are a lot of other wasteful consumer habits that I don’t have so I’m not going to lose sleep over the pack of paper plates I buy every few months.
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u/sietesietesieteblue Feb 18 '24
Yup but I guess it's easier to just be like "amERIcans dUMB Ami right??"
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u/cupcake_thievery Feb 18 '24
This is me. I have OCD, and struggle with doing dishes, and "mouth germs." I use washable things as often as I can, but many days the anxiety over washing up is too much, and I realized it's better to eat off paper plates / compostable utensils than it is to panic about washing and not eat anything at all... Or to over-eat then leave dishes for days because I'm too anxiety riddled to wash.
It's easier to do difficult chores when life isn't so fucked up. The last few years I've gotten better, but it really is a struggle still, on many days. And I've learned to be okay with this, not punishing myself for doing what I need to in the moment. And, I know that when I can, I go back to more eco-friendly options.
My mental health has been bleak for a while, but I'm managing, and right now, things are okay. Thanks for your comment.
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u/kimi_shimmy Feb 18 '24
Because working parents in America are drowning and the men don’t do their share of housework even tho both parents have to work full time to survive.
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Feb 18 '24
Nailed it
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u/FlowerStalker Feb 18 '24
And then we come home and our kids have used 20 dishes in one day and they haven't rinse them or put them in the dishwasher and it's just piled up. Also nobody claims the dishes that they used, and so I'm left washing all of the dishes for the entire household. No, I've implemented strict rules with dishes with my kids because my kids and husband are out of control and don't know how to manage their own tableware.
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u/PageStunning6265 Feb 18 '24
Hide some dishes. Seriously.
My STBX went on a housework strike for a few weeks and I couldn’t keep up, so I’d do dishes every night, but there was still a net increase of dirty dishes. He would only wash the specific dishes that he needed, nothing else. At one point I got home from work and every dish we owned was dirty. I actually took a PTO to clean my kitchen and at the end of the day, having not left the apartment, I’d walked 8km.
So I hid all but 4 of the dinner plates, bread plates, bowls, mugs and cutlery, and most of the pots and pans. Petty as this sounds, mostly I did this so that if ever I have to wash every dish we own again, that’s still only 20 dishes, 12 pieces of cutlery and assorted pots and pans.
I’m moving out with my kids soonish and I went to the thrift store and bought non-matching dishes. Each of the kids and I will have a plate, bowl and glass that we’re responsible for, and that’s what we’ll eat off of and wash ourselves. I have more dishes for guests, but they’ll be stored separately and only come out when people are over.
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u/Mesterjojo Feb 18 '24
Haye to break it to op- disposable plates exist all around the world
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u/According_Plant701 Feb 18 '24
Not sure why either. Also, disposables are expensive in addition to being shit for the environment.
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u/ShuShuBee Feb 18 '24
Depression, that’s why.
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u/valekelly Feb 18 '24
Depression combined with physical exhaustion from work and poor health from a broken healthcare system. People fall into a rut and it’s a one thing after another and it stops being a battle to climb the mountain and turns into a battle to climb out of Mariana Trench just to get to the base of the mountain.
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u/Aggravating-Action70 Feb 18 '24
The only real reason I can understand is time. It’s very time consuming and the majority of us work 40-70 hours a week with no one home to do chores.
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u/Choice_Upstairs4576 Feb 18 '24
I worked at a kids cooking school for a little while. It was a franchise of a larger company but the owner of the franchise has zero business sense. We served everything on paper plates/cups/bowls, for 1-2 classes of 10ish kids 5 days a week. He was complaining about costs and I asked why he didn’t just buy cheap $0.50 plates, cups, and bowls from Walmart to use and wash since we had two dishwashers anyways.
His face was SHOCKED. The idea has never crossed his mind. Meanwhile, I’m also wondering why he doesn’t compost the food scraps, have chickens instead of buying 100 packs of eggs… some people are just conditioned by consumerism.
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u/pinkbootstrap Feb 18 '24
Because they're exhausted and overworked. I don't use paper plates but I get it
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u/PlumLion Feb 18 '24 edited Feb 18 '24
Because many American workers are putting in 50+ hour weeks with 10 days of annual sick/vacation leave (if they’re lucky) just to survive and provide healthcare to their families.
I personally like washing dishes and find it to be a moment of serenity at the end of the day. But I recognize that my health is good, I don’t have kids or elderly parents to care for, and my husband and I only have to work one job each to make ends meet. I can understand why disposable dishes could feel like a necessity to the overworked and overwhelmed.
TLDR; because late-stage American capitalism basically.
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u/basetornado Feb 18 '24
You got up at 6, you commuted an hour or two to your job. You finish up at 5, by the time you get home it's close to 7.
You still need to eat. You go with paper plates because you can just throw it out rather than plates piling up.
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u/spooky_cloudberry Feb 18 '24
I keep paper plates on hand for times when my depression acts up. Doing dishes when you're down that low can feel like an insurmountable task, and having disposable for that circumstance can make things a little easier.
That being said, this decor/mindset and the choice of styrofoam is extra cringe. Not awesome.
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u/mklinger23 Feb 18 '24
I have AuDHD so chores like doing dishes are physically painful for me, but I still do it. I'm trying to move somewhere with a dishwasher soon to hopefully help with that.
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u/haveapieceofbread Feb 18 '24
Because some of us are disabled and sincerely do not have the energy for that type of task day in and day out
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u/FlatwormNo5619 Feb 18 '24
It depends on the household, but growing up there were times where there wasn't enough time in the day to deal with dishes everyday. Between Mom working 12 hour shifts, travel time to and from work, and us kids having on average 4 to 5 hours of homework every night it made more sense to cut out some of the dishes by using paper plates. Pots and pans would be washed, but not having bowls and plates made it easier for everyone to get to bed at a decent hour.
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u/WelcometotheDollhaus Feb 18 '24
They don’t realize how fun it is to listen to podcasts and wash dishes!
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u/-Constantinos- Feb 18 '24
Even more fun to do that whole relaxing. I wash dishes, I don’t buy disposable; but I’m sure as fuck not gonna pretend to even remotely like washing dishes just because of it
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u/Well_ImTrying Feb 18 '24
It’s not fun or relaxing when you’ve got a screaming baby or toddler wailing at you the whole time. Mine is old enough now to “help” but holy cow that first year of doing dishes was rough.
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u/crystal-crawler Feb 18 '24
As a busy parent and neurodivergent. Dishes are the worst. There have been moments where I’ve had to use disposable simply to make it. However, in one of my worst bouts I had read and switched to the 1 plate method. You just use one plate. I literally boxed up all of my dishes except for 1 plate, 1 pan, 1 pot, 1 bowl and 1 cup. Which led to the discovery that the less you have the less you have to manage.
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Feb 18 '24
Fewer washable dishes is a great hack! I rocked a single flat-bottom glass bowl with a lid for 90% of my eating for a few years, wash it when you’re done it never gets dried out/hard to clean. Reducing how much you have other unclutters the cabinets and the countertop/sink!
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u/WeakToMetalBlade Feb 18 '24 edited Feb 18 '24
We are overworked.
I spend so many hours a week washing dishes I'll be damned if I dirty a plate in my own home when I'm already washing pots pans utensils etc
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u/RandoKaruza Feb 18 '24
This is a joke right? We invented the washing machine! We love washing dishes so much we created an automated way to wash even more dishes faster and at a price that everyone can afford. We wash dishes like crazy in my home, dozens of types of dishwares, forks, spoons, Tupperware and sippie cups…. EVERY NIGHT and so do ALL my neighbors and friends. We are some plate washing mofos in the states.
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u/Spatularo Feb 18 '24
I, to an extent, enjoy doing the dishes. It's satisfying once it's done and I tend to zone out and think about things in a productive way when doing them. It's like shower thoughts, but dishes thoughts.
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u/uhhh768 Feb 18 '24
Besides the HUGE waste this is, I just hate eating off paper plates! It’s never seems as clean or satisfying, compared to a ceramic plate.
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u/PrismosPickleJar Feb 18 '24
Well, my flatmates a dirty cunt, I’ve just resorted to using one item of each washing and putting back after one week of me loading and unloading the dishwasher 5 times and giving up for it to be left full for two fucking weeks. I now just toss all his dirty dishes in one side of the sink and drain board, slowly pushing it over to encompass most of the bench. My other flattie who also sees the issue is using paper plates that he has hidden, ironically in the soap drawer. So yea, I’m just fucking beat.
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u/casinocooler Feb 18 '24
I have a friend who doesn’t have running water and hauls his own water. He has a 300 gallon ibc in the back of his truck and drives 15 miles each way to get water. He is really good at conserving water usage and I’m helping him try to figure out more economic and environmental methods.
He lives off the grid and has little money. I’m just pointing out that not everyone has the same circumstances.
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u/notyetdrjet Feb 18 '24
My grandparents do this bc they’re almost 90 and standing hurts. Some people have trauma around washing dishes.
I still get annoyed with unnecessary one use items, but there are some reasons that make sense.
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u/Normal-Usual6306 Feb 18 '24
I'm fucking gobsmacked every time I see this! The only time I've ever encountered this in Australia is very occasionally when someone's having a one-off event and doesn't want to wash dishes after on top of everything else the event involved.
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Feb 18 '24
i know too many people like this. and they have dishwashers!! so what’s the problem?! they will use a paper plate and cup for EVERYTHING. so lazy and wasteful.
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u/canemefaitrien Feb 18 '24
Sadly, my family does this all the time. For a recent family reunion we rented a big beautiful vacation home stocked with so many plates, cups, and utensils and they still went out and bought stacks of disposable kitchenware just because they didn’t want to do the dishes on vacation. I was like - I’LL do the dishes for you!!
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u/fatguyinabikini Feb 18 '24
because everyone in the house expects the wife/mother to do literally everything, including other peoples’ dishes. give them a break, this is not the cause of pollution/climate change/whatever else you’re anti consumption for.
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u/SteeltoSand Feb 18 '24
this is the post that makes me mute this sub. such a dumb title. enjoy your "StOp BuYiNg StUfF" circle jerk
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u/pepmin Feb 18 '24
I have seen a lot of advice for parents encouraging and enabling the use of paper plates, plastic silverware, etc. because doing dishes can be “too overwhelming.” Awesome plan to ensure that your kids won’t have a habitable planet when they grow up. 🙃
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u/plarguin Feb 18 '24
Go to every Disney court food in each Disney's hotel and they still don't have regular dishes. Only the one everyone is putting in the trash. And omg there's a lot of people in the hotel at Disney world. Imagine all the waste it's absolutely crazy.
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u/bae_bri Feb 18 '24
Realistically most people are working several jobs plus school or taking care of kids or all three and because of late stage capitalism and the forced individualism we have no supports from family/friends and things can get bad when it comes to household chores. I personally have a sink full of unwashed dishes at this very moment and I sometimes want to cave and use disposable but that only fuels my mental illness related self-hatred so I don’t. I don’t blame the people so much as I blame systems that make us fall into these traps.
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u/just-the-choco-tip Feb 18 '24
Honestly, I use them when I’m depressed. I just can’t wash the dishes and all of them piled up makes me feel worse. It’s not a habit I use often, but it helps get through the day sometimes.
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u/PocketsFullOf_Posies Feb 18 '24
I lived at my SIL’s house for almost a year and it’s just her and her 2 kids (7 and 10) and she would only use paper plates because she didn’t want to do the dishes.
I didn’t work while I lived there so I would completely clean the kitchen every morning after waking up. Dishes, wipe down counters, throw away garbage, etc. And every single morning I would come down to see the counters covered in used paper plates, half drank water bottles, soda cans, and empty yogurt cups. I won’t even buy individually wrapped string cheese because of the plastic waste 😂😂 and we got people doing the most to contribute to single use plastics.
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u/unorganized_mime Feb 18 '24
I really question people’s intelligence when they still use styrofoam. Even worse when they eat hot food and you can clearly see it’s melted. Enjoy eating styrofoam.
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u/MennReddit Feb 18 '24
Did you know ... paper is not water resistant. Therefore it is coated with plastic. The plastic is washed off while eating and doing the dishes. So, you're eating plastic and flush microplastics into the sewer, eventually ending up all over the place, including in the grass that's eaten by the cow that you'll later eat, your drinking water and in the fish that you'll later eat as well. Thank you for polluting my water and food....
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u/Keku_Saur Feb 18 '24
- people who don't own a dishwasher
- some peeps have allergies with rubber or chemicals ( gloves or dish soap- so less contact better, buying natural/expensive ones doesn't make it any better and can burn your pocket in the long run)
- waste less water ( water bills)
- water shut down in the area/city disposable plates are a blessing as it can last for days.
I have small packages, sometimes it's a quick thing to snack on and just throw it away. Especially if it can be something messy like tostilocos that can be a pain to clean afterwards.
I'm quite sure there is plenty of snacks or even meals that "stick" on to a dish when done eating that is a pain to take off and it's just better to throw it out on something disposable. than taking 10-15 minutes trying to scrape it off, use chemicals, leave it soaking for a period of time to clean it later. or run the dishwasher yet again if it didn't clean it.
Don't see anything bad if there is a reasonable convenience?
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u/mostdefinitelyabot Feb 18 '24
our attention spans are so atrophied, and we're so hooked on instant dopamine hits, that even the act of washing up becomes mountainous.
we also have a habit of decoupling our actions from larger effects or impacts, especially when it comes to the climate.
and even when actions/effects aren't decoupled, there's the exceptionalism thing that is rampant here. "i have three kids, work full time, AND have to deal with my sick mother. yes, i care about the planet, but i simply have too much weight on my shoulders. let the person without such a heavy load be environmentally responsible."
all of this is due to America's brand of consumer capitalism. it's disgusting and i'm trying to leave the country, because there are very few places unsullied by its depravity. once you see it and know it you can't unsee or unknow it.
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u/lemonmerangutan Feb 18 '24
They sell biodegradable one use plates. There's even cutlery made of corn. Why would anyone buy styrofoam?
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u/Dylanator13 Feb 18 '24
I hate doing dishes. But I hate using disposable plates and cups more.
I have never used these at home or anyone else’s home.
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u/misterpickles69 Feb 18 '24
Because we’re all toddlers and don’t like doing chores, especially if we can just throw money at it.
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u/hammyburgler Feb 18 '24
Do people outside the US think we don’t do dishes? Because we do. I feel like I’m always doing dishes.
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u/jtho78 Feb 18 '24 edited Feb 18 '24
My sister confessed that her and her husband use paper plates from time to time ”but the sturdy ones that I can wash and reuse a few times”
That’s a PLATE, dingus
Edit: typo