Tesco's Laser-Etched Avocados to Save on Packaging Waste - Core77
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"Laser avocado" sounds like a Doritos flavor, but it's actually a packaging technique being trialed by Tesco. In a bid to reduce packaging waste, the UK supermarket chain is laser-etching avocados rather than using barcode stickers. And for their avocado products that come in twin packs, they're ditching the plastic

I’m sharing this because any reduction in unnecessary packaging waste is good for the planet - and because I think laser-etching avocados is funny. 🙂

  • TDCN@feddit.dkEnglish
    181·
    5 months ago

    Many people forget that a store can have two types of avocados priced differently that then needs to be distinguished from one another at the checkout. It could for example be organic Vs conventional. Or for apples there are many different types that can all look the same. I find this type of tech pretty cool. I would love to see variations of it. Maybe editable wax ink or something like that

    • mercator_rejection@programming.devEnglish
      51·
      5 months ago

      Around here we just have little stickers on the produce with a code number on it. Most produce is just stacked with no packaging. You collect as many as you want in a bag. At the check out, the little code number can be used tell what the exact variety is.

      This seems a lot simpler than lazer etching to me, but idk, maybe that is really cheap and easy too?

      • TDCN@feddit.dkEnglish
        4·
        5 months ago

        It’s also about the fear of people just moving stickers around. I personally think it’s probably only a very small amount of people who would actually do that so the cost of preventing that is not worth it.

        I can inform you that laser edging is much cheaper and way faster than stickers. Lasers are cheap and you don’t have any consumables you need to keep buying like stickers.

      • usernamesAreTricky@lemmy.mlEnglish
        3·
        5 months ago

        Stickers don’t break down, however. They’re super annoying for composting stuff because you have to remove every single one

        • brbEnglish
          1·
          5 months ago

          You slap the sticker on the bag yourself where I’m from