Victoria

Title: How Packaging and Litter have Changed

I remember how bread was unwrapped and unsliced. I would buy biscuits like loose lollies. The biscuits were stored in big metal tins behind the counter at the grocer’s. There was no such thing as tea bags. There wasn’t much littering because there was less packaging. Milk was sold in glass bottles and delivered in the morning. Bread was also delivered.

We would wrap food scraps in newspaper and put them in round metal bins. Ice cream was sold in metal tins. I remember taking our own baskets to the shops. Later, shops gave out strong, paper bags and cardboard boxes, instead of plastic bags. Drinks were in glass bottles. Margarine, fruit juice and frozen food were rare. There wasn’t much takeaway.

Now rubbish bins are bigger and usually made of plastic. There is much more litter, because of heaps of packaging. People are more conscious of caring for the environment. Drinks are in plastic bottles. There is more choice of things to buy.

Things like these have changed because new products and processes have been invented, and because people want more free time. I think the changes have made things easier, but I’m not sure whether it’s worth it.

As a girl, I had more contact with the person who made or brought the product to us.