A wiper fluid pump spotted at a gas station could offer a surprisingly sustainable alternative for the future.
A Reddit user shared an image of an extra feature at a gas station where drivers can not only re-fill on fuel but also on wiper fluid. This saves people from buying their own containers of wiper fluid, making the entire process more efficient and more sustainable.
Usually, drivers would need to buy their own container of fluid to manually refill. These bottles would be commonly made of plastic and would eventually end up in the landfill. With 232.8 million licensed drivers in the United States, this would likely account for a huge amount of plastic being thrown away each and every year.
Any steps we can take to reduce single-use plastic containers like this can help to reduce the environmental impact of the average consumer. Just as plastic bags for groceries and fresh produce have gradually been replaced quite widely by alternatives like nets and canvas pouches, this move could be the first step toward replacing not just single-use wiper fluid containers but also other automobile maintenance products, such as anti-freeze, engine oil, and more.
"This seems better than buying a ton of plastic jugs," observes one commenter. "We went through Montana once and the bugs were so thick we ran out of fluid, and no gas stations on our route were open. This would have been amazing."
"This is actually brilliant, and cuts into consumption," agrees another. "I hope it takes off nationally."
"Better than a ton of plastic jugs and better than it being frozen when it's cold and then forced to buy plastic jugs," writes one more Reddit user.
There's no word on whether it actually will be implemented nationally, but we can only hope that the more people use it, the more gas stations will put similar services in place.
Join our free newsletter for cool news and actionable info that makes it easy to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
