One Redditor was disappointed in their community when a simple snow day revealed an unexpected source of plastic waste.
"May I recommend just one sturdy sled?" they asked, sharing a picture of a trash can on a snowy slope. The large can is completely full of pieces of broken plastic sleds, with more piled on top and even more scattered on the ground around the can. The multicolored plastic is clearly too flimsy for the rough activity.
They shared their photo on r/Anticonsumption, a subreddit dedicated to reducing waste. Users frequently share ways to replace disposable items with high-quality, long-lasting equivalents, and they absolutely can't stand plastic waste, which is almost impossible to recycle and is causing major pollution.
Reducing waste and investing in belongings that will last is a great way to save money. That may not be intuitive, because it's more expensive upfront; but in the long run, a metal or wood item you can use for 20 years is a good value even if it's much more expensive than a plastic version that only lasts a year.
At the same time, choosing reusable products means you're not sending tons of used-up and broken junk to landfills.
As expected, commenters were just as unhappy with the broken sleds as the original poster. "How can people manage to make even outdoor activities wasteful? That's really depressing to see," said one user.
Others offered alternatives. "If a family can't afford a durable sled, may I suggest a piece of linoleum? My parents always did this for me when I was a kid, and each piece lasted for months," said one commenter.
"Why not have durable community use sleds that live at the hill?" asked another Redditor.
"I remember myself, and other kids who didn't have or didn't bring sleds, using cardboard," said a third user. "Lasted long enough, and I didn't have to lug it back home. Doesn't look as cool, but not much embarrassment since a bunch of kids were going with it too. It was nice to be able to pass it on to someone else who didn't have a sled either."
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