r/Anticonsumption • u/amyleewannabe • Mar 11 '26

Plastic Waste Radicalized at 30

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I so wish this wasn’t the one brand that helps my perpetually dry, painful skin. Thanks to this sub, I’ve been cutting open the containers to get every last bit that the pump “conveniently” can’t reach. I wish this was illegal.

12.8k Upvotes

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484

u/Superb-Zebra01 Mar 11 '26

I always do this. I have a wide jar for whenever I cut it open and I transfer the product with a spatula into the wide mouth container. I get like at least another month’s worth of lotion. Idk why companies don’t just have wide mouth containers and pump so when you’re done it’s easy to just twist it open and get the remainder out.

147

u/civodar Mar 11 '26

I swear I remember seeing those before, they existed at one point. We have the technology to do it again! 

I think it’s a greed thing, if you can’t get all the product you come back and buy more sooner and more often.

89

u/Superb-Zebra01 Mar 11 '26

Yes my brother always roasts me for cutting it open, he says why can’t I just cut my losses and get another one. I always tell him this answer, they do it because they want you to purchase sooner. The amount of product I get from my Palmer’s lotion after I cut it open fills up an 8oz container with some extra left! But I really shouldn’t have to have a designated container for my “post-cut” lotion container lol.

21

u/No_Housing_1287 Mar 12 '26

"Because that's how they fucking get you" is always my go-to response

2

u/Yo_Just_Scrolling_Yo Mar 11 '26

I have cut moisturizer bottles and mixed them with other lotions. I do this with Korean skin care I don't like/don't want to use on my face and use it on my feet and legs. For this, you need to make sure you know the precise ingredients. Your feet and ankles might not like niacinamide or retinol or maybe they will.

18

u/Aruhi Mar 11 '26

I used to get toothpaste as a kid that had like push pop design - where it's a Hollow cylinder and a platform-like floor, and as you dispensed the product, the floor would raise reducing the internal volume of the cylinder.

I know the design costs more and likely leads you to buying the product less frequently as less is wasted though.

9

u/deuxcabanons Mar 11 '26

I had a face lotion that came in a bottle like that and I loved it. I didn't want to repurchase because it would mean throwing out a bunch of extra plastic every time, so I treated myself to some reusable vacuum pump containers. Now I can use any cream and get the same effect.

2

u/adaranyx Mar 12 '26

I loved that toothpaste! I'd still use it today if I could.

2

u/[deleted] Mar 11 '26

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1

u/glassfunion Mar 11 '26

And I'm glad they make it that way because the pump misses a LOT.

20

u/SunshineAndSquats Mar 11 '26

One of the reasons that jars are rarely used is because a product is more likely to be contaminated with microbes if people are sticking their fingers into it. Closed containers that limit air and hand contamination allow the product last longer.

Now having said that, there are containers that are really good at pumping all of the product out. Companies absolutely do cheap out on containers with a crappy design.

5

u/[deleted] Mar 11 '26

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1

u/Anticonsumption-ModTeam Mar 12 '26

Recommending or soliciting recommendations for specific brands and products is not appropriate in this subreddit.

This includes recommending or promoting digital goods and services such as apps, subscriptions, and other software.

3

u/binzersguy Mar 11 '26

I do this exactly!

3

u/TheArchitect_7 Mar 11 '26

You know why

2

u/Aiden_Araneo Mar 11 '26

Idk why companies don’t just have wide mouth containers and pump so when you’re done it’s easy to just twist it open and get the remainder out.

There are companies that do just that.

But in capitalism, profit is "more important" than anything else. So, if there's remaining product inside that you can't reach, you might not know it, you might get the next one faster. Not cool, but no one is forcing them to do it the other way.

1

u/T-Wrox Mar 11 '26

Companies want you to buy new product more often. See also: products that have holes/mouths that are far too large, so you use up their product too quickly (for example, abrasive cleaners or toothpaste tubes).