Rising Tide of Waste

This is a picture of a laundry pen manufactured by Tide. I'm sure it's very handy to be able to spot treat stains on clothing. And that's really what capitalism is about, right? Finding a consumer need, real or perceived, and filling that need in a fashion that makes profits. This is a little appalling, though. The laundry pen contained just over 1/10 of an ounce of detergent. The pen itself probably weighed an ounce or two. Then, there is the packaging. Lots of paper, lots of ink, and an amount of plastic that exceeds the pen and detergent combined. These pens could be on shelves in a small, plain cardboard box of 100, with a little sign on the front of the box that looks like what we see in the picture above. It would save an enormous amount of wasted resources in terms of manufacture, shipping, and landfill material. Alas, the individual pens would be easy to shoplift, and a simple box just doesn't draw the attention like individually packaged products dangling from a hangar. Is it any wonder Americans disgust some people?