[SERIOUS DISCUSSION] Is being ZeroWaste, or "green" a privilege?

Sometimes, yes.

Some people with disabilities need single-use items because they can't do dishes. Or maybe they can do some but don't have the fine motor skills to wash fiddly bits like straws and lids. People with disabilities, people without reliable transportation, or people who don't have cars might also have trouble carting around a lot of reusables all the time, just in case, or buying or storing in bulk. Plenty of renters don't have laundry facilities at home. Some young men of color have it drilled into them to always get a bag and a receipt to avoid a shoplifting accusation that could escalate. There are plenty of other examples.

Which is not to say that you shouldn't do what you can or help other people do what they can. But it is worth taking some time to think before ranting about single use or packaged items that might be useful for people with disabilities, or advocating for across the board measures like bans on certain items.

/r/ZeroWaste Thread