u/Low_Key_5750

I'm 30, my wife(27). Last night, my wife was sad because some of her family members in our home country lost their house. Somehow she ended being mad at me at the end. We have different worldview on that subject, she thinks i’m heartless and insensitive.

Well, i told my wife, especially people in our home country, if we can’t help you, there is no need for me to know. Ain’t no way i’m just gonna listen and move on, when you hear stories like that it messes you up . Why they don’t call other people there to tell them? They always call family member in the state. It’s not simply sharing, it is asking disguised as emotional connection.

And there is nothing wrong about asking, but if i can’t help anyway, knowing just internally stressed me about your problems while i have mine already. It is also one-sided, we don’t call people to tell about our problem. Why we can’t have normal calls without you dumping your problems on her.

Well, she didn’t take that well. I guess maybe i'm too insensitive...

edit: it is not that i don't have sympathy, and i don't do it for my family either. Matter fact, it is because i care, i'll be thinking about your suffering that can't end it, just don't tell me.

some of you are not immigrant, and are not used to the dynamic of family members down there always having a problem. I can help, just don't tell me.

South Florida.

I just watched video explaining that less than 20% of plastic actually gets recycled because of how many different types there are and how difficult it is to sort them properly. That got me thinking about a possible solution.

Instead of allowing every company to design completely different bottles and packaging, what if there were regulations to standardize them by category? For example, all water bottles would use the same type of plastic and a simple, uniform shape. Same idea for juices, milk, etc. The goal would be to reduce complexity so materials don’t have to be manually sorted as much.

There are two main approaches I’m thinking about:

1. Standardized materials for recycling(enforced by Federal)

Manufacturers within a category (like water or juice) would all use the same type of plastic. That way, when the bottles are collected, they can simply be melted down and remade without worrying about mixing incompatible materials.

2. Standardized reusable bottles

Instead of recycling, bottles could be reused. They would all follow a simple, uniform design (like a plain cylinder) with no unnecessary shapes, making them easier to clean. The only thing brands would add is a removable label.

There would also be a deposit system: you pay slightly more when buying the product and get money back when you return the bottle. Big retailers like Walmart or Target, ect. could act as return points. Once enough bottles are collected, they’re shipped back, cleaned, and reused.

Because the bottles are standardized, they wouldn’t need to go back to the original manufacturer. Any company could reuse them, since they all follow the same design and material rules.

I’m not an expert on this topic, and there may be many factors that make it not a viable solution, so feel free to point them out or educate me. I also think it’s unlikely to be implemented, since large corporations would probably push back.