I'm curious as to what everyone does with all of those little zip top bags rod components come in. I have a giant bag full of little bags but for some reason don't want to throw them out.

Also, if we as rod builders and consumers started pushing for it collectively could we change the system and start to get the suppliers to use more sustainable packaging options? Myself, and I'm sure many of you would be ok with paying a few cents/dollars extra on a full rod build out to have better packaging options. Others thoughts on this?

What is the proposed solution?

What immediately comes to mind is small boxes (biodegradable) or all in a single bag or box with labels or tags tied on each component. Or a box with dividers, or maybe even small paper bags or envelopes. Sometimes ordering components for a full rod leads to 10-12 small plastic bags and often times with reel seats each each part of the seat will come in a bag and then all the part bags are in a larger bag.

Most rod builders are too cheap to buy a couple tip tops for a rod project even if it means they will be able to have just the right size to fit their blank. Talk to some of the dealers about how they think rod builders would respond to paying a little bit more for more environ-friendly packaging.

I joked with the operations manager at Mudhole when there for a NERBS event last year if I could get a credit if I brought back a bunch of the bags for them to reuse. There is a method to the madness for the bags and if you saw the operation you’d understand why they do the way they do…. Otherwise you’d likely have missing parts in your order every time…. And the cost of those bags are fractions of pennys



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/08/2022 05:46PM by Michael Ward.

I drop off all my discarded plastic at my local Publix chain grocery store for recycling. I collect it and when I go to the store I drop it off at the recycle bin. They have recycle bins for plastic, paper and foam trays.

Check with your local store if they offer recycling.

I got nothin'

Adam,
Good post! Your observation certainly has merit and is honorable and commendable indeed; we all need to be more concerned with, and try to eliminate, our negative impact on this planet. As you, I cannot find myself simply throwing the little bags you referred to in the trash and also have a pretty good “stock” of them; unfortunately, my re-use capacity is less than new ones coming in.
I cannot offer a valuable solution but John’s approach of recycling is certainly not a bad place to start. Many people fail to realize the DOUBLE BENEFIT of recycling = not only is the material reused (possibly numerous times) which reduces the need for new, virgin material but it is just that much less bulk and contamination impacting our landfills. In the end, Mother Nature will win!!!

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

Those little bags contain what I remove from a rod after repair and go with the rod back to its owner when complete.

Dennis J. Danku
(Sayreville,NJ)

Just keep a recycling basket in your shop. When full, dump it into the nearest plastic recycler box.

In my case, I have a trash barrel that gets picked up every week and a recycling barrel that gets picked up every other week. One of the items that gets recycled is plastic bags.

Take it to the corner of my driveway every other week and the man in the recycling truck takes it all away to the recycling station for reuse.

Best wishes.

Adam Klein Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What immediately comes to mind is small boxes
> (biodegradable) or all in a single bag or box with
> labels or tags tied on each component. Or a box
> with dividers, or maybe even small paper bags or
> envelopes. Sometimes ordering components for a
> full rod leads to 10-12 small plastic bags and
> often times with reel seats each each part of the
> seat will come in a bag and then all the part bags
> are in a larger bag.

I did a few minutes of research to try to answer my own question. The biodegradable ECO plant based bags could be a solution that would have lower effect on the warehousing methods. They make them with resealable tops as well. It would definitely add cost. I am not sure if the end result would be a bigger net positive vs. recycling what we have.

A.P.

I like the recycling idea. Unfortunately, where I live they don't have the same recycling capabilities as a lot of other areas. They only accept type 1&2 plastics and the grocery stores only accept the colored grocery type sacks. I do like the idea of putting the stripped parts from repairs in them. I've thought about using them for the random nuts and bolts laying around that don't get their own bin. I could see putting each similar type of hardware in a bag and hanging a bunch of them with binder clips on a peg board peg above my workbench. You never know with a group like this what kind of clever ideas are out there. There is likely no easy solution but it seems something worth talking about.

I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one with a collection of empty little plastic bags. lol I always order extra running guides, and even an extra tip top for a build every now and then. You never know when you'll run into a blank tip that doesn't match the published dimensions. I haven't had it happen often, but the two times that I have, and haven't had a tip top to fit, has been to say the least, frustrating. I save some of the the larger sizes to keep related parts that are in their own little plastic bags, in.

My city recycling doesn't take plastic bags. I found that out the hard way when I had a strongly worded note on my door, and a still full recycle barrel on my curb. Hadn't thought of taking them to the local grocery store. I'll have to check with them as to what type of bags they allow in their containers. As far as proposed solutions. The tagging of individual items would be ....... not good. Too much of a pain for the distributor, and too much of a pain for the consumer. Could you imagine trying to tag a single 4.5 KB guide? And then trying to find it in your box of goodies?

Biodegradable packaging would be the way to go, butt as long as you can recycle the current bags, I don't see a problem.

I tie my own pompano rigs and dropper rigs when surf fishing and I put each of them in those little bags to keep the organized and separated. They work great.