Proposal For Reusable Containers in Supermarkets and Reusable Shipping boxes

Plastic is ending up in our environment and our oceans, causing problems for humans and animals.  The plastic recycling system has been shown to be broken because China no longer deems it profitable to import other countries plastic wastes for recycling.  I've been interested in sharing my ideas for reusable plastic shipping boxes as well as plastic food containers with the larger goal of reducing plastic waste, while simultaneously keeping costs down for the average consumer, through efficient reuse of plastic and glass containers utilizing RFID technology that will allow tracking, product ID, as well as a deposit system for reusable boxes and packages.

When many people visualize refillable/ reusable containers, they imagine taring glass jars and filling them from bulk bins at a natural foods specialty store.  I'm trying to fix the issue of inefficiency.  When I compare these bulk bins and the checkout process, and compare it to shopping at Aldi, I notice that Aldi is many times quicker and much more efficient.  A small Aldi store in a small footprint can sell much more product than a typical larger grocery chain while usually using only a single cashier.  A bulk store will never be this effective.  Aldi also has the added benefit of overseeing their entire supply chain including the packaging of their food items.  This means they can implement my reusable packaging idea without wrestling their vendors into such a scheme.  I've been reading articles online that suggest Aldi will grow into the third or fourth largest grocery store chain, giving it a lot of clout and market share.

Another company that comes to my mind when I am pitching my idea is Amazon.  Amazon is the largest internet retailer in the United States.  If they started using plastic corrugated boxes that were reusable instead of cardboard, this would reduce a lot of cardboard waste.  In addition to Amazon, these boxes could be standardized into sizes so that any company could use them, and any shipping company could collect them for reuse.

The basic idea behind these shipping boxes and food containers is the RFID tracking chip that is embedded.  I have included pictures below to diagram steps in a supply chain of my proposed system:

9.  Display ready boxes are loaded onto a pallet, which is again read by an RFID reader, sent to the retailer database, ready to load onto a truck for shipment to the store.

10.  Pallets are unloaded and scanned into the store, allowing for quick inventory tracking.

11.  Robotic RFID scanning robots may roam the aisles to check inventory periodically so that items may be restocked and reordered.  A similar system that uses cameras is being tested at walmart and other stores, but since all products have RFIDs embedded, inventory can be tracked more precisely.

12.  A customer may checkout of the store simply by moving their cart past sensor bars, which would charge them for each item, as well as issue a deposit amount for each container to incentivize returning of the containers.

13.  When customer returns to store, they drop off their used containers into a collection bin at the front of the store.

14.  The collected items are sent to a washing/ processing facility

15.  When items arrive at the processing facility, their RFID tags are scanned again, which logs the event in the retailer database, and automatically credits the deposit back to the customers account.

16.  Items are washed and inspected on an automated line that ensures that containers do not leak, and are sufficiently cleaned.  One idea I had would be to check for air leakage to ensure that the container is airtight.

17.  Washed food containers are returned to the food dispensing facilities where they are refilled, and this starts the process over.

A similar scheme could be employed for shipping boxes.  In this case the embedded RFID tags could be assigned by different shipping companies to identify the shipment.  The boxes would be made of corrugated plastic instead of cardboard because plastic is more sanitary, and stronger for reuse.  Boxes would be easily broken down for return back to the shipping companies.  Boxes would come in uniform sizes, and these sizes could be easily standardized from existing box sizes at Amazon (ie A3 box size is a Amazon standard that could be adopted universally)

This concludes my proposal.  I may add more details later on as I see fit, and maybe add more diagrams.  Please let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Choosing a Bicycle

I am often asked by friends what to look for when choosing a bicycle.  The short answer is: look for a bike that fits, is inexpensive, and it works.  In this post I will tell you what I look for in a used bicycle.  If you are looking for a new bicycle, it is acceptable to ask bike shop staff their opinions as most local bike shop staff are trustworthy (Performance and Dicks Sporting Goods are NOT local bike shops).

Three Types of Bicycles:

Road Bike

These bikes feature the "rams horn" handlebars, skinny tires, and derailleur gears.  Rams horn are also called drop handlebars.  The reason this type of handlebar is made is to have multiple hand positions during a ride.  You will find that most road bikes will put the rider in a more uncomfortable, but more aerodynamic position with their handlebar height lower than or about seat level.  If you are inclined, you can buy a new stem to make the handlebar higher and ride at a more upright posture.  Other people prefer to turn the horns upward because its cheaper and easier to do, but if you're going to resort to that then you might as well start with another type of bicycle.  The skinny tires are great for roads because there is less rolling resistance, but it is important to keep those tires fully inflated to prevent pinch flats.  Most of these skinnier tires are 100 PSI or greater.  The higher pressure also helps with less rolling resistance.  The wheel size of newer road bikes is 700c.  Older road bikes have 27" wheels, but you can usually swap it out for a 700c wheel if you'd like to upgrade your wheels.  More on that later.

Mountain Bike

These bicycles are probably best known for a straight handlebar, knobby tires, and shock absorbers (springs on cheaper bikes).  First off I'd like to point out that for general riding on streets, shock absorbers aren't all that useful.  Bicycles with a rear suspension are slightly less efficient as far as power transfer than hard tail bicycles.  Bicycles with rear suspension are also harder to mount fenders and a luggage rack to, which are two essentials for every day cycling.  Front suspension doesn't have any of these shortfalls, but unless you're doing some hardcore stump jumping, suspension in general isn't going to do much for you.  Mountain bikes are sturdy general purpose bicycles.  Knobby tires can be switched out for high pressure slick tires if you just want less rolling resistance.

Hybrid/ Comfort Bike

Similar to a mountain bike in that they have a straight handlebar.  Most of these bicycles are built for a more upright and comfortable riding posture and have tires that are wider than road bikes, but skinnier and less knobby than mountain bikes.  They are good for general purpose riding and I'd recommend this type of bicycle for someones first bicycle purchase.

Fitting your bicycle:  

Bicycle fit is very important to selecting a bicycle.  Generally you should have a 2-3 inches between your crotch and the top tube (for straight across top tubes) and for sloping top tubes that is still 2-3 inches over the effective top tube (see picture).  For a website that will give you a ballpark of what size bicycle you're looking for click here.  When looking at bicycle on craigslist, ask sellers to measure the frame size to save yourself travel time.  You can even send them the picture (the one that that includes the words frame size) below in the email.

Now that you know about the different types of bicycles, I will include some quality indicators.  These are things that I look for to determine whether or not one used bicycle is better than another.

Bottom bracket/Crank

American Bottom Bracket

American bottom brackets are an older style of bottom bracket and feature a one piece crank called an Ashtabula crank.  The bottom bracket (the part of the frame that the crank goes through) is slighly larger to allow a single piece crank to be installed.  These indicate a cheaper bicycle.

European bottom brackets indicate a higher quality bike frame that is usually slightly lighter.  As you can see pictured above, the bottom bracket part of the frame is slightly smaller than the American counterpart and the crank that goes with it bolts onto a square tapered spindle.  This type of bottom bracket allows for different types of cranks to be used and newer spindles and bearings are sold and replaced as a whole cartridge making them easier to service.

Steel Rims vs Aluminum

Like American style bottom brackets, steel wheel rims are now only featured on the cheapest bicycles.  Steel rims do not brake as well as aluminum rims, they weigh more, and bend easier.  This is the reason I said you can upgrade your wheels on a road bike because older road bikes sometimes feature 27" steel wheels.  Get a bicycle with aluminum rims.  If you unsure if the rim is steel or not, stick a magnet on it.  Be aware that upgrading a wheelset is going to cost over $100, so you might as well start out with some good wheels when looking for a bicycle.  Another thing to know about are double-walled aluminum wheels which are less likely to bend than single walled ones.

Assessing the condition of the bicycle:
Take a crank and spin it backwards to see if the chain is seized.  Inspect the tire sidewalls and tread for wear.  Squeeze the brakes and try to push the bicycle forward.  Do you think these brakes will bring you to a complete stop within half a car length?  Are the rims bent?  Take the wheel and spin it.  Can you see or feel a wobble side to side or an up and down hop?  At this point you should probably take the bicycle for a spin around the block to see how it fits.  Cycle through all the gears and listen and feel for any chain skipping.

Things to add to your new-to-you bicycle

Now that you purchased a used bicycle, the things listed below will make your riding experience better. 

Fenders: 

  

If you ever find yourself on wet roads, you will need these.  Look for full fenders that go around the wheel.

Lights:
Get a good LED headlight that is greater than 300 lumens.

For a tail light I recommend you get the brightest LED blinkie you can find.

Luggage Rack:

Get one for the back.  Get a front luggage rack and hold even more stuff.  You can put a milk crate on it to carry lots of stuff.  Unfortunately most rear luggage racks you buy in the United States are not strong enough to support a passenger, because most cyclists want to be single forever I guess :/

Panniers:

Carry stuff on your bicycle, not your back!  Keep in mind that water resistance is market jargon that means absolutely nothing.  If you need waterproof panniers, get some vinyl ortlieb ones.  I try not to drop brand names much, but there aren't many offerings of waterproof panniers.

Better Saddle
Almost all bicycles come with terrible saddles.  I recommend a cutout style saddle that is vinyl like this one pictured.  Cloth saddles will rip and wear quickly.  Don't opt for anything super skinny or extremely wide.  Wide saddles will chafe.  Skinny saddles are uncomfortable for obvious reasons.  Get a saddle that has its widest point about an inch or two wider than your sit bones.

Strong lock

If you live in an urban area, make sure you invest in a hardened steel chain or U-Lock.  Good brands are Onguard and Kryptonite.  ABUS is even better.  Keep in mind that any lock can be defeated, but most people don't bother busting through hardened steel locks.

That is everything I can think of for how to buy a bicycle.  Suggestions?  Leave a comment.

Bicycle Safety: The Child Metric

I've been thinking about bicycle safety and making bicycle facilities here in Cleveland OH.  A great primer on bicycle safety can be found here.  One way to view bicycle safety is to use this image:

A little girl or boy on a bicycle.

Now take a picture of a small child and superimpose it over a google street view of the Detroit superior bridge.

Nice lane control Pete!  I wanted to find a picture of a smaller kid.  How does the idea of a small child traveling over the Detroit Superior bridge feel to you?  Are you concerned for their safety?  Does it seem out of place?  Well here's a little nugget for you to think about: if you are worried about a small child getting ran over on our streets, and the image evokes strong feelings of concern for the childs safety, consider that I am also just as vulnerable to being killed on this bridge.  More money needs to be put into bicycle awareness and appropriate bicycle facilities until we can use an image of a seven year old traveling on any given road in Cleveland, without evoking feelings of fear for the child's safety.  If you still have fear for that child, then Cleveland is not doing it's job of protecting cyclists.

Same old, same old.

Now that we have totally gotten out of this recession *sarcasm* people are once again spending in droves. It seems consumer mindset is in full swing. I say this is a bad thing. We cannot go back to buying things we don't need and we cannot keep buying things to make us happy. We should be conserving resources! Has anyone learned anything from whats been going on? Last year there was a huge focus on being "green" which was mostly a marketing campaign, but the marketing campaign was a response to a growing environmental consciousness. Now since money is flowing once again, it seems everyone has forgotten about helping the environment. Our priorities are screwed up.

The future

I spend a lot of time thinking about how I am perceived. Being an American probably means I am using more energy, eating more food, and buying more stuff than my European counterpart. It's not exactly my fault, I am trying to cut back. Admitting you have a problem is the first part of therapy. As a country we need to step back and examine our priorities. Americans need to buy less and stop referring to themselves as consumers. Buying less plastic junk will also mean that people will have to rethink their work: does my job have a place in a sustainable future economy? I believe we are going to move back to agriculture eventually, organic agriculture to be precise. I also believe people are going to be driving a lot less than they are now. This concept should be embraced. People should relocate close to their workplaces, library, grocery store. The new model will be central cities as well as small villages surrounded by farmland. The new cities will be walkable as well as cycling friendly.

About being seen on a bicycle.

My mom keeps nagging me about putting more lights on my bicycle so I finally put down for another xenon strobe light and LED light strips on my bicycle. It was my aunts complaining that drove my mom to tell me to put more lights on my bicycle. I am partly pissed off because I feel as if my aunt doesn't believe in the cycling cause. She believes it is too dangerous to ride on the road and therefore they do not belong there. I believe that the continued habit of driving everywhere is dangerous for our society, but that's a different topic. I will put the extra lights on my bicycle begrudgingly, but they are necessary to keep me from getting killed. Cars suck.

Living in a unit, instead of a house.

I am always looking at ways to become more efficient and from my last post I talked about choosing a place to live. This post is about what type of living I hope to accomplish. My whole life I have spent living in single family homes (except for a duplex) and am now investigating whether it would be worth my while to live in a unit rather than a house. The main reason is efficiency. I don't really do anything with a lawn, so it doesn't make sense to have one. I especially don't need a driveway or garage, because I don't own a car. I like the idea of having shared walls to reduce heating and cooling costs and would like a building that isn't too high up to access my room with a flight of stairs (not a fan of elevators). The building must have secure bicycle parking in their garage and should be close to a grocery store, my workplace and a library. I am a big fan of ownership and have no interest in renting. I am looking for a permanent place. I would like to have a flexible association willing to investigate conservation measures such as adding extra insulation, having solar hot water panels on the roof, as well as allowing rooftop gardening. This is my American dream.