What does it mean by "disposable?"

Most flashlights are disposable...whether be a dorcy, fenix or a surefire, its a natural process for anything to have an end-of-life procedure. So why has "disposable" been exclusively associated with "single-use" products?

I used to get frustrated when I see "disposable" plastic silverware in stores, because it created a parameter of what is considered disposable and what isn't. I certainly have as much of a choice to keep and reuse plastic silverware than the choice to toss out metal silverware after one setting.

If a product can be purchased, it could certainly be discarded, so why are certain products disposable and others do not possess the slightest concept of it? :shrug:

Perhaps its just my interpretation that's flawed, but I'm not so sure. Last time I went to my psychologist in the reception area I was told to take a seat, so I stood waiting since no one told me to sit down, just take a seat. When I was called in I took a chair with me on my way in...nobody complained.

Basically, what you say is true. BUT...

I think that they call things that are made poorly and cost little "disposable" for the reason that they are the things you use when you most likely aren't going to want or be able to keep them. Yes, you can keep and reuse plastic forks, but in a situation where plastic forks are usually used (i.e. picnic in a park) you probably are not going have access to dish washing facilities, but you will have a trash can, so you buy 'disposable' (read: cheap!) forks you can throw away afterward. You could buy silver utensils and toss them too, but most people can't afford to. Disposable items are usually a convenience thing.

Does that make sense? :shrug:

I think I see why you need a psychologist, Illum.... :kiss:

I can't tell if you are looking for an actual answer or an equally convoluted question/response.

To me, disposable means that repairs/maintenance are minimized if not completely eliminated. I.e. "harbor Freight tools."
If you showed up at a tool repair shop with a $13 power-drill from 'HF' looking for a replacement motor, they'd polity laugh at you. The time and effort required to source and execute a 'parts replacement' for a tool of that 'caliber' is a rub(pointless). Why repair when you could just go buy brand a new one.

However, if any part of our "Fine" vacuum systems ever fail, the effort required to execute said replacement pails in comparison to the $200+ price tag. Also, the quality of said replacement will ensure we wont be going to that effort again for a very long time.

I wouldn't consider SF disposable. Maybe the G2 Nitrolons.
For considerably less than what I paid for the original, I could replace/upgrade the emitter/reflector if there's ever a failure. No need to dispose/replace the entire thing.

In summation, Disposable means it wont cost you more to go out and buy a new one than it would to repair and maintain the original.



About your, "Take a seat" 'gag.'
Next time, load it in your car(immediately) then come back in and see if anyone says anything. Or simply ask where you should take it.

Definitions vary, that is also why hoarding has developed. The desire to find potential use in nearly everything thus it is kept for that one moment. Like my small can of assorted screws, bolt, washers, nuts. Invariably I don't need them because I want to use new fasteners but they are kept because that moment I need a quick fix with an odd item, I'll use it.
Come to think of it, on my way out today it is going in the trash. I have had it for over a decade and not once has it been opened.

Cost is a limiter to what we buy, but an incentive to produce for the companies for which we buy from. Not necessarily repairs as cost is typically the prime concern, but from a longitudional perspective eventually something in that device will wear out until it cannot be replaced, or it simply passed the point of utility where something better now replaces it. If it is not marked disposable or advertised as disposable I can certainly agree why people hoard things, I'm a hoarder myself, its common sense not only that there exists "residual benefit" from retired devices, but that there exists no standardized procedure to toss them out.

RA40 said:

Definitions vary, that is also why hoarding has developed. The desire to find potential use in nearly everything thus it is kept for that one moment. Like my small can of assorted screws, bolt, washers, nuts. Invariably I don't need them because I want to use new fasteners but they are kept because that moment I need a quick fix with an odd item, I'll use it.
Come to think of it, on my way out today it is going in the trash. I have had it for over a decade and not once has it been opened.

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I once had over 15 pounds of resistors, capacitors, and other passives I unsoldered from electronics that unwillingly had to go...so I'm not the kind of hoarder that you usually see on TV...I hoard components in neat trays, I haven't got the privilege to hoard entire products because of limited space around the house. To date however, when I toss out stuff thats almost never marked disposable, like a 10 year old water heater, a 20 year old couch, or a 25 year old mattress I still often wonder am I breaking any laws tossing out anything thats not marked "disposable"

I finally tossed out my resistors and caps because trying to find the right value for a project became a real PITA, had to go through them using a magnifying glass, on occiasion I might get lucky and find several identical ones, other times I'd spend weekends on looking for right resistors

I'm sure your county's website has at least a link to information on what can and cannot be recycled and/or collected by your local waste management system. If a standardized procedure exists, your county probably has the information posted. Give them a call if you can't find anything on the website.

In short, "disposable" is an insult.

As used originally, disposable was applied to single-use products, which were meant to be used once and disposed of. Like disposable razors. You shave once and then throw the razor away.

The term then evolved into a derogatory label applied to cheaply made/low quality products that, although they've been built with the intention of repeated use, their lack of quality makes repeated use impractical.

There's also the commercial aspect, if you use something and throw it away, chances are good that you'll have to buy more of whatever item it was that you used and tossed. With certain products for certain uses, it may well be in a manufacturer's best interest to convince people that they're better off using a product once, throwing it away, and buying more. Thereby making more money for the manufacturer. Think disposable baby diapers vs. cloth.

Man, spending an entire weekend looking for the right resistor? Resistors are cheap and time is expensive, just buy the darn things and get on with life.

Illum said:

Most flashlights are disposable...whether be a dorcy, fenix or a surefire, its a natural process for anything to have an end-of-life procedure. So why has "disposable" been exclusively associated with "single-use" products?

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It appears to me that you're trying to take a word that has many definitions and give it only one. Your purest-sense-of-the-word definition of disposable is that it can be disposed of in the common trash. Conversely, something not disposable would generally be (or contain something) forbidden from public landfills such as lead, li-ion batteries, sealed paint containers, other hazardous chemicals, refrigerators with attached doors, etc. By your strict definition, a $5000 Armani suit or $10,000 Rolex is disposable.

I'll have to simply disagree and say that when I hear the word disposable, I think of it as single/limited use. Yes, "disposable" flatware can be re-used, but not as long at traditional/"non-disposable" flatware.

hmm...so if multiple definitions do exist, "disposability" then becomes a nonissue as whether to toss it out is up to the consumers discretion?:thinking:

It appears to me that you're trying to take a word that has many definitions and give it only one.

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Well if each word has different meanings equally accepted as valid how would the world then interpret the so called "standards" ?

Wlbnf is exactly right. You are taking the packaging claim that something is disposable far too literally, as though items without that designation cannot be thrown away by traditional methods. This isn't the case. Disposable in this situation, as on packaging, does not mean that it is landfill safe or environmentally friendly. It has nothing to do with the science behind its deterioration, and everything to do with sales. Disposable is just a catchy way for marketing people to say 'hey this is cheap and probably won't last long so buy it, use it once, and then toss is without feeling bad!'

"Disposable" is in contrast to a product that carries a reasonable user-service feature. If the normal product requires refills, periodic cleaning-lubricating, tune-ups, battery replacement, or other forms of service or support products, then the "disposable" version would not make allowance for these services, supplies or refills. When it came time for such "service", the expectation is that the useful life of the product was finished.

this thread is a good opportunity to examine how we use things, and the sort of things that we use. Eventually, everything we own (and even our mortal bodies) will be worn out and ready to be disposed of. What happens to it then? Will it decompose and be reborn as compost? Will it be easily recycled like steel, copper, etc.? Or will it end up in a landfill for centuries or longer?

Before the industrial revolution, most of what we used was made of organic materials or easily recycled metals. Most folks just didn't have many possessions at all, honestly. The question of "what is the meaning of disposable" is relatively new, and something we should contemplate as consumers.

regards,
Steve K.
(but I do recycle my electrons when using electricity!)

nbp said:

It has nothing to do with the science behind its deterioration, and everything to do with sales. Disposable is just a catchy way for marketing people to say 'hey this is cheap and probably won't last long so buy it, use it once, and then toss is without feeling bad!'

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its starting to make sense now, I've fallen to marketing!:laughing:
So we've established cost, and then now guilt, so in the process a new association is made..."disposables" are products thats cheap to produce and incurs minimal guilt when its pitched? :thinking:

i would just say that disposable means that it's cheap enough to throw out and to rebuy instead of the trouble of maintenance.

interesting way of thinking out of the box. maybe your iq is high.

On a practical level, you should take the word "disposable" on a box like you would any other kind of advertising: disregard it entirely. Think about your needs, do your own research before hand, buy the product that works best for you, use it in the manner that works best for you, and dispose of it if and when it is best for you to do so.

Using my disposable razor comment above, how many disposable razors are actually worn out after one shave? Not mine. When I was young and broke and had just moved into my first apartment, did I run out and spend even fifty cents a piece on silver(er, stainless)ware? No way, I bought the plastic picnic variety pack for a dollar and filled my eating-utensil needs at a much cheaper cost. The box said "disposable", but you bet I washed and re-used them, at least until I could afford better.

For me personally it up to personal interpretation. I will use the "disposable razors" example as it applies to me.

I used to have a "nice(non-disposable)" razor that used "disposable" blades. It had like 3-4 blades & allegedly cut hair better. Due to the increasing cost of the blades even at costco I bought a 50 pack of "disposable" razor blades on sale from costco. For my face I found the "cheap/disposable razor worked at least as well as the expensive blades & I can use each razor for nearly 2 weeks of daily use before it dull enough to need replacing.

So that pack of razors is gonna last me a LOT longer than they were "designed" or marketed for. All at a significantly lower cost per use to me.

Travis

p.s. I have witnessed people be more disposable with relationships within their friend or family circle than most people are with food.

I agree with you guys on the disposable razors. I use them until they are dull. The cost of name brand blades has gone way over the top. If I go to a restaurant and have a plastic spoon I have used, I will take it home with me and use it for my instant coffee every morning. It is amazing how long I use a plastic disposable spoon until it cracks. Those black microwave dinner containers can be washed and used to heat up things in the microwave for a long time.

disposable razors were never intended to be "single use". they were simply meant to be discarded when used up (worn out).

i'm not sure why some of you are implying they are supposed to be single use.

"disposable" doesn't refer to the contents of the package at all; it refers to the buyer's attitude toward the planet..

Ragiska said:

disposable razors were never intended to be "single use". they were simply meant to be discarded when used up (worn out).

i'm not sure why some of you are implying they are supposed to be single use.

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"For best results, use a new razor each time you shave."

Clearly encouragement to use - and buy - more.