SUDs in 2012: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

New Year's is a good a time as any for predictions. Really, I'm partial for Tuesdays in March, but heck, why not predict what will happen in the world of single use disposables in 2012 and beyond. After all the reading and writing we've done surrounding this topic over the last several months, a few trends have started to emerge. So, based on my loads of empirical evidence (read: my gut), here's the good, the bad, and the ugly of what I think will happen in 2012 with single use disposables.

1. We'll invent more dumb stuff. In 2011, we saw the K-cup go from niche to mainstream.  We saw the New Jersey government hand out plastic sleeves to hold lottery tickets. And we saw new tricks for cooking pasta--that involve an extra plastic bag, of course.

Debbie Downer is the worst, she really is, and I don't want to be her. But my gut tells me that we'll see many more dumb things get invented in 2012.

2. We'll do more dumb stuff. At the end of 2011, Congress doubled back on a phase-out of incandescent light bulbs. Really, really awesome light bulbs exist out there. Ones that use less energy than incandescent bulbs (which are the ones you've likely used all your life), and are therefore less expensive. But Congress is clinging to the apparent American birthright to pour money into outdated technology. 

And it wasn't the only dumb thing we did. 2012 is an election year, and in the run-up to November, I expect we'll see a trickle-down effect from the mud-slinging that will cause even ordinary Americans to champion their right to own as much junk as they want.

3. More of us will live without SUDs. At the end of 2011, Seattle became the first major city to enact a ban on both paper and plastic bags, and many smaller counties and towns enacted bag bans, too. Bag bans matter because they can reduce the amount of plastic consumption and litter by as much as 90%, and more Americans are going to demand them because hey, litter is ugly.

The green movement isn't just a movement anymore. We're wising up to the fact that we don't need so much junk anymore, and the footage of plastic in the bellies of dead birds thousands of miles from shore is affecting more people than ever before. Reusable bag companies like ChicoBag aren't backing down against chemical companies that manufacture plastic bags, and organic farmers are standing up to the likes of Monsanto. The tide is turning. More of us are realizing that our lives are happier and our wallets are chunkier without needless single use disposables in our lives.

4. We'll invent more smart things. We'll invent more efficient light bulbs and smarter appliances. We'll innovate more sustainable business models and find new ways to use our waste. We'll stop relying on SUDs and wise up to how much we have going for us if we don't throw things away.

In a nutshell, 2012 is going to be a year of great progress and great grumbling--from both sides. But after 2011, we're all used to that.