Those are cute and I can see how they would be popular. And I see why they should also be banned. I live in the Midwest and I'm not sure I have seen these. Ours just comes in a little sauce packet.
this post was submitted on 31 Aug 2025
361 points (99.5% liked)
World News
49547 readers
1909 users here now
A community for discussing events around the World
Rules:
-
Rule 1: posts have the following requirements:
- Post news articles only
- Video links are NOT articles and will be removed.
- Title must match the article headline
- Not United States Internal News
- Recent (Past 30 Days)
- Screenshots/links to other social media sites (Twitter/X/Facebook/Youtube/reddit, etc.) are explicitly forbidden, as are link shorteners.
-
Rule 2: Do not copy the entire article into your post. The key points in 1-2 paragraphs is allowed (even encouraged!), but large segments of articles posted in the body will result in the post being removed. If you have to stop and think "Is this fair use?", it probably isn't. Archive links, especially the ones created on link submission, are absolutely allowed but those that avoid paywalls are not.
-
Rule 3: Opinions articles, or Articles based on misinformation/propaganda may be removed. Sources that have a Low or Very Low factual reporting rating or MBFC Credibility Rating may be removed.
-
Rule 4: Posts or comments that are homophobic, transphobic, racist, sexist, anti-religious, or ableist will be removed. “Ironic” prejudice is just prejudiced.
-
Posts and comments must abide by the lemmy.world terms of service UPDATED AS OF 10/19
-
Rule 5: Keep it civil. It's OK to say the subject of an article is behaving like a (pejorative, pejorative). It's NOT OK to say another USER is (pejorative). Strong language is fine, just not directed at other members. Engage in good-faith and with respect! This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban.
Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.
-
Rule 6: Memes, spam, other low effort posting, reposts, misinformation, advocating violence, off-topic, trolling, offensive, regarding the moderators or meta in content may be removed at any time.
-
Rule 7: We didn't USED to need a rule about how many posts one could make in a day, then someone posted NINETEEN articles in a single day. Not comments, FULL ARTICLES. If you're posting more than say, 10 or so, consider going outside and touching grass. We reserve the right to limit over-posting so a single user does not dominate the front page.
We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.
All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.
Lemmy World Partners
News !news@lemmy.world
Politics !politics@lemmy.world
World Politics !globalpolitics@lemmy.world
Recommendations
For Firefox users, there is media bias / propaganda / fact check plugin.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/media-bias-fact-check/
- Consider including the article’s mediabiasfactcheck.com/ link
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
Essentially a less cute plastic wrapper, no?
Yeah but as another person from the American Midwest, the article seems to indicate south Australia is moving to the packets we have as they're larger and use less plastic, though the goal is for bulk soy sauce in refillable containers
In Australia we have these or the packets, for take away. You don't use them for dine in, we have larger refillable glass/plastic containers for that.
Kind of but it's still a fraction of the waste created. Not perfect but I'd say the polyethylene ones take up 5 to 10 times more space in a landfill or ocean.
load more comments
(1 replies)
The "fish-shaped" is rather irrelevant. The point is that it is a single -use plastic thing. With very little content in relation to the plastic used.
I thought it would have been very relevant.
It looks like a fish lure.
If this is floating around at sea I don't see why other fish (and maybe certain sea birds?) wouldn't think it's prey, and it even has a bright red indicator that makes it easy to spot.
load more comments
(7 replies)
A Spanish company (I imagine there are a few worldwide) develops compostable bioplastic containers using PLA, polylactic acid, the most used plastic in 3D printing, in food safe formulations. I suppose there are limitations on what it can contain, and I don't know if soy sauce is compatible. I know that it's used for single serving olive oil, for example. There are challenges, like storage life, but it's a good start.
I do a lot of 3D printing. Printing PLA things for food storage is not recommended, not because of PLA, but because filaments often have modifiers to enhance certain properties that may not be food safe, and because contact with materials and parts, like extrusion nozzles may add impurities that are probably not food safe..
Keep in mind that PLA also leaks microplastics into food and could also be considered a risk to health just like other plastics.
Aren't these biodegradable, though? I imagine the body would eventually process them, unlike hydrocarbon based plastics.
“Biodegradable” doesn’t mean “biodegradable in the conditions in the human body.” Lots of ‘green’ plastics are only compostable at a fairly high temperature (120F/50C) and with specific bacteria present.
PLA is not one of those. It's used in biodegradable implants. Even fairly large bone screws will dissolve within a couple years.
Biodegradable ( “green” ) needs a new definition
I've started to see home compostable on some packages.
The hard part about PLA is that while it is biodegradable, it's only in certain conditions/facilities who are set up for it, and it's not very common around the country. I'm all for what the company is doing, and I already do see a lot of PLA products in fast food (like soda cups), but it doesn't mean much if we don't have the facilities to properly dispose of it.
Source: I do a modest amount of 3D printing
I'm definitely not a polymer expert, I also have my information from what I read as a hobbyist. My take is that while PLA will compost in commercial facilities, it will eventually biodegrade in a reasonable time frame, with minor impact to nature. Better than the alternatives, I guess.
How does it biodegrade though?
Just like disintegrate into tiny plastic molecules that we can no longer see but it's still plastic? Or does it degrade as far as becoming the individual components that made up the plastic and can be recycled and used by things in nature?
Pla is poly lactic acid, so it breaks down into lactic acid and then further into water and CO2 with heat and bacteria exposure.
load more comments
(2 replies)
Unfortunately while PLA is technically biodegradable, it requires very specific conditions that can only be achieved in dedicated facilities. So it's not like you can throw it in the composting bin and be done with it. It will also survive for a long time in nature.
load more comments
(1 replies)
load more comments
(4 replies)
Some people just don’t appreciate the irony of killing turtles with fish-shaped plastic, what can you do
load more comments
(10 replies)
I’m not defending the use but should mention that these are convenient over traditional sauce packets. They allow precise application in a droplet form, don’t spill everywhere, and can be closed with the included cap.
But offer no benefit over a simple serving bottle.
Correct. These are often found in takeaway containers.
Oh no! How are people supposed to sneak G into parties now?
Contact lens case is how they did it around here.
load more comments
(1 replies)
Date rapists in shambles
For context, these containers are really popular for storing drugs like GHB
Wonder if you could put soy sauce in wax like those wax bottle candies instead
load more comments
(1 replies)
I have an idea, just stop putting them in the ocean.
I love productive comments.
oh fuck, i wasnt supposed to save all my plastic containers until my next day at the beach???
load more comments
(1 replies)
What is the issue with this form compared to others?
South Australia will be the first place in the world to ban them under a wider ban on single-use plastics that comes into force on 1 September.
They aren't banning the packets tho.. I can see how the plastic pouches could be better for the environment than the polypropylene fish tho, but certainly not by much.
Man, it sounds like the ultimate first-world problem, but how are they gonna get soy sauce with takeout sushi without single-use plastics? I imagine the people who get takeout sushi and the people who have a bottle of soy sauce in their fridge are largely different groups. Not to mention the people who get takeout sushi for lunch at work. This may degrade the takeout sushi experience for all of South Australia.
We can make tiny glass bottles if the market demands it.
These companies use plastic because of its weight and ease of manufacturing and I assume it's also cheaper than glass. The weight may seem a weird metric but when they are shipping billion of them every year it adds up.
If they were forced to change to glass they would definitely increase the price to compensate.
I would love to save the world from ecological collapse, but not if I have to pay for it in any way shape of form whatsoever!
load more comments
(3 replies)
I imagine the people who get takeout sushi and the people who have a bottle of soy sauce in their fridge are largely different groups.
Tbh there's your answer, fix that. Buy some damn soy sauce, they sell it at the most basic stores.
But that doesn't solve the issue for people eating it at a third location, like work, their car, or an unprepared friend's house, can't buy bottles of soy for literally everywhere you go "just in case" and such.
Maybe we still need them for that, but we can also be mindful of our circumstances and prepare/choose appropriately. Would require people to change personally however, so keep waiting lol.
Hell maybe we just make it common for them to sell little 4oz resealable glass bottles of kikkoman at the Chinese spot, then one can still be unprepared and still get the sauce there (though it'd be cheaper if they prepare next time), and whatever sauce isn't used is retainable. Still not perfect since those bottles have plastic tops, but it's something! Maybe make the caps out of hemp plastic for added bonus?
load more comments
(4 replies)
The issue is that you didn’t read the article 😊
I barely even read this comment
I need the tldr of this entire thread
TLDR: Stuff happens. People reacted and then went to bed.
A decent question. Especially if this ban allows the ripper pouch style single serve sauces.
I have collected a tonne of the fish shaped bad boys at river clean ups, so maybe they're somehow worse. Tbh takeaway sushi could improve in a lot of ways to reduce single use plastics, so kinda funny that the cute fish copped it.
If it hasn’t already been broken down into microplastics yet and it’s floating around in its whole form, then other organisms that eat fish that size could think it is a fish and then eat it,” Wootton said.
And:
“Since they are quite a thick plastic, it does take quite a while for them to degrade.”
I was thinking about these literally just yesterday. I'm wondering if they could be essentially replaced with something like those wax bottle candies. Maybe not the best for places that reach extreme temperatures but some places could do it without issue.
Scrolling by I literally thought "Man, that candy looks delicious, what's this article about?" And then read the headline... 🫠
I've never seen these things before but it does seem like a waste of plastic. Even sachets of sauce shouldn't be handed out in most circumstances, at least for dine-in food in fast food places - use dispensers and paper cups. I wonder if there is a biodegradable sachet material which has a couple of years shelf life but degrades thereafter.
view more: next ›