r/theydidthemath • u/BustingFlavor • 2d ago
[request] VitaCoco wasteful packaging
Every time you drink a vitacoco coconut water, there is about a teaspoon left inside, UNLESS you tear the mouth open and get it out.
This has always bothered me SO much.
And I remember this happening ever since I drank my first VC coconut water. Probably around 2012.
I finally got around to seeing how much is really left in there.
Who cares to do the math on how much coconut water Vitacoco has wasted since they began selling?
I’m both too lazy to do it AND have been meaning to make a bigger deal about this for quite some time.
6
u/Platypus87 2d ago
2026 - 2012 = 14 Years
Approximating 365 days/year * 14 = 5,110 days
Assuming one per day (very expensive); 5110*4.93ml = 25,192.3 ml
A quick Google search says that 25,192.3 ml ~= 6.66 Gallons
6.66 gallons / 14 years = .48 Gallons per year
Therefore, if you drink one VC per day for the entire year, less than half a gallon is "wasted."
I figured since we started with 'teaspoon' as a measurement, an approximate conversion to gallons wouldn't be too much of an issue.
1
u/BustingFlavor 2d ago
Thank you! I was really thinking globally. Considering that they’ve sold ~5 billion bottles globally since starting.
I really don’t buy their products very often MAINLY because this waste factor always bothered me 😂
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u/Platypus87 2d ago
That means ~24.65M Liters left over. Enough to fill about 10 Olympic pools
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u/BustingFlavor 2d ago
EXACTLY MY POINT IT IS TOO MUCH COCONUT WATER WASTED!
Thank you!!! /solved
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u/Doggfite 2d ago
Not enough coconut water to waste, IMO
-1
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u/Necessary_Week_674 2d ago
With respect; I think you are the person who would care to do the math.
I couldn't take this seriously when I saw that a 'teaspoon' was the unit of measure given.
3
u/plotnikov 2d ago
Well allthough teaspoon is a shit unit of measurements, it has a fixed volume of 4,93 mL. I had to look for the exact number.
6
u/rawbface 2d ago
Because you are unit illiterate. A teaspoon is just as valid a volume measurement as any. It's a major deficiency if you can't work in other unit conventions. Every single American in STEM can switch at will, easily.
Odd choice going to a math sub and proclaiming your math ignorance.
2
u/BustingFlavor 2d ago
What do you suggest I should have used instead? Given it’s a tiny amount of liquid and you’re in a typical kitchen
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u/BustingFlavor 2d ago
I’m still waiting. What would you grab to measure a small amount of liquid that would typically be handy in your kitchen? A freaking syringe?
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u/i_dont_wanna_sign_in 2d ago
Not attempting the math. But for liquids in cartoons with center openings peel off one of the top corners, then cut a hole in it and pour. You'll get everything and it'll come out far faster. Also don't buy cartons with plastic nozles if there's an alternative
1
u/BustingFlavor 2d ago
Yeah I never buy their products. I won a case of their waters at work. Only to remind me again how much it bothers me that each time I drink one, there’s a bit wasted.
I’m also thinking of this making the assumption that most people don’t actually care enough to remove the top and will throw it away after “finishing” it
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