wasteful

I've been lurking around for a couple months, time to finally get around and post something :)

I've had this thought for awhile now, that packaging for new items is very wasteful. Anyone who has bought something such as electronic equipment has probably noticed this. Example, buying a new router:

The router and all the different parts come in a box, the box is sealed in plastic shrink wrap. The router itself is in a little plastic bag, another bag is used for the LAN cable, another for the power cord, yet more for the packet of paperwork and install disk, as well as any other parts that are seperate from the main device (wireless antenna, clip on feet to stand it upright, etc). The outer shrink wrap makes sence to prevent water from getting inside and as an extra defence from theft or small parts falling out. But why does each and every part inside the box have to be individually bagged or wrapped?

All of this extra plastic creates so much unneeded waste that only ends up in landfills. It also uses up valuable resources that could be put to better use. I mentioned this to some friends of mine but they didn't seem to care one way or the other. The only real reaction I got was from a buddy who had worked at for an electronics store doing installs, and he bassically said "that's the way they've been doing it for years, it's not going to change."

I don't believe that this is something that will not change. Trouble is, I do not know where to start in order to beging working toward a change. So I thought I'd pose this idea to everyone on here. Does anyone agree that this is an issue worth looking into? And where would be a good place to start in order to make a change? Would writing state reps and/or senators be a start? Would writing to the companies who use wasteful tactics like this even begin to do any good?

I understand that some plastic packaging is useful, but there seems to be a lot of useless packaging being used and it could be doing more harm than good.