There is a phenomenon where green-minded consumers freeze, thinking about whether buying recycled content tissues or sustainable bamboo toilet paper is the best decision for the planet. Or whether they should hold in their pee until they take a shower. There’s probably a German word for it, like Earthenbrainenfarten.
I went shopping at The Refill Market, a local sustainable goods store, because I am trying to reduce my trash. (If you recall, I have a love affair with garbage trucks, and throwing things away, so this was a big deal). I use a shampoo bar instead of plastic bottles; I have a bamboo back scrubber instead of a plastic one. And I bought a roll of… reusable paper towels. They are little cloths printed with sunny-side-up eggs. Because a reusable paper towel is… A TOWEL!!! I could have bought a mess of shop cloths from Costco, but instead, I bought these little “moppines”—as Italian-Americans call kitchen rags—and now they’re all over the kitchen to reduce my dependence on paper towels.
It’s easy to say “it’s up to the corporations” and give up. Do you do anything to reduce your trash, gas usage, et cetera, or have you given up?
(In an effort to keep the conversation from last week going, I’m posting short “threads” once or twice a week. Please join in the comments if you feel so inclined).
I am a good little recycler. However, washing certain items before recycling, like peanut butter jars for example, uses a lot of water. Then I wonder if I am wasting water? Also, there was my emergency trip to urgent care a few weeks ago because I cut my finger very badly washing out a tin can before recycling. The amount of bandaids I used...😂
I reduce trash by composting, which is especially helpful when I have weeks where I'm more motivated to buy vegetables than I am to actually eat the ones I buy. And then I use my composted dirt in a vegetable garden that this year became a salad bar for the local groundhog population. But still...compost!
I've started buying from a company called Blueland, which sells soap tablets for laundry, the dishwasher, hand soap dispensers, etc. It's cut way down on my use of disposable plastic, and they're as effective as the big bottles I used to buy.
I am a good little recycler. However, washing certain items before recycling, like peanut butter jars for example, uses a lot of water. Then I wonder if I am wasting water? Also, there was my emergency trip to urgent care a few weeks ago because I cut my finger very badly washing out a tin can before recycling. The amount of bandaids I used...😂
I have started using bamboo toilet paper, and I got a compost bin, but it's always too wet to be useful
I reduce trash by composting, which is especially helpful when I have weeks where I'm more motivated to buy vegetables than I am to actually eat the ones I buy. And then I use my composted dirt in a vegetable garden that this year became a salad bar for the local groundhog population. But still...compost!
I've started buying from a company called Blueland, which sells soap tablets for laundry, the dishwasher, hand soap dispensers, etc. It's cut way down on my use of disposable plastic, and they're as effective as the big bottles I used to buy.