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...😂
A friend of mine keeps one Tupperware container filled with a small stack of laundered dry towels, and another full of the same stack of towels except soaking in some cleaning solution. That way she’s always ready to go in case of a spill. I keep meaning to copy her.
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 been threatening to compost, but I don't have a good spot for it, and we don't plant much, either. I have a garbage disposal in the sink, it's a cheapie and our pipes are old and skinny. A friend clogged her disposal so I rarely use it.
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 love Blueland! I've got their dishwasher tablets, dish powder, and laundry tablets. And a couple of glass hand soap dispensers that use their tablets. That helps a lot.
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...😂
Yeah, that makes me wonder, too.
I have started using bamboo toilet paper, and I got a compost bin, but it's always too wet to be useful
A friend of mine keeps one Tupperware container filled with a small stack of laundered dry towels, and another full of the same stack of towels except soaking in some cleaning solution. That way she’s always ready to go in case of a spill. I keep meaning to copy her.
Good idea!
I hope you meant the compost!
lolyes!
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 been threatening to compost, but I don't have a good spot for it, and we don't plant much, either. I have a garbage disposal in the sink, it's a cheapie and our pipes are old and skinny. A friend clogged her disposal so I rarely use it.
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.
Good idea!
I love Blueland! I've got their dishwasher tablets, dish powder, and laundry tablets. And a couple of glass hand soap dispensers that use their tablets. That helps a lot.