Waste not,want not....Is that saying really true anymore? I see so much waste everywhere I turn and as we learn more about the effects of our wastefulness on the environment, companies are marketing more and more products that are wasteful of resources. And people are buying them without any thought for the consequences! It seems more like want more, waste more!
Let's go through a few examples.
K-Cups require a special coffee maker that costs lots of money and requires a separate little plastic "k-cup" for each cup of coffee you brew. Talk about wasteful packaging! A number of these little plastic cups are packaged together in a cardboard box. This, when you could buy one package of instant or brew coffee and make pot after pot after pot.
Why is it so hard to use an old fashioned toilet brush? Now Scrubbing Bubbles is selling disposable toilet brushes! Clorox makes one, too! Really? And don't tell me about the germs on the toilet brush that sits in your bathroom because those germ-y brushes have been sitting in bathrooms for decades and not bothering anyone. As long as you don't play with it or put it in your mouth, just leave it sitting in its little holder, it isn't going to hurt anything.
Disposable Clorox wipes and Lysol wipes are wasteful and unnecessary, too! Scrubbing Bubbles has their own line of bathroom wipes. Why not just use a washcloth? Worried about it getting ruined? I was raised by a frugal and green mama who taught me to tear old t-shirts into rags that can be used for any job without worrying about the condition of the rag. Old socks are good for this, too. And if you really need something disposable sometimes, use a paper towel, but you don't need something disposable for every time you wipe off the kitchen or bathroom counter!
I would like to see some of these corporations taking responsibility for the environment, not just in the way they are manufacturing products, but also in what products they manufacture. Considering how much we know about good environmental practices and global warming, I would like to see government regulations on packaging, as well as disposable items.
What items make you angry when you walk the aisles of the supermarket?
I have a basket of old socks in the laundry room that I use for just about everything! I am now using the old cloth wipes that I used on my kids to clean! I do use paper towels when I need to, but try as hard as I can to use reusable cleaning cloths. I didn't know about the disposable toilet brushes...that is a real waste!!!
ReplyDeleteI hate walking down the cleaning isle. It grosses me out. All those chemicals! Yikes!
ReplyDeleteoh don't get me started on this topic!!! It makes me CRAZY! I was so proud on the day we went to a friends house for dinner with our kids and my 3 year old asked "What's this mommy?" while picking up her paper napkin! Yeah- it's a napkin. you use it and throw it away. isn't that dumb? I should stop now before I get on a soap box. Great post! :)
ReplyDeleteGreat story! I love it! Great job mommy!
DeleteGreat post! A nice reminder for when I get off track. I try to just use vinegar, baking soda and murphy's oil. my clothes are all old and reusable.....thanks!!
ReplyDeleteI gotta stick up for my Keurig brewer here! Yes, the cups are an environmental nightmare, BUT you can get a cheap adapter that allows you to use regular ground coffee.
ReplyDeleteI'm the only coffee drinker in my house so I ended up wasting a lot of coffee when I'd make a whole pot because I thought I was going to drink it and then it would end up wasted. I love that I can get up in the morning and make *one* cup to drink and then if I want more I can make *one* more.
I don't like paper towels (we did buy them when we were potty training the puppy though) and I can't stand plastic wrap! Just use a container with a lid!