Stumbling into Sustainability: Ditching Disposables

I ran out of cotton pads. You know, the little round ones I use twice a day for toner, makeup remover, micellar water. I’d been to the unnamed “big-box” store and completely forgot to buy more. “No worries,” I thought, “I’ll just order some on unnamed “big box” online retailer.” 

That’s when I spotted them: reusable cotton pads with a tiny mesh laundry bag. I can buy the thing I throw away every single day, and stop throwing it away? Sold. Cart. Checkout. Done. After considering how often I buy these and the things I use them for, I decided to do some quick math. Based on using two per day, morning and night, the average person (who uses these items) uses 730 rounds a year. 730! Each person who uses them! That’s 730 items, per person who uses them, that end up in a landfill (most likely). That’s resources that could be used for other things, that’s a carbon footprint of manufacturing that doesn’t need to happen. It’s all so overwhelming, but don’t worry, small bites.

Reusable, washable cotton rounds with washable laundry bag. Photo by HDT staffer Liz B.

I floated into work the next day (yes, I work at a sustainability-focused company) practically bursting to tell someone how brilliant I was. My coworker listened, grinned, and then casually dropped: “You know there’s a woman here in town who makes unpaper towels, right?” “I’m sorry, WHAT?” Just to give you an idea of what this means, estimates suggest that the average American uses about 80 rolls of paper towels per year, though this can vary significantly by individual habits and household size. Additionally, the country uses over 13 billion pounds of paper towels annually, contributing to significant waste, according to Statista, using Census data and other consumer surveys.

My co-worker told me all about Pine River Mittens making things other than mittens. Colorful, cotton, flannel towels, just like the paper towels you’re used to (sort of), except you throw them in the wash instead of the trash, and they’re supposed to get even more absorbent after a few cycles? Tell me more! And then, she told me more! This same small local business also makes and sells reusable duster heads (think the Swiffer dusters). That one conversation sent me down the most delightful rabbit hole.

More Sustainable Finds, Some Local

A few days later, while Christmas shopping in one of my favorite little local boutiques (picking up my favorite hand-poured soaps, orange cream anyone?), I spotted bamboo soap-saver bags. I’d seen them before but never pulled the trigger. This time I did, and (spoiler alert) promptly decided every woman in my family is getting one this year, paired with a bar of local soap. The bag extends the life of the soap, exfoliates, and turns into a little sudsy loofah. Practical, luxurious, zero waste. 

Reusable bamboo bags for soap. Photo by HDT staffer Liz B.

Naturally, I went full squirrel mode on Etsy. Turns out people are out here quietly solving all our disposable problems and making the solutions surprisingly fun and attractive:

•  Beeswax-lined linen bread bags specifically sized for sourdough boules

•  Gorgeous fabric bowl covers in every print imaginable

•  Handmade potpourri with foraged local botanicals

•  Salves, body butters, and lip balms in compostable packaging

•  Wooden bird feeders that look like tiny modern sculptures

All of these amazing finds dragged me further down the rabbit hole into how much waste is produced by single use household paper products. Well, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) single-use household paper products in the United States contribute about 11.8% of municipal solid waste sent to landfills. While specific figures for "single-use household paper" can vary, this category is a major component of the overall paper and paperboard waste stream, which totaled 67.4 million tons in 2018. That’s a lot of trash…

Friendlier AND Better

My biggest revelation was, these aren’t just “eco-friendly alternatives.” They’re better. They’re prettier, cooler, and more inspiring. They feel like little luxuries. And every purchase supports an actual human, maybe a stay-at-home mom, an artist, someone trying to turn their passion into a living, instead of a faceless corporation.

Following this adventure, I made myself some guidelines this holiday season (and hopefully, more purposefully for the future):

1.  Look local first. Farmers markets, craft fairs, boutiques, that random stall at the Saturday market, whatever my town (your town!) has.

2.  If it doesn’t exist locally, go small and independent online.

3.  Prioritize consumable or experience gifts. Nobody needs more stuff. (Not even me, contrary to my popular belief)

Consider this your reminder from one sustainability stumbler: go fall in love with your local makers, your neighborhood boutiques, and every adorably inviting Etsy shop that’s making sustainability look this good. Because once you see how rewarding reducing waste can be, why give your money to another corporation?

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