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I’ve had a runny nose today. I don’t know why I’ve had a runny nose, but I do know that combatting the sniffles can be a much more environmentally-friendly chore when choosing a reusable handkerchief to disposable tissues.
Carrying around a handkerchief and using it on a regular basis can initially seem very strange to someone used to using disposable tissues. I started using one about a year-and-a-half ago after getting fed up by a runny nose almost every morning after a cold walk to one of my classes, and it did at first seem strange to not toss whatever touched my nose into the trash – I even worried that the handkerchief would soil all of my clothes if I washed it with anything else.
But I was tired of the frequent trips to the restroom if I forgot to put a couple tissues in my pocket, and often those tissues wouldn’t last the whole time I was out and I was still stuck using rough toilet-paper on my nose. I was also tired of the constant trash build-up of the use tissues and the impact that I was having on the environment from their use. So I picked up a few old handkerchiefs that I found at home and started keeping one in my back pocket if I needed it.
After a while I got used to reaching for my back pocket instead of a box or roll of tissue, and eventually I even started to prefer the feel of cloth on my nose instead of paper. It feels great to not have so much waste on days when I have a runny nose, and despite my original fears, the handkerchief comes clean in the wash just like everything else.
If you don’t already, I encourage you to go out and get a few handkerchiefs, or you might even just put a small hem around a square of spare fabric for something homemade that you’ll be proud to show-off. In retrospect, this seems like one of the easier ways to green the routine, and it makes a huge difference in the amount of waste and energy that go into the creation and use of disposable tissues. If you have a hard time making a complete switch, try using a recycled tissue brand such as Seventh Generation, and for compelling reasons to drop the tissue habit, especially Keenex brand, check out Greenpeace’s Kleercut Campaign.
We all know the slogan “reduce, reuse, recycle”, but it seems that there are some items that are painfully not a part of that equation, and are the reason that trash-collection is still a part of our weekly lives. One example of a seemingly cradle-to-grave product is the toothbrush; it’s something that most of us use on a day-to-day basis, but which, every few months, gets tossed into the garbage and replaced. Though small, these plastic sticks can add up, and it’s worth examining some cradle-to-cradle alternatives to this part of our daily routine.
The toothbrush I use is the Preserve Toothbrush from Recycline. Everything is the same as with a standard toothbrush, but the Preserve toothbrush is made from 100% recycled plastic, packaged in a petroleum-free plastic container that doubles as a travel case, and the entire thing can be sent back to Recycline via their postage-paid mailers where the plastics are again recycled and made into other useful products.
Another more environmentally-friendly toothbrush option, this one taking advantage of the ‘reduce’ and ‘reuse’ parts of the equation, is the Source Toothbrush from Radius. Radius designed a unique toothbrush that helps people to brush teeth more effectively, and with their Source toothbrush they combined this unique design with a natural and reusable base, reducing the waste of the toothbrush head to just 7% of the entire toothbrush.
Combine either of these toothbrushes with a small amount of naturally-derived toothpaste or a simple baking soda paste, keep the water turned off except to wet the toothbrush before use and to rinse after, and you’ve successfully started or ended your day with a lowered negative impact on the planet. Another great way give toothbrushes a little more life before trashing them (or sending them for recycling) is to keep a few around for small-scale scrubbing of laundry stains, bathroom fixtures, etc.
