Don’t you hate to throw stuff away? Every time I throw anything in the regular trash, I cringe because I can’t bear the fact that it’s just going to sit in an overstuffed landfill for years. I’ve become almost phobic about trash in general and never cease to be amazed at the amount of it that I manage to accumulate, on a weekly basis. The two items that make me cringe the most are used paper (soiled paper towels that you can’t recycle) and new plastic trash bags. Both are an unnecessary waste of this planet’s valuable resources. 
Most paper towels from large chain grocery/big box stores are not made out of 100% post consumer waste, so chances are that you are getting the virgin paper, which requires quite a few trees to be cut down and the pulp to be bleached – a very toxic part of the process. I highly recommend searching far and wide for stores near you that carry the recycled stuff. Trader Joe’s carries 100% recycled kitchen towel and toilet paper at a very reasonable price and the 365 Whole Food’s own brand of paper goods (towels, napkins, toilet paper etc) is pretty reasonable too. Alternatively, take the huge leap to giving up paper towels altogether and cut up old towels and t-shirts for rags instead. I got an email from a member of our wonderful community this week, who said that she and a group of girls have decided to pack a small hand towel in their purse before heading out for the day. This will avoid them having to pull out wads of paper to dry their hands in the office or restaurant bathroom. Genius – let’s all give it a try this week. I’d much prefer my own little soft hand towel than those horrid dry sheets.
Now onto the trash bag conundrum. I suggest that you either:
- Find trash bags made out of 100% post-consumer content. Some Whole Foods stores carry them.
- Use old grocery store plastic bags. You’ll always find one or two have made their way into your home.
- Buy biodegradable bags. Although they won’t degrade as quickly as the marketers would have you believe (because in a sealed landfill, nothing does!), they are a better option because they are often made of more eco-friendly materials. I was thrilled to find the new Perf Go Green trash bag. It comes in a variety of sizes, including a tall kitchen bag and is now available in 6.000 Walgreen stores as well as available online. I love that it is made from recycled plastic and a additive called OXO-biodegrade, which speeds up the degrading process. If you’re near a Walgreen store, check them out.
I discovered a site online where this girl started what she calls “the handkerchief project.” She tucks a cute handkerchief in her purse where ever she goes and uses that to dry her hands (not blow her nose) in public restrooms. I bought some cute ones too and have started this also, esp. at the office.
When I was in Japan in ’98 all the women carried small handkerchiefs in their purses because there were no provisions for drying hands in public bathrooms. Dept. stores, boutiques, and souvenir shops all sold cute or pretty cotton handkerchiefs just for this purpose. Who knew at the time that this was “being green”! 🙂
I buy recycled toilet paper and tissue from Publix. I don’t buy paper towels any more. I sue old tshirts and towels for everything and just throw them in the wash with my weekly load of towels or sheets. I even dry meats with them. I like the idea of the hankie. My grandmother always carried one. I think old cocktail napkins would work. I will start picking them up at flea markets and garage sales.
I too cringe whenever I throw something out… Buying recycled toilet paper and kitchen paper is a low cost high impact instant improvement. Thanks for the great post
We too have a bunch of old towels that we use for clean ups, etc instead of paper towels. my husband used to be such a papertowel junkie but i have slowly converted him.
I use the Trader’s Joes towels and TP and I don’t know the difference. I also use the Perf trash bags they are very strong and I do feel better about using them.
my husband has a stack of cut up old towels for use in the garage and outside, they go in the ‘scunge wash’ that I do every now and then with our gardening/handyman clothes, they don’t really get 100% clean again, but clean enough to use again, and for the worse jobs that I would not want to put in my machine he has a bin of cut up old t-shirts etc. I am still looking for a really good use for his old socks, as I already have rewashable cloths for cleaning etc. I love handkerchiefs, I was bought up using them instead of kleenex/tissues, so I already have a stack of them, mens ones are bigger and thicker so I have a few of those as well (great for when I have a cold). I only use once for my nose then in the wash they go so no germ issues and they are much gentler on my nose.
A good use for old socks is this: cut the toes out and use as arm guards when gardening around thorny plants like roses and bromeliads. When they get dirty just throw them in the washer. They really protect your arms.
Another good use for old socks – put one on each of your hands and run around the house touching everything – great for dusting! 🙂
I definitely want to give up paper towel altogether, but I think getting hubby on board will be difficult. At least if I can cut down it’s better than nothing.
Great blog post Sophie 🙂
It’s so hard to give up things that I have been taught from the time I was little. But I try to do it all on a small scale (a little at a time) so I feel that I at least accomplish something. The commissary now carries recycled paper products, so I buy them. That is a huge change from when I married into the military 6 years ago.
what a fabulous idea to carrie around something like that!
thanks for the great blog 🙂
Love the idea of carrying a re-usable hand towel. This would be great, as I know there are many places that try to use electric hand dryers, which often seem to be out of service, and not terribly eco-friendly either (though cutting back on paper waste).
In Montreal, the city has some bizarre policy where you can ONLY use black trash bags, so instead of putting out our trash in the little plastic bags we get at the grocery store, they’re forcing us to buy more plastic. Would love to know what their reasoning is on that one, as it just makes everything more complicated, expensive and wasteful, since my husband and I barely fill half a black trash bag in a week, but certainly don’t want the trash sitting around for longer than that, especially in the summer!
You can compost paper towels!
Love this idea! Every small action done by many has a powerful effect.
The amount of paper wasted in bathrooms during “that time of month” utilized simply to wrap up and disguise feminine hygiene products is simply a waste of paper. If these products are flushed, they lead to floatable debris in our waterways and also can lead to big plumbing problems. So what is a girl to do? I found Sani SAC biodegradable bags by Golden Group International to be a perfect solution at home, work or school.
Don’t use the toilet as a trash can!
Toilets may appear to be a convenient and quick way to get rid of baby wipes, tampons and plastic applicators or condoms. Out of sight, out of mind? Not so, for plumbing and wastewater systems, treatment plants and our environment.
Sewer use regulations prohibit discarding these items into public sewer systems. Combined with grease and root invasion, personal care products contribute to sewage flow problems throughout the system, causing blockages, clogging sewage pumps and leading to backups. Environmental hazards can occur when sewage mixed with storm water ends up in lakes and rivers, especially after heavy rains.
Even if a product label says “flushable” or “biodegradable”, think again. Products do not disintegrate in the short amount of time they spend in the water waste stream, but maintain their structure throughout the entire sewage system. Treatment plant screening process picks up some of the waste which is then put into dumpsters and landfilled. Parts of solids pass through the screens and damage pumps and motors. Plastic applicators are pumped into bodies of water with the effluent and escape during storms from combined sewage systems to pollute our beaches. Here the danger they pose to sea turtles, birds, and fish should not be underestimated. Marine wildlife cannot tell the difference between plastic non-biodegradable items and their natural prey. When ingested, plastics may stay in their digestive tract, causing blockages, damage to organs, or a false sense of fullness that leads to malnutrition. Birds also may regurgitate this indigestible debris to their chicks whose growing bodies are especially vulnerable.
To protect plumbing and wastewater systems, treatment plants and our environment, do not use the toilet as a trash can. Check out a new product that makes discarding feminine care products-especially tampons and applicators- easy, clean and discreet. SCENSIBLES, personal size biodegradable disposal bags. (www.scensiblesource.com)
I use small 100% cotton hand towels for any type of drying – no paper towels
I also use 100% cotton hand towels. Here’s another thing I find really wasteful– paper receipts. So what I do to recycle them is use the back side as scratch paper. I cut up the long ones and place them near the phone and my desk so I anytime I need to write something down — a grocery list, a phone number, etc., it’s ready!
My mom is always worried about the environment, so I have always been taught to use recycle things and I have adopted that habit when I was small, so it’s easy for me to handle everything .
I have been using old rags and towels instead of paper for years now. People used to think I was just cheap, but I prefer to call it frugal. I just put a little hand towel in my purse, too. LOVE that idea! can’t wait to share it with my friends!
I can’t remember the last time I bought paper towels. I have 2 sponges by my sink. a biodegradable scrubbier for dishes and a cellulose sponge for counters. Underneath all of my sinks I cut up worn out towels to use for spills. For dusting I use either microfiber clothes or a feather duster.