Stop wasting with disposable things!

SVOboy · 10-22-08, 04:34 PM

The simple dollar is quickly becoming one of my favorite blogs around...

Anyway, check out this post on the costs of buying disposable rather than getting inexpensive but reusable things: The Simple Dollar Stop Wasting Money on Disposable Things

I'm definitely guilty of some of these things. I think I might actually buy that pile of rags soon to use for cleaning my bike.

Good tips though, and a good resource to show others why we shy away from the waste associated with disposables.

Daox · 10-22-08, 05:24 PM

Good list. I'm guilty of every one of those except we very rarely use paper plates.

PaleMelanesian · 10-22-08, 05:57 PM

I'm subscribed to The Simple Dollar on my feed-reader. Good stuff.

We use those basket things under the cheapest paper plates available. And rarely at that.

Doofus McFancypants · 10-23-08, 09:25 AM

i guess i had not really thought about some of those...
We did buy some cloth diapers to use as rags once - worked really well - much better then paper towels...
We actualy ended up killing our rechargable batteries ( they were 3 years old) probably saved us 100's in batteries...

One other item - at work i save anything i print our ( if i REALLY have to print at all).
i take the papers home - we cut in half ( so they are 5.5 " x 8.5") and use those at home for shopping lists / To do lists / or just notes. Great because #1 it is "free" and #2 it is reusing the resource before it gets recycled.

Steve

insaneintenti0n · 10-23-08, 09:45 AM

this'll be one of a few times i throw in a bunch of disagreements, lol.

first, i have to disagree w/ Rechargables. Yea, sure, you've charged them enough to think you've broken even... but compare how long of life you get out of regular batteries vs how long a rechargeable lasts before you have to charge it.
Sure, you're not throwing away batteries, but i got sick of charging rechargeables after each use.
Reovacs were the only brand i liked (charged to 1.5v, not 1.2v) and then they stopped making them. I have 2 chargers, and no batteries for em...

2nd, ziplocs > rubbermaid. or at least what i have. they're not air tight at all, so i don't trust anything in there for more than a day. depending on what it is. i should stop using ziplocs for sandwiches though. at least that would be a start.

papertowels... eh. yea, i'm bad with em. I've gotten better with using shop towels for cleaning spills, or washable stuff (costco sells a HUGE pack of microfiber towels)... but when i'm painting, caulking, or anything more permanent... i use papertowels.

i do use a reusable plastic plate at work. i just wash it quickly in the sink and stick it back in my desk.

Quote:

One other item - at work i save anything i print our ( if i REALLY have to print at all).

My company prints cover sheets with EVERYTHING you print here... I keep those and use em for notes at work, sometimes.

hell, my dad (he's been in the computer field for 30+ years) still has old unused punch cards that he writes notes on.

SVOboy · 10-23-08, 04:27 PM

Thanks for the tip, doofus, I hope you don't mind that I added it to my recent blog on the subject: Stop Throwing Stuff Away (Reducing Waste 101) | EcoRenovator.org

101Volts · 03-30-13, 01:31 PM

Thanks for sharing, The site has been helpful.

razor02097 · 04-01-13, 07:39 AM

That is an interesting list. I completely agree with things like paper plates and swiffers but not so much with the sanitary products.

Facial tissues are much more sanitary... If you are sick and use a disposable tissue you blow your nose, throw it in the garbage then wash your hands all is well. If you use a handkerchief you must carry it around with you increasing risk of recontamination of your hands. An alternative to facial tissues is use of bathroom tissue. It is cheaper and is something everyone has.

The best thing to do is to reduce the use of disposable products and reuse some of the disposable products when it is possible. There are some messes I would not want to clean up with a cloth then wash it. I do reuse zip top bags for things like cereal or other dry goods. bags are better for portioning and freezing, they take up less room.

As for the battery thing. I completely agree the use of rechargeable batteries makes sense if your house goes though a lot of batteries. Just make sure to keep alkaline batteries for things like emergency flashlights and radios. Alkalines are chemical batteries that can hold their electrical capacity for many years. Rechargeable batteries have the tendency to bleed off power over time even when not in use.

natethebrown · 04-01-13, 04:51 PM

I completely agree about using rags more. For anyone that has ever done car work knows it takes about 5 paper towels to wipe one's hands, were a single shop rag can be used multiple times before it is completely soiled.

10-23-08, 09:25 AM	#4
Doofus McFancypants Helper EcoRenovator Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Atlanta Posts: 30 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	i guess i had not really thought about some of those... We did buy some cloth diapers to use as rags once - worked really well - much better then paper towels... We actualy ended up killing our rechargable batteries ( they were 3 years old) probably saved us 100's in batteries... One other item - at work i save anything i print our ( if i REALLY have to print at all). i take the papers home - we cut in half ( so they are 5.5 " x 8.5") and use those at home for shopping lists / To do lists / or just notes. Great because #1 it is "free" and #2 it is reusing the resource before it gets recycled. Steve __________________ Steve AKA Doofus

10-22-08, 04:34 PM	#1
SVOboy Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 291 Thanks: 3 Thanked 4 Times in 4 Posts	Stop wasting with disposable things! The simple dollar is quickly becoming one of my favorite blogs around... Anyway, check out this post on the costs of buying disposable rather than getting inexpensive but reusable things: The Simple Dollar Stop Wasting Money on Disposable Things I'm definitely guilty of some of these things. I think I might actually buy that pile of rags soon to use for cleaning my bike. Good tips though, and a good resource to show others why we shy away from the waste associated with disposables.

10-22-08, 05:24 PM	#2
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	Good list. I'm guilty of every one of those except we very rarely use paper plates. __________________ Current project - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. & To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

10-22-08, 05:57 PM	#3
PaleMelanesian Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Texas Posts: 118 Thanks: 4 Thanked 10 Times in 9 Posts	I'm subscribed to The Simple Dollar on my feed-reader. Good stuff. We use those basket things under the cheapest paper plates available. And rarely at that.

10-23-08, 04:27 PM	#6
SVOboy Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 291 Thanks: 3 Thanked 4 Times in 4 Posts	Thanks for the tip, doofus, I hope you don't mind that I added it to my recent blog on the subject: Stop Throwing Stuff Away (Reducing Waste 101) \| EcoRenovator.org

03-30-13, 01:31 PM	#7
101Volts Lurking Renovator Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 16 Thanks: 12 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Thanks for sharing, The site has been helpful.

04-01-13, 07:39 AM	#8
razor02097 Helper EcoRenovator Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: 245862 Posts: 43 Thanks: 12 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts	That is an interesting list. I completely agree with things like paper plates and swiffers but not so much with the sanitary products. Facial tissues are much more sanitary... If you are sick and use a disposable tissue you blow your nose, throw it in the garbage then wash your hands all is well. If you use a handkerchief you must carry it around with you increasing risk of recontamination of your hands. An alternative to facial tissues is use of bathroom tissue. It is cheaper and is something everyone has. The best thing to do is to reduce the use of disposable products and reuse some of the disposable products when it is possible. There are some messes I would not want to clean up with a cloth then wash it. I do reuse zip top bags for things like cereal or other dry goods. bags are better for portioning and freezing, they take up less room. As for the battery thing. I completely agree the use of rechargeable batteries makes sense if your house goes though a lot of batteries. Just make sure to keep alkaline batteries for things like emergency flashlights and radios. Alkalines are chemical batteries that can hold their electrical capacity for many years. Rechargeable batteries have the tendency to bleed off power over time even when not in use.

04-01-13, 04:51 PM	#9
natethebrown Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: North Alabama Posts: 167 Thanks: 0 Thanked 40 Times in 20 Posts	I completely agree about using rags more. For anyone that has ever done car work knows it takes about 5 paper towels to wipe one's hands, were a single shop rag can be used multiple times before it is completely soiled.