Disposable items/things you refuse to buy?

Pink Elephant

Well-Known Member
SOT and I, have had many-a discussion related to cloth vs disposable diapers, which gave me the idea for this thread.

What disposable items/things do you refuse to buy?

Is there an exception to the rule?

Is there an exception to the rule when it comes to special or certain occasions?

If you do occasionally give-in and buy something disposable, do you suffer guilt?
 

Pink Elephant

Well-Known Member
What disposable items/things do you refuse to buy? Disposable diapers when my kids were little.

Is there an exception to the rule? Yes, paper towels. Paper towels are my weakness.

Is there an exception to the rule when it comes to special or certain occasions? Yes, I have been known to buy paper plates and plastic cutlery for family picnics.

If you do occasionally give-in and buy something disposable, do you suffer guilt? Absolutely. I hate throwing anything away.
 

GoingNorth

Crazy Cat Lady
Bottled water. I use Brita hard sided water bottles with replaceable filters...except when I forget to bring one and wind up buying bottled water.

I then guilt trip the heck out of myself for days.

I do occasionally use paper plates, and I do line baking sheets with foil to avoid cleanups.

Our tap water here is out of Lake Michigan and is fairly drinkable if you can handle chlorine.

Up North it was well water (municipal deep bores) and nasty. I got in the habit of drinking filtered water up there.

Of course, the Milwaukee water system also had the cryptosporidum outbreak in 1993 that caused sickened a lot of people and killed over a hundred. They've since moved the "cribs" (intakes) out into deeper water, and made some changes to our purification processes, but additional filtering is still a good idea. Oh....please don't buy Nestle...they are all but stealing millions of gallons of Lake Michigan water now, which they are purifying and selling under various names as bottled water...Michigan has authorized this while Flint still hasn't got clean water to drink.
 

KTMom91

Well-Known Member
I don't buy paper plates or napkins. Our water is pretty good, but I do buy bottled water because it's easier to take to work. I don't feel guilty, I recycle everything I can.
 

Tanya M

Living with an attitude of gratitude
Staff member
What disposable items/things do you refuse to buy? Bottled water - other than the 5 gal jugs we fill for our drinking water. We have well water and it's not tasty at all. Swiffer products - I use good ole worn out rags for dusting and cleaning.

Is there an exception to the rule? I have a nice stainless drinking bottle that I take with me but if I run out of water I will buy a bottle but I make sure the bottle goes into a recycle bin.

Is there an exception to the rule when it comes to special or certain occasions? I will use paper plates when we host cards or have BBQ. I also will use plastic forks, spoons, knives and cups but will wash them if they are thrown into the sink. The main reason I use plastic ware instead of regular silverware is we had a large party and I used nice paper plates and real silverware, well some of my silverware was thrown in the trash!

If you do occasionally give-in and buy something disposable, do you suffer guilt? Not really. I do try and watch my carbon footprint.

Our trash company offers recycling and we are very good about it. There is usually more in the recycle bin than in our trash.
This thread has however got me thinking about what more can I do. I used to always use cloth napkins, not sure why I stopped but I will go back to using them.

Good thread Old-Hand.
 

Pink Elephant

Well-Known Member
Great posts you guys! Really enjoying the conversation!

GN. I have also been known to line ordinary pans with foil to lessen cleanup.

KT. I recycle and reuse all that I can. Makes me feel so good inside knowing I'm maximizing whatever it is that I use.

TM. Shame on those who threw out your silverware. There would be (you know what to pay) if that happened at my house.
 

Pink Elephant

Well-Known Member
I can't remember for the life of me where I recall seeing those old 1970's Dixie Cups in bathrooms... maybe in my school years, but what a waste that was.

Mind you, considering the fact of how bacteria fills the air in bathrooms, no such critters should exist in such a space anyhow. That includes cups for toothbrushes.

Okay, that's my morning rant for the day. :sneaky:
 

Crayola13

Well-Known Member
I admit I am very wasteful, but it makes life easier. I love disposable Glad Ware and plastic water bottles because I can just throw them in the recycle bin. It's out of my life never to be seen or dealt with again. I don't have to worry about remembering to bring home my Tupperware, and best of all, I don't have to wash it! Depending on how dirty something is, I throw away a cleaning sponge after using it becauce I already encounter enough bacteria at school. After I have used a razor once, it's not worth using again, so in the trash it goes. I keep and wash my terrycloth dusting towels, and sometimes my Swiffer Dusters unless they're disgusting.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
Crayola, I am with you. I love disposable everything's and don't like remembering to bring stuff home or having to reuse a razor. I throw them out. I often use paper towels for washing and use paper plates and sometimes cups and once in a while hub and I grab plastic spoons and forks for meals. I would rather throw out than clutter. And I am very disorganized so the more clutter I have, the more places I have to find for the clutter. I have little Tupperware and it doesn't leave the house. When we move I hope to get rid of 2/3rds of what we have.

One thing I have never bought and never will is a handkerchief. There is no way I will blow my nose into anything more than one time so I use tissues only. No double boogers for me...ick!
 

AppleCori

Well-Known Member
Have you heard about the push to ban plastic straws?

In the UK. I read a blurb online today.

And Toronto, Canada.

Apparently, there was a sea turtle that was killed (or injured, I’m not sure) by a plastic straw. It went viral, and now there is a global push to ban plastic straws.
 

Pink Elephant

Well-Known Member
Have you heard about the push to ban plastic straws?

In the UK. I read a blurb online today.

And Toronto, Canada.

Apparently, there was a sea turtle that was killed (or injured, I’m not sure) by a plastic straw. It went viral, and now there is a global push to ban plastic straws.
I always get so sad when innocent animals and mammals pay the price for our negligence and disregard.
 

Pink Elephant

Well-Known Member
Crayola, I am with you. I love disposable everything's and don't like remembering to bring stuff home or having to reuse a razor. I throw them out. I often use paper towels for washing and use paper plates and sometimes cups and once in a while hub and I grab plastic spoons and forks for meals. I would rather throw out than clutter. And I am very disorganized so the more clutter I have, the more places I have to find for the clutter. I have little Tupperware and it doesn't leave the house. When we move I hope to get rid of 2/3rds of what we have.

One thing I have never bought and never will is a handkerchief. There is no way I will blow my nose into anything more than one time so I use tissues only. No double boogers for me...ick!
I was never one for handkerchiefs either. Yuck, but got to give the handkerchief generation credit, they were frugally responsible and there's a lot to be said for that as compared to the overall generation today, hence how disgusting our world has become with needless waste.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
Yes and no. There were always bums. In the 20s to 60s white people were bigoted as hell during Jim Crow and before women could vote or when women were not allowed to have many jobs. Some men would beat their wives with no consequences. Children were beaten with impuntity at home and school. I don't know that things were better even for white christians. Remember the Depression? Suicide was rampant. 25 percent of the population did not work. You know what ended the Depression? WWII. Men had to go fight so finally there were jobs.

I don't know how responsible all people were back then.There was no television or internet to let us know what was happening in another place. Now there is.

I can't speak about all millennials,but they mostly work and thrive. It is easier to do it if you don't live where the cost of living is off the charts, like in NY and LA. If you live in a place like that, you can move. I think parents today are partly responsible for certain lazy adults. The handkerchief generation didn't feel sorry for depressed kids, buy them cars, pay their rent, do their laundry at age 25, pay for their toys etc. Now....many do. That encourages adults to act like children.

To me, it's all relative.
 
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LittleDudesMom

Well-Known Member
I use metal straws which I got off Amazon - I bought a set of eight that had two each of a long and short straw in a straight design and a bent design. It came with two little brushes to clean them with. I haven't used a plastic straw in at least 18 months!

I use cloth napkins every day (it's only me at the house and I use my napkin for two days and wash them with the cleaning/drying rags I use in the kitchen which I replace every day) and when entertaining except for holiday cocktail napkins when I am entertaining. I don't use paper or plastic plates or cutlery even when we have a cookout, I just use my Fiestaware!

Sharon
 

Pink Elephant

Well-Known Member
I use metal straws which I got off Amazon - I bought a set of eight that had two each of a long and short straw in a straight design and a bent design. It came with two little brushes to clean them with. I haven't used a plastic straw in at least 18 months!

I use cloth napkins every day (it's only me at the house and I use my napkin for two days and wash them with the cleaning/drying rags I use in the kitchen which I replace every day) and when entertaining except for holiday cocktail napkins when I am entertaining. I don't use paper or plastic plates or cutlery even when we have a cookout, I just use my Fiestaware!

Sharon
Kudos to you, LDM! Lord knows the environment is crying-out for more just like you.

I have a healthy selection of cloth napkins and use them, but I need to put in more effort to use them all of the time. I love a cloth napkin at the table. More comfortable, more napkin to use to wipe, and just more homey.

Thanks for bringing up the cloth napkin thing, because it is going to be my reminder to put mine to use more.
 
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