Category: Reduce Waste

Though none are yet completely sustainable, look for pens made from biodegradable materials.

3/10/2023

Like a straw or plastic bag, the ordinary pen is an environmental challenge waiting to be solved. Though none are yet completely sustainable, look for pens made from biodegradable materials.
Plastic bags and straws are increasingly being banned but rarely do we think about the impact of the ink pen. The ones that don’t make it to the landfill become part of the microplastics problem. The good news is that companies are beginning to change.

Read more here:

--https://www.treehugger.com/best-eco-friendly-pens-5201425?hid=5cca5cc09cf857f7c3ce2406e7447b3b9236437e&did=868696-20221107&utm_campaign=treehugger-daily_newsletter&utm_source=treehugger&utm_medium=email&utm_content=110722&cid=868696&mid=101354222170

Photo by Susan O'Donnell

Creative mending will keep favorite jeans going indefinitely and even enhance them

3/2/2023

Denim is like wine and cheese; it gets better with age. By repairing your loved jeans—either professionally or by yourself, you can extend the time you enjoy them, save money, lower your environmental footprint, and kick their style up a notch.

Read more here:

--https://denimhunters.com/how-to-repair-jeans/

Photo by Susan O'Donnell

Buying spices, grains, pasta, and other foods in bulk reduces food waste, reduces plastic bag use, and saves money

2/24/2023

Buy just the quantities you want and reuse the bags to save money and reduce waste when buying dry goods and spices in bulk.

You may already be reducing your use of single use plastic bags by bringing your reusable shopping bags to the grocery store. You can further reduce the amount of plastic packaging that you purchase by buying from the bulk aisle. Bring your own bags and bottles to stock up on spices, pasta, dried beans, nuts, granola, oatmeal, rice, and other grains. Reuse the bags each time you make a bulk purchase or invest in cloth or mesh bags for this purpose. Another advantage of buying in bulk is that you can buy just the quantity that you need, so it allows you to reduce food waste. Spices in particular are less expensive bought in bulk, particularly because you can just get the quantity that you need. They may also be fresher, as they can sit in the bottles for a long time before being sold. A number of stores in our area offer a selection of bulk foods including the Swarthmore Food Co-op, Martindale’s in Springfield, and the Giant Food on Sproul Rd. in Springfield. Eliminate the packaging for spices at the Swarthmore Food Co-op by bringing your own bottle or container and ask the cashier to get a tare weight.

Photo by Susan O'Donnell

Give your Valentine a succulent plant rather than cut flowers

1/27/2023

Consider a gift of succulents for Valentine’s Day—they are lower in cost than cut flowers, available in gift boxes, and may be planted in soil up to two weeks after purchase. If shipped, they don’t require refrigeration.

An eye-popping succulent arrangement makes a beautiful gift for Valentine’s Day or other special occasion. Succulents are a popular indoor trend offering endless variations for relatively modest costs and can be purchased at local nurseries or online. They can provide temporary beauty or be planted for long life.

Read more here:

--https://www.treehugger.com/unique-green-alternatives-cut-flowers-4857107?hid=5cca5cc09cf857f7c3ce2406e7447b3b9236437e&did=884127-20221214&utm_campaign=treehugger-daily_newsletter&utm_source=treehugger&utm_medium=email&utm_content=121422&cid=884127&mid=104390502275&lctg=120446448

Photo by Susan O'Donnell

Use clothes longer and reduce purchases of new clothes

1/6/2023

Reducing purchases of new clothes is the single most effective way to reduce fashion's carbon footprint, leading to reductions more than four times greater than the next best solution, which is increasing use time of clothes.

A new report from the Hot or Cool Institute, titled "Unfit, Unfair, Unfashionable: Resizing Fashion for a Fair Consumption Space," analyzes the fashion situation in G20 countries. The report emphasizes practical solutions, starting with the single most effective one: reducing purchases of new clothes.

Read more here:

--https://www.rapidtransition.org/resources/report-unfit-unfair-unfashionable/

Photo by Susan O'Donnell

Save time and resources by wrapping gifts in reusable cloth bags

12/9/2022

Making your own reusable cloth gift bags is super easy. With a sewing machine and fabric scraps or ends bought on-sale at a fabric store gives you all the material you need to have a fun variety of patterns and sizes for your bags. Once the bags are made, wrapping takes mere seconds: simply drop the gift into the bag and tie with a ribbon. This eliminates all expense and waste from paper and tape. You can even make the bag part of the gift!

To make your own cloth bag, cut two pieces of fabric ½ larger all around than the desired final size. Hem the top edge of both pieces. Line up the two pieces of fabric with right sides facing each other. Sew around the three unhemmed edges and turn right-side out. To include a tie, cut another piece of fabric or a strip of ribbon about 2 feet long. Before sewing the sides of the bag, fold the tie in half and place the folded edge between the two halves of the bag along one edge and about 1 inch down from the hemmed edge. Sew the three sides of the bag as before.

Wrapping gifts in attractive, reusable pieces of cloth, known as furoshiki, is a centuries-old tradition in Japan. Furoshiki are versatile, because they can be used to wrap gifts of varying shapes and sizes. Bandanas, scarves or cloth napkins can serve as ready-made furoshiki, but you can also make your own wrapping cloths out of your favorite fabrics – even larger scraps. Learn more about this technique here.

Photo by Susan O'Donnell

Compost your jack-o-lantern to keep food out of the waste stream

10/20/2022

Each year, 1.9 billion pounds of pumpkin is grown in the United States. Most of these pumpkins end up in landfills. Composting your jack-o-lanterns keeps them out of the waste stream and adds nutrients in your soil. While most of a jack-o-lantern is used for decoration, the seeds are very tasty when roasted. Another option, recommended by The National Wildlife Federation is to leave the raw seeds and pieces of your jack-o-lantern out in your yard to feed the wildlife after the holiday is over.

Laundry strips that fit in a cardboard envelope rank high among laundry detergents for performance.

9/22/2022

Laundry strips are an eco-friendly alternative to plastic bottles of liquid laundry detergent. They are packaged in a small, cardboard envelope, taking up little space and eliminating the plastic waste of a bottle. They are also easy to use: just tear a sheet at the perforation and add to your laundry as usual. But, do they get laundry clean? According to Jonathan Chan on www.reviewed.com, Tru Earth strips performed very well in their stain- removal tests. He describes these strips as being "ideal for sensitive skin, they are dye-, phosphate-, and chlorine-free. They’re also vegan and cruelty free. They have a little fragrance in a fresh linen scent. Because they are low-sudsing, these laundry strips work in standard and high-efficiency washing machines. You can rest assured they’ll dissolve completely in cold water."* Overall, Chan recommends laundry strips as "providing good cleaning power and being environmentally sound."*

*https://www.reviewed.com/laundry/features/tru-earth-eco-strips-review-better-than-laundry-detergent

Photo credit: Susan O'Donnell

Bring your reusable bags to the Swarthmore Farmers Market: vendors will stop giving out plastic bags starting October 1st

8/18/2022

Swarthmore is taking the first steps toward joining the movement to reduce the use of single-use plastics. Starting October 1st, vendors at the Swarthmore Farmers Market will stop giving out plastic bags for purchases. Remember to bring your re-usable bags when you visit the Market. You can also reuse plastic bags that you have already accumulated. You can also consider other ways that you can reduce your use of plastic bags and better protect your produce as a result: bring hard-sided containers, such as mason jars or dairy tubs, to bring home berries, cherry tomatoes, or other delicate produce.

Single use plastic shopping bags are hard to recycle; they are not accepted curbside and must be taken to participating stores with specific recycling bins for bags. Too few plastic bags end up being recycled. Instead, they pollute the environment, choke waterways, and clog recycling sorting equipment. States such as New Jersey, Delaware, New York, and Washington State, and local municipalities such as West Chester and most recently Media have already banned merchants from handing out plastic bags for purchases.

For the first few weeks of the transition at the Swarthmore Farmers Market, donated reusable bags will be available for shoppers who don’t have their own bags. In preparation, the Market is accepting donations of re-usable bags. There will be a bin available at the Manager’s Table at the market each week to drop off reusable bag donations. Bring your extra reusable bags to the Market to help out with this effort!

Photo by Susan O'Donnell

Switching to a reusable cup is as important for iced drinks as it is for hot drinks since single-use takeout cold cups are made from #5 plastic that is generally not recyclable

4/15/2022

In an article on footprint.org, Jodi Helmer lists the problems with disposable cups. Neither styrofoam nor paper coffee cups, which are lined with plastic, nor plastic coffee cup lids are effectively recyclable. She points out that "The plastic cups used for iced drinks are also problematic. Most are made from polypropylene (#5 plastic) that is not accepted in many curbside recycling programs."* Paper sleeves for hot drinks are recyclable and often made from recycled material. As an alternative, she suggests "to avoid the cup conundrum, take your own mug. Coffeeshops often offer small discounts to customers who bring their own cups (at Starbucks, the discount is 10 cents). In Berkeley, California, coffee drinkers who want to take their dark roast to go will pay an additional 25 cents for their cups thanks to a new ordinance aimed at reducing single-use plastics. The fee goes into effect in 2020."* She also recommends avoiding lids, straws and stirrers.

*Jodi Helmer Published: 8/14/19, Last updated: 12/11/20, "The Massive Impact of Your Takeout Coffee Cup" , footprint.org
Photo by Susan O'Donnell

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