By Beth Ann Knowles, BSc, P.T.S., N.W.SWhat is wrong with you? You know who you are. You ruined my walk on the beach this morning. I took the dogs for some fresh air but everywhere I turned I kept seeing your tampon applicators! I bet you didn’t think they would end up on your local beach a few weeks after you flushed them. I can’t even imagine the pile of pads you are contributing to the landfill each month.
“About 12 billion pads and 7 billion tampons are used once and tossed in the trash each and every year in the U.S. alone!...Horrifically, tampon applicators and other plastics were found in the stomachs of Hawaiian Laysan albatross chicks that had died in their nests.” (Ecoholic, Vasil, A., 2007, p. 54) You can help prevent this. You can cut down or even eliminate your monthly menstrual product contribution to landfills. Options include tampons and pads made from certified organic non-chlorine-bleached cotton and biodegradable plant-based bioplastic. You can also try out reusable cloth pads, sustainably harvested sponges, and my personal favourite...reusable cups. For convenience, comfort, and cost-effectiveness, I choose reusable cups. I bought The Keeper in 2000 and replaced it only recently with The Diva Cup. In almost 10 years I’ve spent only about $100 and contributed no waste!
And what’s with this fancy thick toilet paper, paper towel, and facial tissue? Does your toilet paper really need to be scented? Does there really need to be designs in your paper towel? Did you know there was a time before facial tissue? It is amazing how many trees, forests, chemicals, and waste go into ensuring we all have extra-cushy disposable paper with which to clean up spills and wipe away our bodily excretions. Why are we cutting down our precious and vital forests for this?
There are options for us however; and they don’t have to involve wiping our bottoms with the pages of old catalogues. As far as toilet paper goes, “[i]f each household in Canada switched just one roll of the virgin bleached stuff with one roll of the recycled kind, we’d save almost 48,000 trees and prevent 4,500 kilograms of the air and water pollution that comes from making it.” (Ecoholic, Vasil, A., 2007, p. 157) Be savvy when choosing a brand and be sure to select one that uses at least 80% post-consumer content.
Why do you even need to use paper towel to clean up a spill? I’m sure you have old rags or dish clothes/towels that have seen better days. Why not keep these under your sink and use them to clean up your messes?
“Back before disposable tissues, a cloth handkerchief was up everyone’s sleeve. In fact, its replacement, Kleenex facial tissues, had trouble catching on until 1926, when they were peddled under the catchy new slogan ‘Don’t carry a cold in your pocket.’ Wouldn’t you know it, germ-phobia took hold, and 80 years later, the thought of a reusable cloth hanky makes most of us wince.” (Ecoholic, Vasil, Al, 2007, p. 168)
Let’s step out of the cushiony five-ply bubble we all live in and ‘rough it’ a bit. Just a few days even. You might discover that your bottom can in fact survive wipings with one- and two-ply tissue; and your nose will not fall off if you don’t use facial tissue ‘infused’ with scents and lotions. I know you can do this...we can all do this. If not, how will we ever survive the guilt of wiping out Canada’s boreal forests for the sake of our pampered tushies and killing off animal species by choking them with our tampon applicators?
About the Author:
Beth Ann has a degree in Sciences from Dalhousie University and is a Personal Trainer and Nutrition and Wellness Specialist. Additionally, Beth Ann has a personal interest in holistic wellness and sustainable environmental practices and enjoys being the Canadian Sales Manager for Naturally Nova Scotia Health Products.
“About 12 billion pads and 7 billion tampons are used once and tossed in the trash each and every year in the U.S. alone!...Horrifically, tampon applicators and other plastics were found in the stomachs of Hawaiian Laysan albatross chicks that had died in their nests.” (Ecoholic, Vasil, A., 2007, p. 54) You can help prevent this. You can cut down or even eliminate your monthly menstrual product contribution to landfills. Options include tampons and pads made from certified organic non-chlorine-bleached cotton and biodegradable plant-based bioplastic. You can also try out reusable cloth pads, sustainably harvested sponges, and my personal favourite...reusable cups. For convenience, comfort, and cost-effectiveness, I choose reusable cups. I bought The Keeper in 2000 and replaced it only recently with The Diva Cup. In almost 10 years I’ve spent only about $100 and contributed no waste!
And what’s with this fancy thick toilet paper, paper towel, and facial tissue? Does your toilet paper really need to be scented? Does there really need to be designs in your paper towel? Did you know there was a time before facial tissue? It is amazing how many trees, forests, chemicals, and waste go into ensuring we all have extra-cushy disposable paper with which to clean up spills and wipe away our bodily excretions. Why are we cutting down our precious and vital forests for this?
There are options for us however; and they don’t have to involve wiping our bottoms with the pages of old catalogues. As far as toilet paper goes, “[i]f each household in Canada switched just one roll of the virgin bleached stuff with one roll of the recycled kind, we’d save almost 48,000 trees and prevent 4,500 kilograms of the air and water pollution that comes from making it.” (Ecoholic, Vasil, A., 2007, p. 157) Be savvy when choosing a brand and be sure to select one that uses at least 80% post-consumer content.
Why do you even need to use paper towel to clean up a spill? I’m sure you have old rags or dish clothes/towels that have seen better days. Why not keep these under your sink and use them to clean up your messes?
“Back before disposable tissues, a cloth handkerchief was up everyone’s sleeve. In fact, its replacement, Kleenex facial tissues, had trouble catching on until 1926, when they were peddled under the catchy new slogan ‘Don’t carry a cold in your pocket.’ Wouldn’t you know it, germ-phobia took hold, and 80 years later, the thought of a reusable cloth hanky makes most of us wince.” (Ecoholic, Vasil, Al, 2007, p. 168)
Let’s step out of the cushiony five-ply bubble we all live in and ‘rough it’ a bit. Just a few days even. You might discover that your bottom can in fact survive wipings with one- and two-ply tissue; and your nose will not fall off if you don’t use facial tissue ‘infused’ with scents and lotions. I know you can do this...we can all do this. If not, how will we ever survive the guilt of wiping out Canada’s boreal forests for the sake of our pampered tushies and killing off animal species by choking them with our tampon applicators?
About the Author:
Beth Ann has a degree in Sciences from Dalhousie University and is a Personal Trainer and Nutrition and Wellness Specialist. Additionally, Beth Ann has a personal interest in holistic wellness and sustainable environmental practices and enjoys being the Canadian Sales Manager for Naturally Nova Scotia Health Products.
