Ditching Disposables
Being a frugal mom or dad doesn’t mean we have to give up the convenience factor, but if you are a frugal semi-crunchy mom consider these facts and try to help our earth and your wallet a little bit more!
THE KITCHEN
PAPER TOWELS:
Average of 8 rolls/month $8.00
Yearly cost: $96
3 years: $288
UnPaper Towels: $1.10 each
Yearly cost: $50
3 years: $50
SAVINGS: $46/year by using reusable!
WHY are paper towels such a big problem? Most times they are made using virgin tree pulp. Tree is cut down and harvested for a product that is going to be used ONE TIME! Dioxin (carcinogen/cancer causing) is sometimes used to bleach the paper and there is plenty of extra plastic wasted by packaging the paper towels. If you MUST have paper towels choose recycled paper towels.
Un-paper towels cause environmental issues too with processing BUT they are used for multiple times/years. Choose unbleached fabric for best choice.
FOOD TRASH:
If it’s vegetables, fruits, coffee grounds, egg shells COMPOST IT!
No need to throw these out, make a small pile in your back yard, cover with leaves and grass occasionally and use a shovel to mix it up!
More on composting :
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/2006-10-01/Compost-Made-Easy.aspx
http://www.homecompostingmadeeasy.com/
REDUCE Plastic usage by using Reusables!
Reususable produce bags/shopping bags: $6.50 for 3/produce bags
Reusable Snack bags and sandwich baggies: $4-$5/each
1 spouse & 2 kids taking lunch: $45/year
Disposable Snack bags & baggies: $0.25 each/ 3 per lunch per day
Lunch taking person: $3.75/week or $193 year!!!! 2 people taking lunch: $386/yearly!
SAVINGS: $148/per person per year by using reusable snack/sandwich bags
Glass Jars/Containers for food travel/drink travel: Look for BPA FREE lids too! Or just make sure to leave space between lid and foods. $16/set of 6
Cloth Napkins: $1.00 each versus Disposable Napkins: $0.01 each
12 Napkins $12.00 many years use versus $0.05 per meal per day for family of five using one napkin each
REDUCE PARTY/PICNIC WASTE by investing in a Party Package or using your regular dishes!
3-4 parties per year: AVERAGE $75/disposable plates/cups/napkins/utensils
THE BATHROOM:
Toilet Paper:
Average human uses 160 rolls/year
Yearly cost: $130
3 years: $390
Family Cloth: $1.00 each want to have around 25 cloths per person in household
Yearly cost: $25-$300 (depending on family size)
3 years: $25-$300
Again, if family cloth sounds out of the question for you, buy recycled toilet paper. This is not the virgin pulp it’s from paper that has been used then it’s reprocessed into toilet paper.Family cloth: a version of using cloth to wipe the FAMILIES BOOTIES!
here are some questions/answers from a full time family cloth user: 3 kids, 2 adults
Do you keep the wipes wet or dry?
S: I keep my wipes dry
Do you put them in a wipe container or just folded behind the Use?
S: I keep them folded on the back of the toilet.
Do you have toilet paper for guests?
S: Yes, I usually have a roll of toilet paper on hand for guests but we don’t get a lot of guests so sometimes I don’t!
Do you wash the wipes differently?
S: I don’t wash differently. I actually don’t wash diapers anymore so all I do is dump in the washer and wash on hot. LOL, SUPER complicated, I know!!!
Do you have to spray or dunk any poop off or just wipe and throw in a
bin?
S: I don’t EVER have to spray or dunk. It’s not like baby wipes…usually just a swipe or something (think skid marks LOL) on the cloth, so there really isn’t anything to have to dunk/spray off.
Is your pail lidded or in a cabinet hidden? Where do you keep the dirties?
S: My pail is not lidded or hidden. It’s just a regular ol trashcan right next to the toilet. They don’t stink. I have actually gone on a laundry strike and they sat in the bathroom for 3 weeks with no washing and still no stink
Are you sick of all my questions!
S: Nope!
How many wipes do you suggest for a family?
S: I figured that my family would use 6 wipes per person per day (and you use way less wipes than you do toilet paper. It works way better, I feel cleaner, and it is way gentler on my girly parts). For me, I need 30 wipes per day, and I want to wash once a week, so 210 wipes, plus an extra 30 for wash day. I had 240 wipes which comes down to 20 doz. If you want to wash less, then you would not need so much. Also, I have 3 bathrooms so it is spread out a bit. and not like 20 doz. wipes all sitting out in a pile.
Tissue Facial Paper: (Kleenex)
Average cost $0.04/each
200 tissues per year used per person
Yearly cost: $8
3 Years: $24
FAMILY OF 5: $40/year $120 3/years
Handkerchiefs or CLOTH tissues: $1/each
Yearly cost: $24
3 Years: $24
You can scent your cloth tissues with eucalyptus, lavender, tea tree essential oils to give them a commercialized feel!
PADS & TAMPONS:
A woman will menstruate around 39 years on average using around 16,840 pads/tampons in her lifetime
Average cost of disposable pads/tampons: $0.45/each
Average cost of reusable pads: $6/each
Average cost of reusable tampon replacements: $25/each per year
Lifetime cost of disposables: $7,578
Lifetime cost of reusables: $1,400
SAVING: $6,178 using reusables
NURSING PADS:
A woman will use nursing pads for leakage on average 6 months after giving birth or 180 days per baby.
Average cost of disposables: $0.16/pair
Average cost of reusables: $5/pair
COST of disposables One child: $28.80
COST of disposables Two children: $57.60
COST of disposables Three children: $86.40
COST of reusables One child: $35
COST of reusables Two children: $45
COST of reusables Three children: $55
*Many times these have adhesive backgrounds, plastic, are bleached with dioxin and contain virgin tree pulp. So the SAVINGS with nursing pads is really environmental!
THE OFFICE:
Printing Paper: WE DON’T need to print everything! Think before you print!
USE RECYCLED! EMAIL!!!!
Printing Ink: Recycle cartridges after use or REFILL!
DIAPERS:
Average diapering time: 840 days
Average usage: 7,560 diapers & 24,460 wipes
Disposables COST: wipes and diapers
ONE child: $4,044.60
TWO children: $8,089.20
THREE children: $16,178.40
Cloth Diapers
Average diapering time: 840 days
Average usage: 64 diapers 30 wipes
Cloth COST:
ONE child: $1,150
TWO children: add $500 for replacements/etc.
THREE children: add $500 for replacements/etc.
Also with cloth you can resell diapers you don’t care for or that don’t fit so many times you can make back 50% of your money spent!
OVERALL:
Think before you throw it out! Can it be reused? Recycled?
How can I not add to the landfill today!?
REUSABLE ITEMS: glass jars, glass containers, plastic food containers, plastic bags (use for trash or donate back) melamine plates
RECYCLE ITEMS: cardboard packaging, #1 & #2 plastic, aluminum cans, paper, glass
REDUCE ITEMS: reduce packaging by buying in bulk or buying local
If all else fails and you don’t want to change anything you do, TRY TO START RECYCLING!
Stillwater Recycling accepts plastic with #1 and #2 on it. So buy those products first!
TOXIN ALERT! Also, start using less canned items & plastic #7 to reduce BPA in your FOOD! Buy fresh, frozen, or glass jars instead of canned!
Resources to purchase cloth and reusable items: www.etsy.com (search for the terms above) www.artfire.com & www.mightynest.com & amazon.com Look for the terms: reusable produce bags, mama cloth, family cloth, cloth etc.
Questions: andrea@littlesquigglers.com
